From the Editor’s Desk: Plus Under New Management

**Cues Miki Howard’s “Love Under New Management”**

As your resident marketing nerd with a finger on the pulse of the plus size fashion industry, initially I wanted to dissect the recent news of Dia & Co being acquired by Full Beauty Brands and address my questions. However, when I took a step back and looked at all the changes that has happened to and within the plus size fashion industry over the past 10 years, it sparked more than just curiosity. It ignited a new wave of questions about the future of plus size fashion. More specifically: Plus Under New Management.

In realizing the forecasted revenue opportunities in plus size fashion to reach a $501.35 billion dollar market by 2033, new players have and are entering to play in a space that is uniquely nuanced and one that operates in a different way than traditional fashion.

Could it be that these new changes are impacting the changes felt throughout the plus size community?

Can the new leadership recognize what the community needs and demands are in order to be successful?

Walk with me a bit as I try to make sense of all of this with plus under new management…

The recent acquisition of Dia&Co by Full Beauty Brands has been a major shake-up in the plus industry- one that could have longer lasting implications. Full Beauty Brands, a legacy plus size catalog brand that owns popular plus size brands like Catherines, Roamans, June & Vie, Jessica London, Swimsuits for All, and most recently, Eloquii, has recently acquired Dia&Co. and by default, 11 Honoré (more about this later).

Not only has Full Beauty Brands been busy (and concerningly distant with the plus size community), but the Australian based powerhouse, City Chic has been busy as well. City Chic Collective has quietly been collecting brands to build its “World of Curves” to include Hips & Curves, Avenue in 2019, Evans in 2020, and navabi in 2021.

But that is not all that has moved over the past few years in the plus size fashion space. Fashion to Figure is owned by New York & Co (who is currently experiencing ownership challenges), both Torrid (who went public and still is the only plus size brand on the stock exchange) and Lane Bryant are owned by Sycamore Partners and Knitwell Group. Most recently, news was announced that Ashley Stewart acquired a new owner in Kinbow LLC, an affiliate of RA Capital.

That’s a lot of change, right? And we haven’t even gotten to the store closures…

With all that, to say that you may have noticed a few shifts and changes in plus size fashion options, the above could be a reason (or two) why. But where my mind immediately goes is with all this new management and ownership, what can we expect, look for, and understand when plus is under new management?

The latest Dia & Co acquisition news has left us wondering what the implications will be for both the brand and the plus size fashion community. Do we lose the specialness of luxury plus size fashion in 11 Honoré? Can we talk about this new leader in the plus size fashion space- one who has held down the plus size catalog business, who is in transition to modernize and adapt to today’s consumer, and one who many are not too familiar with…

What does that acquisition mean for us, the plus size community? Well, that’s the 1.4 billion-dollar question (that’s the revenue that Full Beauty Brands is reported to have done in 2023), isn’t it? The official press release sings praises about the combined reach and resources that this union will create.

But as a marketing nerd with a healthy dose of skepticism (it’s a job requirement, darling!), I can’t help but wonder what this means for Dia & Co, Eloquii, Full Beauty Brands, City Chic and frankly, the plus size fashion industry as a whole. And we haven’t even begun to layer in the impacts of social media and search…

Concerns and Questions I have for the Leadership w/in the Plus Size Fashion Industry

From a business perspective, I get why these brands want to enter this space. In my MBA studies, one of the first lessons drilled into us was “At the end of the day, it’s all about the dollar.” But how and where does this fit into a space that leads with emotion, heart, and activism? You cannot approach the plus size fashion industry and community as you would any other specialty or niche group. Not from the same design, marketing, or community approach as you would straight size fashion.

NOPE.

The recent acquisitions in the plus size fashion industry raise several questions for these brands and their leadership. But there are concerns… We are trusting in one or two brands to create various brand identities. We already don’t have that many brands in the plus size fashion space, to have such a concentrated ownership.

Because I care and am curious… I have a few questions for plus size brands and their leadership to consider:

To the new (and old) plus size leadership and management, I have to ask…

Are you familiar with the plus size community?

