Tag: Sizes

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This New Brand Wants to Make Professional Dresses for Plus Sizes

Post author By news22
Post date December 13, 2018
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After a decade working for one of the largest investment institutions in the world, Eugena Delman faced a personal challenge: continue growing within Goldman Sachs or leave her career behind to pursue an entirely different field. She dwelled on it for six months but eventually decided to go the latter route—no gig lined up, no real plan, just a ticket to go back home to Hong Kong. She would come home a month later, bringing with her an idea for a brand-new fashion company.

“I owed it to myself to at least try something different, especially given that I was in my early thirties and still had the energy,” Delman tells Glamour. “If I wanted to do something different, this was my chance to make that pivot.”

While she was in Hong Kong, Delman started to notice something about her sister’s wardrobe: Whenever they went shopping, there were hardly any options for her size 14 frame—an “experience I can only sum up as horrific,” she says. “I just couldn’t believe that there were times that we would walk into a store and [salespeople] would take one look at my sister and be like, ‘Oh, no size.’ We’re paying customers; I have my credit card and I’m ready to spend money in your store, and you can’t even make the effort to check the back. My sister was like, ‘This is my daily experience. I don’t know why you’re so upset.’”

This was something that Delman, who usually falls between a size 6 and 8, had never noticed. Growing up in Hong Kong, though, she says she remembers her size always being perceived as large. Yes, she would find it difficult to find clothing that fit correctly, but it wasn’t something she dwelled on—she was more concerned with her math and science classes, which eventually led her to major in aerospace engineering and management science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Delman always had her sights set on coming to the United States for college. After graduating, though, she realized that she wanted to do something more practical than aerospace engineering—that, and she needed a company to sponsor her visa to stay in the country. So she turned to investment banking. That’s how she got to Goldman Sachs, first as an analyst and eventually becoming a vice president. Fashion was never really on her radar…until that fateful trip to Hong Kong.

“I totally took it for granted, the ability to just find nice clothes for myself whereas somebody who’d be considered [a straight size] in the U.S. is still really struggling in Hong Kong,” Delman says now.

PHOTO: Ava James NYC

Seeing her frustration, Delman’s sister recommended she start a wholesale or import business, bringing U.S. or European fashion brands—and more inclusive sizes—to Hong Kong. But when she started her research, Delman found that even in the U.S. there weren’t many brands that catered to her target audience of women in corporate environments. Before she could look internationally, she thought, it would be worth getting a sense of the market Stateside.

That was precisely the motivation she needed to start Ava James NYC, a line of versatile, professional dresses made for the modern woman. “I wanted to create pieces that were not trend focused…that a grown woman could wear to multiple functions,” Delman explains. “Because, especially spending a lot of money, you don’t want it to be so special that you can only wear it to one type of event.”

Delman officially started Ava James NYC with longtime friend Saena Chung back in April—by August, only four months later, they had debuted its first collection. The range is simple and sophisticated, meant to go from the office to after-hours. Every dress is available in sizes 8 through 18 (with more coming down the pipeline). Prices start at $315 and cap out at $385.

According to Delman, the two were able to get Ava James NYC off the ground so quickly because of the project-management skills she acquired from years in investment banking. That same experience also gives her a more intimate understanding of what professional women want from their clothes: “Because I spent nine years in corporate America, I know how [they] dress. I spent nine years with my potential customer demographic, and I know what kind of outfits will work in an office setting and won’t work. These women, they want to look good and they want to feel good and they want clothes that are stylish, but they’re not super bogged down by what’s happening in the fashion world.”

Delman, with her background in finance, can also see how large Ava James NYC’s potential for growth is: She’s analyzed the brand’s early sales data, as well as the customer feedback, to reaffirm how important it is for shoppers to have access to elevated womenswear and professional dresses that aren’t fast fashion or extremely high-end—clothing that falls somewhere in the middle.

The team has also spent extra time and money on the fitting process, to ensure that the garments compliment larger frames—a consideration that, though “very expensive on our part,” Delman says she was adamant about: “One of the complaints that I’d heard from my sister was that a lot of the options that were available to her were really oversize clothing…. I know that the worst thing you can do when you have a curvy body is drape yourself in fabric.”

There’s another, less talked-about challenge Delman has identified about starting a fashion business—specifically, an inclusive brand: finding an industry standard of size, which essentially means there’s a lot of variation between brands and how they do their sizing. (Someone who might wear a size 14 in one brand may wear a different size in Ava James NYC. Because of the variation in sizing, Delman has made shipping and returns free of charge, allowing shoppers to not pay extra to find the garments in their correct size.) “We ended up putting together an Excel spreadsheet of different brands, specifically for size 14 which is our sample size, and took a look at the variation,” says Delman.

