Last week I had the honor of speaking with one the creative minds behind the clothing brand Universal Standard (US), and it inspired me tremendously.
There are quite a few things that I’ve done that cause me to excitedly say, “I did that!” I am still in awe over climbing through the pyramids in Egypt, living in the suburbs of Pretoria, South Africa, having my written work published by the Huffington Post, and getting the opportunity to speak with Alexandra Waldman.
The conversation I had with Ms. Waldman encouraged me on several levels. It gave me a broader view of the fashion industry and it deepened my appreciation and respect for the US brand. In addition to that, it showed me the humanity behind the clothing and the passion driving needed change.
In 2015 Alex Waldman along with her business partner, and friend Polina Veksler, decided “to break the plus-size fashion industry” by providing beautiful, quality, modern clothing for women in sizes 10-28. After a conversation between the two ladies about the struggle many women face in the search for better clothing options, US was created.
The ladies behind US wanted to ensure the name wasn’t euphemistic in any way referring to weight. They didn’t want anything that implied a bigger size brand because they knew it would eventually be for all women.
US realizes “plus-size” is a necessary term right now for a certain section of design and apparel—it is a catergory we all know and understand. We’re not at the place where we can google “size diverse clothing.” However, they believe we need to just have fashion for women. The line that makes us “other” is something they want to erase. It is not the term itself, but rather the concept that needs to be destroyed.
This brand wants to change the entire apparel industry. “Segregating people by size is not acceptable any longer. It’s got to stop. If you’re making clothes a size 6 wouldn’t wear don’t make them for a size 16. The clothing you’re wearing should be for all women and should be available in all sizes. The only thing that should be driving your decision to purchase is your taste.”
Although starting the brand was a huge risk and scary at times, their pull to bring about positive change for all of us in the entire apparel industry makes it all worthwhile. It is their desire to make everything better and it goes beyond what the public sees. US came to be due to necessity and ability. Alex believes we have been sidelined for so long that we’ve developed feelings about it.
She also sees the obstacles within the industry that we need to overcome. The existing industry is producing fast fashion that has been accepted for some time. Additionally, certain opinions have been ingrained into the minds of our community. To combat the issues, we must break what is pre-existing, exercise our minds to expect more, and put together a broader, inclusive, size irrelevant apparel.
Alex values the opportunity to impact people’s lives positively. She wants women to walk away looking and feeling great after participating in the US experience. The brand doesn’t want women to wait until their body changes to invest in quality clothing – make the choice to “expect more” for who you are now. And US supports and enforces this mindset and concept with their Universal Fit Liberty (UFL) collection. If a piece from the UFL collection no longer fits due to size fluctuation, they’ll replace it with your new size, within a year of purchase, for free.
US recognizes the need for quality clothing for women where you are now, so the returned pieces from the UFL collection are donated to charities for women who are trying to get back into the workforce, like Dress for Success, which keeps clothes out of landfills. This program liberates not only the individual exchanging the pieces, but that woman who receives the donated clothing, and the landfill that won’t inherit another article from fast fashion.
The future of US is universal. They believe being able to participate in fashion is an emotional experience.
US is striving to bring the physical experience to more people across the United States and eventually provide better access to their European and North American customers.
US sees their practices as something that can be adopted by the entire industry. They want to lead and have other brands say, “that is a very good idea.”
Let’s exhale ladies, US is providing us with “better.”
Until the next time, be you and most importantly – love you.
Being uniquely you is being uniquely beautiful.
– B.B.
The Buxom Beauty would like to thank Alex Waldman for sharing the US story with us.
Photos provided by Universal Standard
