A Collaboration with New Standards
Recently, J.Crew announced a new collaboration with Universal Standard.
Like thousands of others, it’s another clothing brand collaboration. So, why should you care? Because it isn’t just any brand collaboration.
Sixty-seven percent of American women wear a size 14 or above, yet mainstream fashion brands cater mostly towards size 0-6 women. That’s only one third of the female population. We are shaped by what we consume through the media and marketing campaigns, so size exclusivity is just the fashion industry actively telling women that if you aren’t a size 2, your style is not as important in our society.
While there are a few specialty shops with inclusive sizing like Lane Bryant that have made it into the mainstream media world, the number of well-known brands are few and far between. That’s why I was immediately intrigued when I received a subscription email from J.Crew. I typically don’t look through all of the marketing emails that spam my inbox, but this one caught my eye. J.Crew’s release of a new collaboration is unlike all the rest.
J.Crew’s collaboration with Universal Standard is both a tribute to their roots, as well as proof of their grasp on the future of fast-fashion. J.Crew’s preppy style combined with their focus on clothing for working women have earned them a strong reputation in the American fashion industry. However, since 2013, J.Crew has been struggling to stay relevant and has suffered financially. The brand strayed from their traditional designs and ventured into high fashion collaborations, which landed them in financial hot water. So, while the cynic in me recognizes that J.Crew might have been motivated to pursue this collaboration for reasons other than simple concern over size inclusivity (especially given the fact that plus-size apparel is a $20 billion market opportunity), they also saw and are addressing a gap in the retail industry that desperately needed to be filled. This collaboration aims to create “modern essentials for every body in XXS-5X,” and will inevitably reach a wide audience of women and (hopefully) have a profound impact on the way we think about fashion in the future.
Universal Standard is an all-female-owned company catering to plus size women ranging from size 6 to 32. The company believes that women who wear size 6 and women who wear size 26 deserve the same shopping experience. But Universal Standard’s integrity goes beyond their wide range of stylish clothes—they have a policy to replace an item purchased from their core collection within one year if the buyer’s size fluctuates. When a brand as radical and game-changing as Universal Standard collaborates with an American favorite like J.Crew, women will finally feel heard when they go shopping.
The collection itself features 21 clean, modern silhouettes accentuated by gingham and striped patterns and is available online and in select stores. As a passionate fashion-lover myself, I can confidently say that this collaboration definitely did not fall short style-wise.
J.Crew’s Universal Standard collaboration serves as a model for body positive and size inclusive movements in mainstream brands. Instead of using Universal Standard as a one-time partnership and marketing ploy, J.Crew plans to permanently integrate inclusive sizing throughout their main collections. Though there is still much progress to be made with the accessibility of plus-size apparel, let’s acknowledge this one big victory and celebrate the sixty-seven percent of women who can now rock a J.Crew ‘fit.
By Lola Proctor
NYU Student, cool connoisseur and undercover revolutionary.