Clothes That Work For You!

Bear World Magazine’s Richard Jones sits down with Carlijn Cornelisse, founder and designer of Mr Main Man, to talk about why the fashion industry has failed bigger men for too long and what she’s doing to change that.

Richard Jones: Can you tell us about your background and how you got into designing?

I’m Carlijn Cornelisse, owner of Mr Main Man and menswear designer, based in Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands. I’ve been designing menswear since 2012, working for brands like WE Fashion and Chasin’, and later for global names like Tommy Hilfiger and C&A. Always menswear. What has always drawn me to menswear is the intersection of tradition, functionality and personality. A shirt or blazer carries a great deal of history in the way it’s constructed, but at the same time it’s one of the most powerful ways for a man to express who he is. Fabric, fit, small details, everything plays a role. Personally, I’ve always used clothing as a way to express my individuality. I enjoy combining essentials with something unexpected, a piece I made myself, a vintage find, or sometimes just a brightly coloured hat in an otherwise neutral outfit. I never liked the idea that people should fit into boxes, and all look the same. Quite the opposite. I’ve always believed people shine more when they stop trying to squeeze themselves into spaces that were never made for them. That mindset is ultimately what pushed me into design. I wanted to create clothes that help men show their character and stand taller in their own skin.

RJ: The bear community has long struggled to find clothing that’s both stylish and fits their body type. What was the moment you realised the fashion industry was truly failing bigger men?

I realised the industry was failing bigger men while working as a plus-size menswear designer for one of my clients. I saw how bigger men were consistently treated as an afterthought. Many brands either stopped at XL or simply took a regular garment and scaled up all the measurements without ever truly considering the body it was supposed to fit. The result was usually an enlarged version of a medium, out of balance and often uncomfortable. At C&A, we began addressing some of those issues, and the reaction from customers was a real eye-opener. I hadn’t fully appreciated just how frustrating shopping had been for bigger men until I saw it up close. The “enough is enough” moment came later. Over time, a growing desire to contribute to a more inclusive society took hold. I realised that people who fall outside the so-called “norm” are constantly being pushed to adapt to systems that were never designed for them. As a fashion designer, the most powerful thing I could do was use my skills to change something within my own field. That’s how Mr Main Man began. Imagine if we stopped telling people their bodies are wrong, and instead created clothes that actually worked for them — no shame, no pretending everyone looks the same. Just clothes made for the body you have.

RJ: As a woman designing menswear specifically for bigger, burlier men, how do you approach understanding what a bear actually wants to feel and look like?

Many designers create based on their own taste and assume everyone else will respond to it. But when you’re designing for a different gender, you need to approach it far more objectively. For me, that means constantly talking to men, asking questions, observing how they move, how they wear clothes, what frustrates them and what they genuinely enjoy wearing. That distance keeps me focused on what works for them, not on what I personally prefer. What those conversations revealed is that the problem goes far beyond fit. There’s a strong emotional and cultural dimension to it. Many bigger men grow up feeling like they should hide their body, not take up too much space, not stand out. But when clothes actually fit well, something shifts, and you see it immediately. Shoulders go back, posture changes, confidence appears. That moment is what I design for.

RJ: A lot of plus-size menswear defaults to hiding the body, oversized cuts, dark colours, shapeless fits. Mr Main Man’s ethos is ‘clothes that work with your body, not against it.’ How do you actually engineer that for a bigger frame?

The biggest difference is that before I even began designing, I first looked at the market to understand which sizes were genuinely missing. That’s how I arrived at a range running from XL to 5XL, with 3XL as the starting point. From there, we measured a large number of bigger men and built a fit avatar based on those measurements. Every pattern we develop starts from that 3XL base. But the real learning came through fittings, working alongside my garment technician Femmie and our fit models, adjusting and refining until the proportions finally felt right. One of the most common mistakes brands make is assuming every part of the body increases proportionally. That’s simply not how bodies work. Your belly might increase significantly, but your wrists don’t suddenly become enormous. Your arms don’t grow dramatically longer once you reach 3XL. So we began adjusting each part of the garment separately. With our shirts, for example: chest and waist measurements increase, but sleeve length stays largely the same. The extra room sits mainly at the front, not the back. The front length increases to cover the belly, while the overall length remains proportional — not like a dress. Those targeted adjustments make an enormous difference. No tugging, no pulling, no constantly readjusting your shirt throughout the day. Just clothes that fit.

RJ: Bears take a great deal of pride in their bodies and their identity. How important is it to you that Mr Main Man contributes to how a man actually feels about himself?

