Egypt Ufele is a shining example of how you can turn a negative into a positive. Known as Ify, the 10-year-old was once the butt of jokes in her school halls, now she’s making a name for herself around the world after she became the only child designer to dress curvy models during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).

It’s because of taunting at school due to her size that Ify initially became interested in fashion. She told the Today show:

“I was bullied and they called me all kinds of names. One time I got stabbed with a pencil.”

Rather than let school bullies get the best of her, Ify decided to reclaim the word chubby, which was often hurled at her, and use it as the name for her own plus-size clothing line, ChubiiLine. During NYFW, Ify could be seen dressing models in her unique creations, designed to bring “Africa to America, one design at a time.”

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“People tell me I’m good at fashion,’ Ify told the Today show. “Sometimes I give my models ideas, and then we agree on it, and I end up making it.”

The fifth grader first learned to hand sew clothing for her dolls, then eventually learned to use a sewing machine to make clothing for all women, especially curvy girls. This past Saturday, she debuted her collection as part of Full Blossom magazine’s “Face the Sweet” showcase. Check out her cool designs below.

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Check out our Be The Boss Kids episode featuring Egypt.