Now You Can Shop Universal Standard In 20 Nordstrom Stores
As many fashion companies have quietly scaled back or shuttered their inclusive-sizing and plus-size offerings both online and in stores, Universal Standard maintains its commitment to championing size inclusivity in fashion. The partnership with Nordstrom will launch online and in stores with one of the most comprehensive size ranges from a singular women's apparel brand.
'We're excited to be growing our partnership with Universal Standard," says Emily Crandall, Senior Vice President and Head of Women's Apparel at Nordstrom. 'We're committed to making sure we can deliver great styles across the size spectrum that make customers look good and feel their best. Our partnership with Universal Standard is enabling us to make more progress in this space.'
This is good news for plus-size shoppers in particular. Even though most American women are in the plus-size category, trying on garments in-store can be difficult to come by if you're outside the standard extra-small to extra-large size range. Even at the height of fashion inclusivity, many brick-and-mortar fashion brands only offered extended sizing options online. This reality requires plus-size customers to bring the experience of the fitting room to their home through having items shipped. This means more planning, longer waits, bigger spends and decreased access to the immediacy and spontaneity that straight-size shoppers are typically guaranteed.
For a hypothetical plus-size shopper who's been invited to a special event and wants to wear something new, her options for shopping in-person are limited. If she has room in her budget, she can purchase multiple identical items in different sizes online, hope something fits, and return the things that don't. If her budget isn't as flexible, she may opt to purchase one item and risk the garment not fitting, which means she's starting from zero again. If the event is time-sensitive, it's easy to imagine that the experience becomes more stressful.
At the time, Nordstrom was the only retailer willing to partner with the brand. It was 2017, and Veksler was traveling the country hosting size-inclusive styling pop-ups at Nordstrom locations. Today, this more integrated partnership is the first iteration of a more significant strategic wholesale push from Universal Standard, which is now set to launch with Anthropologie, Macy's, Wantables, nearly 50 boutiques across the country this year.
'I could not be more thrilled to partner with Nordstrom, one of the world's most well-established retailers, to expand our mission and make exceptional fashion accessible to more shoppers than ever before,' says Veksler.
Since its inception in 2017, Universal Standard has had a strong vision for what the future of fashion should look like. This has included initiatives like developing a size chart that reflects the reality of American consumers' sizing and launching 'See It In Your Size,' a first-of-its-kind website functionality that allows customers to view core products on models of every size 00 through 40. The brand has consulted and partnered with global brands about how to be more inclusive, and introduced 'Fit Liberty,' an exchange program that allows a customer to replace pieces when their size changes.
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