Her sister back in Hong Kong is the brand’s unofficial sample tester: “The first time she wore [our Madrid Dress],” Delman says, “she actually told me that she never, ever thought that she could feel sexy in her life. That, to me, was straight-up validation.”

“There’s that saying: Don’t dress for the job that you have, dress for the job that you want,” Delman says. “As corny as it sounds, it’s not just about looking good; it’s about feeling pretty darn fabulous too.”

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Tags Brand, Dresses, Professional, Sizes

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Reformation's Cult-Favorite Jeans Will Now Be Available in Sizes 00 Through 24

Post author By news22
Post date November 12, 2018
No Comments on Reformation's Cult-Favorite Jeans Will Now Be Available in Sizes 00 Through 24

In March, cult-favorite fashion brand Reformation expanded its sizing for the first time, up to a size 22. The capsule was created in collaboration with model Ali Tate Cutler and quickly sold out. But the label promised that was only the beginning of their efforts to become more inclusive—and now, it announced phase two: Reformation’s beloved denim collection will now be available in sizes 00 to 24.

“We listen carefully to all comments and feedback we get, especially through social media. While we got a lot of praise for the first extended sizing collection, we also got a lot of requests to make it a more of a permanent collection and for more styles to be available in more inclusive sizes,” Yael Aflalo, founder and CEO of Reformation, tells Glamour.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Reformation.

Denim was the obvious next step for Reformation’s size expansion “because it’s something pretty much everyone wears all the time, and we want as many women as possible—regardless of shape or size—to have access to sustainable, great fitting jeans,” Aflalo says.

Available online today, Reformation’s expanded Ref Jeans collection is made from a semi-synthetic fabric made from Eucalyptus trees, so it uses less water than the traditional cotton. There are seven styles total, based on the brand’s most popular denim pieces, with prices start at $98 and go up to $128.

The 00-to-24 range is still limited, but Aflalo says the brand is constantly evaluating its approach to sizing, based on customer feedback. To that end, Reformation is also announcing a permanent size expansion, starting in early 2019.

“Over the years we’ve made efforts to address size inclusivity through collections like ‘Don’t Call Me Cute,’ which was specifically designed for petites (5′2 and under), as well as our ‘I’m Up Here’ collection designed to fit larger chested women (full C-DD cup),” Aflalo explains. “However, we knew there was more we could do and we’re sorry it took us so long.” Soon, customers will be able to shop an evergreen collection that’ll go up to a size 24. “While we don’t have immediate plans to launch in sizes beyond that, we will continue to listen to our customers and make sure that we’re providing for more shapes and sizes,” she adds.

You can shop Reformation’s latest collection here.

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Tags CultFavorite, Jeans, Reformation039s, Sizes

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You're Going to Love Universal Standard's Basics Collection That Comes in Sizes 00 to 40

Post author By news22
Post date October 17, 2018
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Since Universal Standard was founded in 2015, its goal has been to create a more inclusive approach to fashion. That began with sizing—its first collection came in sizes 10 through 28—but also with projects that spoke to other gaps in the market: It helped J.Crew expand its sizing across the board; it collaborated with actress Danielle Brooks; it brought attention to the lack of plus-size jewelry options out there. But its latest launch might be its more revolutionary: a line of T-shirts available in sizes 00 through 40.

“This was always a north star,” Alexandra Waldman, cofounder of Universal Standard, tells Glamour of Foundation, a capsule of seven shirts made for layering and its most exhaustive size offering yet. “We started 10 to 28, which were both outside of the traditional ‘plus size,’ because we wanted to plant our flag there. Then we went 6 to 32. Now we’re going 00 to 40 because we want to show the world that it’s possible to make beautiful clothes for everyone and it’s not just the privilege that single-digit-size girls get to have.”

“We knew Foundation was going to start at 00, but we didn’t know how high up we could go,” Waldman explains. “It made so much sense once we understood the lay of the land and how many people are going without.” Universal Standard landed on 40 because of their “intuition” and out of a desire to address “the forgotten within the forgotten,” like shoppers above a size 32. To develop its product, the brand uses a micrograding technique, “which is to change the grading between each size rather than use a formula to grade across. We pay a lot of attention to detail, to make sure it looks native to each body size,” in addition to measuring samples on models of every size, according to Waldman.

The name of this capsule is derived from makeup foundation, because “it goes from least coverage to most coverage, the way foundation does—you have a bandeau, a cami, then you have a short-sleeve T-shirt, a long-sleeve [T-shirt], then you have a turtleneck, a crewneck, and a V-neck included. We wanted to make things that were so incredibly comfortable you could wear them on their own or you could wear them underneath as a layer.”