The growth of plus size fashion is directly related to the growth of social media. Social media had been able to unite and bring together plus size people in ways we had yearned for. To be able to bring together other like-minded people who are fellow plus size fashion lovers, activists who champion access to options, inclusion, and more, and the professionals and creatives who help make it happen.

The community is where you will find the various indie designers, style makers (Bloggers), trendsetters (influencers), OG experienced social media marketers, plus size celeb stylists, plus size event producers, plus size marketing experts and plus size media, like TCF.

But this is also where you will have to be engaged to also move the needle with your brand. You have to be engaged. The “If you build it, they will come” thought process no longer works. If you want to make inroads in this space, you MUST also invest in this community through marketing, research, and time to know and connect with this space. There is no way around that.

Are you hiring plus size marketing and business experts and talent for leadership or consulting roles?

Oftentimes when we peek behind the doors, leadership looks NOTHING like the community it serves. No women, no plus size people, no one who intersects at various parts of life. Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been some great leaders in the past who have championed and led their brands respectfully, especially not being either plus or a wearer of woman’s wear. But this is NOT that.

THIS is even more challenging because we have executives with years of experience and plus size specific knowledge who consistently get looked over, because they are not *seen* as or recognized as experienced enough (or whatever biases that keep plus size women among the lowest paid class)… but if the leadership keep a glass ceiling from plus size experts, professionals, and executives, how will we ever have leadership who looks like us? How will the brands really innovate and serve our community?

Look at what H&M did, with their Size, Diversity, and Inclusivity Consultant. A size-inclusive brand took the time to reach in, listen, learn, and apply their learning to better serve us. What these plus size brands that are run and owned by VC firms and with leadership who is not plus can do is take a page from H&M.

Even the legacy plus size brands can benefit with tapping industry professionals from within the plus size community to give and share insights, observations, and perspectives in a consultative role. Because as much as the industry has grown, so has the consumer; with what she wants, what she is looking for, and where she is going to get it. Don’t ever get too complacent thinking you know everything… even TCF has had to pivot and evolve!

How will you engage the plus size media and influencer space? Are you creating and setting adequate Marketing Budgets outside of performance marketing?

The fun part about the evolution of the plus size fashion space and community has been the growth of the plus size blogger.  Bloggers evolved into influencers or media and around 2015, the industry of influencing started to take off!

But the fun part here, is what worked ~10 years ago will not work today. You have to have a full-on strategy and budget to engage influencers. You will need BOTH top of funnel awareness AND a conversion strategy. This will be a mix of performance marketing and the emotional quotient to move the needle. Both earned and paid placements.

You must have a budget to capture a mix of macro, micro, and nano influencers. But also? There is plus specific media… Plus Size Digital media platforms that operate like the Pop Sugars and Who What Wear’s whose audience is 100% your customer, can flight direct ad campaigns, give you experiential activations and industry insights…  How are you engaging them?

What plus size centered events will you participate in?

There is a loud and consistent call for more events. The plus size community is hungry to get out and reconnect in person. Legacy events have come and gone and new ones are hitting the space. How are YOU showing up and showing out for the community you serve?

And when you do, are you doing so at a level that ensures the sustainability and viability for that event? Are you an active partner? Are you making it easy for event producers to engage in conversation to learn more about what YOU are looking for?

How can the community get to know, learn, or experience you if you are only digitally native and are not meeting them where they literally are?

Are you pushing the fashion forward or playing it safe and predictable?

Lastly, we need great fashion. Inspirational. Contemporary. Bold. Refreshing.

Whenever we get new collections or brands, they go in on the basics, the essentials- but water down the fashion forward options. Did you know that contemporary plus size fashion is one of the fastest growing segments within plus size fashion? Yup.

So, there is so much room here to play, test, experiment with a sub-label or sub-brands to cater to the plus size marketplace. Hello Theory. DKNY. We are waiting on you!

I purposely posed these questions to start the conversation… I do have more thoughts on this and even more about what could have been with 11 Honoré.

These new leadership and management changes, do you think that they have impacted the way we experience plus size fashion today? Is it a management or social media algorithm thing? Have you noticed any specific changes? What is it that you feel differently?

If you could speak directly to the new management of the plus size fashion or size-inclusive brands, what would YOU say?