For me, that’s the most important thing of all. When you feel good in what you’re wearing, everything changes, the way you carry yourself, the way you walk into a room, the way people respond to you. And let’s be honest: a bigger guy who dresses well always turns heads. Confidence is compelling. A good outfit is compelling. And clothes that work with your body rather than against it make a profound difference. I’ve seen it happen during fittings and shoots. A man puts something on that finally fits properly and his whole posture changes in an instant, shoulders back, a relaxed smile, a certain swagger. That energy carries over into everything else: dating, social life, work. Clothes won’t transform your life overnight, of course. But wearing something that genuinely works for your body can absolutely give you that extra confidence to walk into a room like you belong there. Because you do.

RJ: You’ve worked with major brands like Tommy Hilfiger and WE Fashion. Why has the mainstream fashion industry been so slow to take bigger men seriously as a stylish demographic?

Because the fashion industry remains obsessed with a very narrow idea of what a man should look like. Most brands design for the same archetype: tall, lean, athletic. That image sells clothes, so they keep repeating it. But the reality is that a huge number of men simply don’t look like that, and that’s completely fine. These are men with careers, relationships, families and full lives. They are exactly as they should be, and they have no obligation to reshape themselves to fit an outdated fantasy. The constant pressure to “fix” your body and become that idealised version is frankly toxic. It creates an environment where bigger men are perpetually made to feel they’re somehow falling short, and that mindset quietly gives permission to bullying and body shaming. Instead of asking millions of men to change their bodies, the industry should simply design better clothes. Clothes that work for the bodies that actually exist in the real world. Because those men deserve style, quality and thoughtful design just as much as anyone else.

RJ: You’ve said ‘when your clothes fit right, you stand taller.’ For a bear who has never experienced truly well-fitting clothes before, what does that moment look like?

I honestly didn’t anticipate how significant the impact would be. The first time I truly saw it was during our first photoshoot. Our model Joël put on his first outfit and just stopped for a moment. Then he said something like: “Wow… this is actually built for me.” You could see his confidence grow in real time. Something similar happened with Micha, a professional plus-size model who works with many brands. During the shoot, he spoke about how plus-size collections are so often simply enlarged versions of smaller sizes — and about how poorly he had been treated as a 3XL model, wearing clothes that were supposedly made for him but never actually fit, because no one had made the effort to consider a bigger body. Wearing Mr Main Man, he said he finally felt seen. He saw in the mirror the version of himself he had always felt he was, but had rarely been able to show the world. Ill-fitting clothes are a constant, quiet reminder that your body wasn’t considered in the design. They chip away at confidence slowly. Clothes that actually fit do exactly the opposite.

RJ: You’ve chosen technical fabrics like Coolmax® and TENCEL™ blend, breathable, stretchy and wrinkle-resistant. How intentional was that choice?

Entirely intentional. During my conversations with bigger men, two things kept coming up: comfort and staying fresh throughout the day. Many told me that after a long day at work, their clothes would start to feel heavy, creased, or show sweat marks. Take Coolmax®, for example a recycled fibre that moves moisture away from the body, allowing sweat to evaporate faster so you stay fresher for longer. The piqué knit structure in our polos also helps keep the garment looking clean and structured, while still following the body comfortably. Every fabric I use has a specific purpose. Some add structure, some allow greater movement, all help regulate temperature. The principle is simple: the clothes should work for you all day, not just when you first put them on.

RJ: Right now the collection focuses on core essentials, shirts, polos and chinos. But bears live full lives: Pride, bars, travel, dressing up. What’s the vision for expanding Mr Main Man?

I started with wardrobe essentials deliberately. Shirts, polos and chinos are pieces men wear across many different situations, and starting there allowed me to focus entirely on getting the fit exactly right. Now that those pieces are out in the world, I’m listening carefully to customer feedback about what they want next. Denim is currently in development, and shorts are another frequent request — that’s on the roadmap for next year. The goal is to gradually build a complete wardrobe for bigger men, from everyday essentials to pieces you’d wear on a date, on holiday, or at the beach. But I want to expand step by step, guided by what men actually need, so I retain the flexibility to adapt as I go.

RJ: Finally — if a bear is reading this right now and has spent years feeling like fashion simply wasn’t made for him, what do you want him to know?

First, I want to say: I understand. If you’ve spent years ordering two or three sizes hoping one might fit, and none of them did, it’s entirely reasonable to assume every new brand will be another disappointment. Mr Main Man is different because every piece was designed with your body in mind — your shape, your proportions, your needs. I work with small collections deliberately, because I want to ensure the concept actually holds up in real life, with the flexibility to adapt with each production based on genuine feedback. And I’m proud to say that, from the men wearing Mr Main Man today, it does fit and it does feel different. Many of them admit they were sceptical at first. Giving this brand a chance would mean a great deal to me. I hope you’ll be part of the journey, because only together can we truly change the way bigger men are seen.

Mr Main Man is available at mrmainman.com