Even before Foundation launched, an image from its lookbook went viral: It featured La’Shaunae Steward wearing one of Universal Standard’s tanks, which many praised as a depiction of plus-size bodies you don’t typically see in fashion photography. “We wanted to show someone who we thought was exceptional and beautiful and strong and deserved representation,” says Waldman. (The model shared the photo on Instagram, writing: “[A] shoot that was so special and important to me. [Being] a model that people constantly look over or being a curve model that [isn’t] conventionally attractive or ‘fat in all the right places’ and always finding myself only posting angles [I] felt were more appealing. [T]his angle shows everything [I] fought being insecure about and shows every part of me that people told me would have to be smaller in order to be accepted.”)

The response to the lookbook—which included “a lot of ‘this brought me to tears,’ a lot of ‘thank you,’ a lot of ‘I feel seen by a fashion brand,'” per Waldman—was incredibly moving for the founders: “A few times we would read them and we were brought almost to tears, because they were such emotional responses.” And there’s only more to come—Waldman promises, “This is the beginning of the entire collection’s moving to 00 through 40.”

See Universal Standard’s groundbreaking size-inclusive collection ahead.

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Tags Basics, Collection, Love, Sizes, Standard039s, Universal, You039re

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Old Navy Is Bringing Plus Sizes Back to Stores

Post author By news22
Post date August 21, 2018
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It’s hard to name a brand that’s more accessible and all encompassing than Old Navy: A comforting, familiar fixture in the American fashion landscape, the mass retailer has built itself as a family label since its inception 24 years ago, offering clothing in sizes 00 through 30. But there’s been something standing in the way of its mission of total inclusivity: For more than a decade, its extensive plus collection has only been available online. (It was, between 2004 and 2007, available in select stores.) That changes today, as Old Navy announces that, for the first time, its full plus-size run—from 16 to 30—will be stocked in 75 brick-and-mortar locations.

Amid a backdrop of increasingly vocal consumers demanding for inclusivity across the board in retail—especially when, for so long, plus-size shoppers have largely been deprived of the same in-person shopping experience as straight-size buyers—this development seems to arrive at the right moment. Though, it also raises questions about why it took so long.

According to the retailer, the reason for the delay can be traced back to 2007, when Old Navy first decided to pull plus-size clothing from stores. At the time, it was due to a number of factors—but mostly because the fit was not up to par—and so the company made the decision to sell it online online.

PHOTO: Suzanne Baxter/Rob Clements/Old Navy

“When we were in stores, we didn’t necessarily execute it well and our customer wasn’t responding to our collection the way we had hoped, so we made the decision to pull back,” explains Loretta Choy, senior vice president and general manager of the adult division at Old Navy. “The most important thing when you’re building out a plus line and bringing it in stores is addressing all the pain points; we saw an opportunity to improve the plus collection and build a loyal customer in the online space before returning to the physical retail environment.”

In the 11 years since removing the section from stores, Old Navy doubled down on its efforts to perfect plus sizes online: sifting through customer reviews, taking their feedback, and fine-tuning the makeup of the garments to remedy problem areas (extra buttons to keep certain areas closed, additional elastic bands for a more flattering silhouette, a heavier fabric weight to ensure coverage). During this time, the retailer continued to carry its extended sizes—00 to 20—in stores, but waited to reintroduce the proper plus line, which runs 16 to 30. (The overlap in sizing, she clarifies, is due to the realization that some shoppers identify with plus, while others don’t, and “we want to make sure we’re giving our customers the option of putting on a size 16 in the main line or putting a size 16 in plus—which may look the same aesthetically, but are constructed differently for a better fit—and understanding what’s best for her.”)

After years of using reviews as markers of improvement and comparing feedback on both a monthly and quarterly basis, Choy says the company’s online plus section has seen incredible performance this year, “outpacing the brand’s performance in total.” She notes: “The appetite has been quite strong, and when we look at the improvement in star rating, it’s been very, very strong.”

