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Stacey Solomon

The Lowdown

Stacey Solomon On Style, Body Confidence And Social Media

Following the sell-out success of her first Primark collection we caught up with TV’s golden girl, Stacey Solomon, as she launches her second clothing range with us. Read on as she reveals her favourite pieces, tells us her thoughts on sustainable fashion, and spills her self-care secrets…

Oct 10 · 2 min read

After a rapid rise to fame on The X Factor Stacey stole the TV limelight, winning reality show I’m a Celebrity and snagging a coveted spot on the Loose Women panel amongst plenty of presenting gigs. Adored by many for her down to earth persona and ‘real life’ social media sharing, she’s the star of the show when we meet on the set of her Primark photoshoot…

‘I’m so excited to be back’ she beams, ‘Honestly, when I got the campaign last year it was a dream come true so when Primark asked me to do it all over again, I couldn’t believe it. You can’t imagine what it’s like to walk past a store you’ve shopped in all of your life and see your face and designs in the windows, it’s the best feeling ever!’

A year has passed since we last spoke to Stacey, so we were keen to know how she tackled editing this new collection. ‘I was so over the moon first time around I think I just got so over excited and wanted to include every piece I’ve ever dreamed of! I wanted glitter, I wanted rainbows…I wanted everything’ she laughs. ‘This time around I wanted there to be a running theme, I wanted it to feel like a focused collection. All of the pieces can be mixed and matched with each other easily to make lots of different looks.’

A body positivity advocate herself there were undoubtedly design aspects that were key for Stacey. ‘For me the most important thing was comfort, I wanted to have pieces that women can feel good and look good in. If I had to describe the range in one sentence, I’d say its everyday wear, for everyone, at any time or occasion, and I love that. I feel that some brands miss the mark and only cater to one type of woman, but I’ve never felt like that about Primark. Clothing should be accessible to everyone and in Primark I’ve always felt included, I can keep up with the latest trends and afford to!’

‘I will live in these’ she says pointing to the t-shirt and sweatshirt from her range, both emblazoned with the slogan ‘mother’. A devoted mum of three herself she admits that the thought that people might buy these pieces she has designed as gifts for their own mothers makes her tummy go funny (‘in a good way’ she chuckles). ‘Being a mum is a huge part of my life and I know that motherhood means so much to so many women out there, so it was nice to give a nod to it. It’s difficult because I know not everybody can relate to being a mum but this jumper and tshirt are so special to me and I hope there are people out there that love wearing their ‘mum badge’ loud and proud’

Other favourites of Stacey’s include a pair of white ankle boots which she’s sporting as we speak, ‘I feel like white boots are hard to come by and the heel on these is the perfect height and super chunky, I cannot do stilettos!’ Another of her favourites from the collection are the jeans. ‘This time they’re a high waisted skinny with a cut off hem, I can wear them with everything’

On the subject of denim we discover Stacey knows all about our sustainability efforts. ‘I’ve got two pairs of the sustainable cotton jeans and I love ‘em’ she explains ‘ One of the first things I did before working with Primark was going into talks to learn about their ethics, I wanted to know everything and I was so blown away and impressed by everything I found out. The ethics and environmental team were amazing, it was all so interesting. I learnt about where Primark sources it’s materials, how they treat their workers, how they package their products and more. I think everyone needs to get used to the idea that they can shop sustainably and the more they do, the more likely brands are to become more and more eco-friendly’

‘I should be a Victoria's Secret model’ Stacey chimes when talk turns to body positivity. ‘It’d be nice if there was a bit more diversity wouldn’t it? But I’m not one, and I don’t beat myself up about it’ Her millions of followers love her for her unfiltered, real portrayal of her day to day life but we ask Stacey how she keeps up her positive attitude, especially following the recent birth of her third son, Rex. ‘It’s definitely a conscious effort and it’s constant. I guarantee you every day I’ll have a negative thought but then I take a second and think actually, I’m incredibly privileged that I’m healthy, it works! My body has produced three children and how lucky is that?! I have to thank my body for all of the amazing things it’s done rather than put it down because it doesn’t look a certain way’

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A proud working mum, Stacey spills how she juggles that all important work/life balance. ‘I don’t know if I could do it without my family and Joe, I’ve got incredible parents who support me. Joe’s work is a lot like mine’ she says, speaking of her partner of over three years and fellow TV presenter Joe Swash. ‘He’s a great dad and a great male role model for the boys so I’m lucky to have him around. Also, sometimes you just have to say no, it’s about making those tough decisions but remembering why you’re doing it, ultimately the boys come first. Trying to get the balance right is impossible, I think everyone struggles with it’

Stacey fell pregnant with her first son Zachary aged 17, when social media was a relatively new phenomenon, so we asked her how different it’s been this time around. ‘I felt so alone when I had Zach, I felt like I was useless, but now with social media there this entire community of people who share their own experiences and it makes you feel so much better about yourself. People often write to me to thank me for being so open but really I should be thanking them because whenever I do share how I’m feeling there are always people who come forward to say they feel the same and give me their advice. It is a huge responsibility having a platform that you know influences people though, I’m always worried about doing something wrong, it’s like on tv programmes when they start with ‘Don’t Try This At Home’.

But what does she do when she needs a little me-time? Stacey bursts into laughter ‘Most of the time my me-time is sitting on the toilet for slightly longer than I need to! Sometimes I’ll read a book, well…a page of a book and I’ll even spend an extra five minutes in the shower if I think I can get away with it. It’s just about taking five minutes alone when you get the chance and taking a moment to breathe and remember who you are, just bringing your feet back down to the ground’

So what’s next for Stacey? ‘I don’t know’ she cries ‘This gives me the fear! Whenever people ask this I’m always like…I have no idea, there’s no plan, I’ll just keep going’

But have we got chance of seeing her collaborate with Primark on a kids wear collection anytime soon? ‘Oh my gosh, that would be the dream, we’ve definitely discussed the idea but we’ll have to see where it goes. It’s definitely something I’d love to do, I absolutely love Primark’s kids clothing but there always room for new and exciting concepts’ we mention her love of twinning her outfits with Rex, would she include some mini me looks given the opportunity? ‘Oh come on now’ she smirks ‘My life revolves around twinning!’