True-confession time: Last summer, while modeling in a catalog shoot for Nordstrom, I put on the best-fitting, most flattering pair of jeans I’ve ever worn. They perfectly accommodated both my full hips and relatively small waist, were the perfect inseam for my very long legs, had just the right amount of spandex and compression (meaning I looked tucked in but was comfortable as hell), and made my ass look like ... [Tosses a kiss into the air.]
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And yet I still don’t own a pair of these incredible garments, not because of the over-$150 price tag—trust me, they would’ve been worth it—but because they were made by Khloé Kardashian’s fashion line, Good American.
At the time, Kardashian had just been (rightly) accused of poaching the designs of black independent designer Destiney Bleu for use in Good American, and I simply couldn’t stomach the idea of supporting her with a purchase, good-ass jeans (literally) be damned. (Plus, that name. What does it mean? Does it come with a “Make America Great Again” hat?)
But here’s some evidence that Good American has actually inspired some good in the world: The brand is now being credited with expanding the minds of Nordstrom execs when it comes to expanding the size range of most labels sold in their stores. When the retailer began working with Good American in 2016, Good American’s CEO, Emma Grede, would agree to sell its collections through Nordstrom only if the retailer sold every size included in the brand’s range, from 00 to 24. As reported by DigiDay:
“They came to us and said, ‘This is really important.’ That was when we started working on this more deliberately,” said Tricia Smith, EVP of Women’s Apparel at Nordstrom.
Nordstrom agreed but hasn’t stopped there; now it’s putting pressure on the other brands it carries to broaden their size ranges, too, tapping into the oft-ignored multibillion-dollar industry that caters to plus-size customers, and forcing the hand of brands that have claimed they aren’t able to cost-effectively design and produce clothing for customers over a size 14.
New initiatives include a push for more sizes not only on Nordstrom’s website but also on its department store floors, including increased exposure to brands with extended size ranges and custom-made size 12 mannequins to display alongside the typical size 2.
Perhaps the best feature is a new search tool on Nordstrom’s website that “equalizes sizing, an effort to eliminate ‘vanity sizing.’” The tool will approximate sizes on Nordstrom’s website, showing what most closely resembles standard measurements across different brands, regardless of how the size is labeled.
The goal is for all women’s-apparel brands carried by Nordstrom to offer sizes 00-24 by 2020. Brands that don’t comply will be left out of its size-inclusive marketing, further incentivizing them to figure it out. As Smith told DigiDay:
Our customers haven’t been satisfied with the choices on the size spectrum, and they have more choices today overall. They expect more from retailers. If we’re really, truly focused and committed to taking care of our customers, we have to change the practices that don’t allow us to do that. Sizing is one of them.
Because every body deserves a great-looking ass, y’all.
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