Few artists working in fashion have done more to broaden beauty standards as a cultural act of rebellion than activist, actor, model, and photographer Velvet D’Amour. The Rochester, NY, native studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and in Italy under the tutelage of James White before permanently relocating to Paris.

Then in 2006, she became a haute couture sensation at 38, walking the runway at 300 pounds for Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano, appearing in a French Vogue editorial photographed by Nick Knight, and inspiring heated debate--not only inside the plus size modeling world but with none other than Karl Lagerfeld who heavily criticized her participation.

That same year, she starred in the title role of the French art film Avida, directed by Benoît Delépine. Her groundbreaking performance earned the film's inclusion in the Cannes and Tribeca Film Festivals and U.S. distribution.

In 2007, a photograph of D'amour wearing a “Please Feed The Models” T-shirt went viral. Three years later she won €55,000 for a charity that cares for animals in the South African bush on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités (The Celebrity Farm).

2012 was the year D’Amour launched Volup2, an online fashion magazine that features her lush photography and distinctive art direction. The magazine celebrates all kinds of beauty—regardless of size, age, ethnicity, or disability. For over a decade, this magazine has been her focus and clarion call to honor what makes us unique. More recently, she crossed paths again with James White, whose company, Sebastian+Melmoth, is honored to be publishing her first book in 2025.

To put it quite simply, the world is a more beautiful place, because Velvet D’Amour is in it.