Old Navy is reintroducing plus sizes in stores with a specific strategy: to roll out to a limited number of locations in order for the brand to receive direct feedback, learn from customers, address concerns, and understand her experience every step of the way—from browsing the selection to trying on the clothes—before launching in all of its 1,000-plus brick-and-mortars over the next several years. (In the meantime, if a customer wants to try on a plus garment, but it’s not offered at that location, the store can have it shipped there for free.) “We’re really pacing ourselves because we want to do it right this time,” Choy says. “We always knew we wanted to get plus size back into the stores—the product had to be right first. We don’t want to let our customers down. “

PHOTO: Suzanne Baxter/Rob Clements/Old Navy

Plus sizes, Choy says, will live in their own section, because “it can feel like a really frustrating experience for our customer to try to figure out where her sizes are.” They’ll be directly connected to the women’s section with the goal for it to feel like an uninterrupted shopping experience, allowing the customer to freely walk through denim, activewear, before reaching plus. The section will have plus-sized mannequins and about 175 different styles—less than half of the selection online—in sizes 16 to 30.

And all of this, Choy says, is just the beginning, as Old Navy is determined to become more inclusive by striving to broaden its size range, to include more stores, and to extend its offering online—all of which reinforces the “Size Yes” campaign message from earlier this year: “Yes, we have your size; whatever the tag says, you’re always a size Yes to us.”

“Whatever you see in our emails or the windows of our stores—the optimistic colors, the fun prints, the great styling—all of that should be the same for the plus customer,” Choy says. “Our goal is for her to have the same amount of fashion that we offer everyone, to participate in the same brand experience that we’re delivering: fashion, fun, family for all.”

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Tags Bringing, Navy, Sizes, Stores

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Designer Christian Siriano Says He Literally Tripled His Business by Adding Plus Sizes

Post author By news22
Post date June 16, 2018
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Christian Siriano has won huge amounts of acclaim in the past—not just for his gorgeous designs, but for his embrace of pretty much anyone who wants to wear his creations. In an industry still dominated by sample sizes (though it’s slowly getting better), Siriano puts an emphasis on being size inclusive. As Fawnia Soo Hoo wrote for Glamour in February, “He’s also managed to smash the mold of what a typical “red-carpet moment” looks like. No matter your age or body type, if Siriano likes your work, he’ll want to dress you—a strategy that’s proved successful with a broad range of celebrities and their stylists.”

He’s featured plus-size models in his fashion shows, designed a gorgeous wedding gown for a plus-size blogger, and made an incredible dress for Leslie Jones’ Ghostbusters premiere when other designers didn’t step up. At this year’s Oscars alone a staggering 17 women wore his designs.

Siriano’s efforts to be inclusive separate him from other couture designers, but as he told the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fern Mallis at a recent panel at the 92nd St. Y, his personal mission and love for every single kind of woman has proven to be great for his brand. To the tune of: Dressing plus-size women has tripled—yep, tripled—his business. (Now is a good time to add that the plus-size fashion market is worth $21 billion.)

“Adding plus sizes to my line tripled my business. Why wouldn’t you do that?! Do we not want to triple the business? Do we not think these women should wear our clothes? Do we not want these women to have beautiful things because we’re afraid they’re not beautiful? What is going on here?,” the 32-year-old said at the event.

And while he acknowledged that designing beyond sample sizes involves different considerations, he also added that his brand (rightly) never charges more for larger-sized designs. After all, “You want to look cute in a dress and you’re a size 26? Why not?!”

Siriano’s business is now 50 percent plus size, he said—and his clout is leading to change within the industry. “We got Moda Operandi to change their whole website—now they go up to our sizes,” the designer said. “Knowing we have a part in change like that, it’s amazing… but it’s still crazy to me that it’s not the norm.”

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Tags Adding, business, Christian, Designer, Literally, Siriano, Sizes, Tripled

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Floravere Introduces Wedding Dress Samples in Sizes 2 Through 24

Post author By news22
Post date May 10, 2018
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Shopping for a wedding dress can be a long, laborious process. But more and more brands are trying to change that. When Floravere burst onto the bridal scene in November 2016, it promised luxury-grade gowns for $3,000 or less that could be delivered to your door and fit with a personal on-call stylist—a pretty revolutionary proposition, especially in the expensive world of weddings.) But there was a caveat: Though Floravere offered styles in up to a size 30, the samples for brides to try on at home were limited to sizes 12 and below.

As brides have explained in Glamour, as well as in other outlets, the lack of wedding dress samples in sizes beyond a 12 is reasonably frustrating. Without trying one on, it’s difficult to know how a gown will look until the day of. What’s more, having a tiny size range comes with negative implicit messaging: If you can’t fit into the bridal samples provided, it suggests you’re not the “right”-size bride.

With its latest launch, Floravere is changing that. Its Firsts Collection, which is available online now, comes with a brand-new feature: Samples can be requested in sizes 2, 6, 12, 18W, or 24W—a far more inclusive range than previously offered. There’s also no surcharge for ordering a larger size—which, yes, is a thing at some bridal stores.

PHOTO: Floravere