Universal Standard has a big mission: beyond offering minimal essentials in an unprecedentedly inclusive range, or sending you a mystery box filled with goodies, their goal is to “create a new normal” in the fashion industry. One way of doing that is to help other brands expand its sizing thoughtfully. First, it partnered with J.Crew. Now, Universal Standard is helping transform the super high-end, super-ethereal, super-exclusive aesthetic normally reserved for those with red carpet access (or very deep pockets).
Universal Standard is teaming up with Rodarte, the L.A.-based brand helmed by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy that’s incredibly popular among the celebrity set. (Rodarte’s flowery, fantastical designs are often spotted on the likes of Kristen Dunst, Rowan Blanchard, and Brie Larson.) Prices are typically well into the four- to five-figures—and, historically, its sizing has been just as limiting.
Universal Standard’s co-founder Alexandra Waldman tells Glamour that she and her co-founder Polina Veksler took a very strategic approach to their latest partnership. “We sat down and decided that we wanted to bring the consumer a taste of stuff they’ve never had access to before,” she says. Together, they made a list of brands that that they felt had a unique point of view, would bring something new to the Universal Standard shopper, and offered product that was different from anything it already had in stock. “There’s no point in collaborating with someone who’s exactly like you,” she says. Rodarte was at the top of that list.
Through this collaboration, the world dreamt up by the Mulleavy sisters will open up to a much broader audience. Universal Standard x Rodarte consists of four pieces that marry playful design with inclusivity: available in sizes 00 through 40, in four different colorways, for under $250.
“We came together immediately and started talking about what this could look like: what were the pieces and why were the pieces [that way] and how we were going to do this,” Waldman says. Universal Standard brought the expertise in creating size-inclusive clothing, allowing “Kate and Laura to exercise their creativity.” There were a few things that Waldman and her team made sure to include in the collection—like a monochromatic color palette (so the shopper could see the “easy usability” of each piece and “plug it into her own wardrobe”) and freedom of movement (so that “everyone, in whatever body they live in, feels great about these clothes on them.”) But Waldman says the vision for the collection was all the Mulleavys.
“When we went to Laura and Kate, we really wanted them to do something that was very Rodarte,” Waldman continues. “The ethos of our brand is to work with like-minded brands to open as many doors as possible, and to let the fashion industry see that this is can be done—and done beautifully.”
This marks Universal Standard’s most luxurious partnership to date. Since it launched three years ago, the brand has collaborated with Danielle Brooks and J.Crew. In the latter case, Universal Standard helped the company extend sizing permanently. To now align itself with a brand of Rodarte’s caliber is a major achievement in expanding sizing in the luxury space.
Waldman’s still believes there is a lot of work to be done. “I think that the world is changing tremendously, and I think that fashion world is not keeping up, if I’m perfectly frank,” she says. “It’s very unfortunate because there is a revolution coming—not just a revolution of the individual, a revolution of aesthetic in general: what’s considered beautiful, what’s considered worthy, what’s considered inclusive. And the more we include and we diversify, the more beautiful things become. I think that it’s really important to break those barriers, open those doors, and just invite people in. They want to be there. You need them to be there. It’s a win-win-win.”
