The brand's size variety is unprecedented in the fashion industry.
Inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard recently announced that their new basics line, Foundation, will carry sizes 00 through 40—and the internet is psyched about it.
The brand took to Instagram yesterday to share the news with a photo featuring activist and model La'Shaunae Steward. She's posing unapologetically in a white tank top, socks, and underwear, with a caption reading: "All of us. As we are." (Related: This Plus-Size Blogger Is Urging Fashion Brands to #MakeMySize)
Fans were quick to respond to their post, giving kudos to the brand. "I am speechless," one user wrote. "I know these pieces will be great...So proud of the model featured she deserves it."
"You just gained another customer with this post," wrote another. "So stunning and inclusive. It's tough to find clothing for certain body types and I appreciate a company who finally gets it!"
La'Shaunae also reposted the image to her own account, along with a caption about how being featured in the new line gave her a new perspective on her own body. "A shoot that was so special and important to me," she wrote. "Being a model that people constantly look over or being a curve model that isn't conventionally attractive or 'fat in all the right places' and always finding myself only posting angles I felt were more appealing—this angle shows everything I fought being insecure about and shows every part of me that people told me would have to be smaller in order to be accepted. this is also the most powerful photo I have ever seen of myself and I couldn't be more proud." (Related: Where the Body-Positivity Movement Stands and Where It Needs to Go)
Universal Standard already carries sizes 6 to 32, making it one of the few clothing brands with pieces in such a broad range. Not only that, but they also offer size swaps through their Fit Liberty program: If you buy an item from their core collection and gain or lose weight, you can swap it for a new size for free within one year of purchase.
Why add even more sizes? Because there is still a major problem with how the fashion industry defines plus-sized clothing. For most brands, it means making clothes up to a size 16, but 68 percent of women in the U.S. wear a size 14 or higher, and "higher" doesn't end at a size 16. (Related: Good American Invented a New Jeans Size—Here's Why That's Important)
That's where Universal Standard comes in: to remind us that all women, regardless of their size, deserve to wear clothes that fit, are fashionable, and complement their bodies. And they really mean all women. Even though their clothing previously started at size 6, Foundation will include a range of smaller sizes as well to make the line truly inclusive.
The new collection is being described as "a collection of seven supremely soft, fit-first layering basics" but it isn't available just yet. But you can add your email to a waiting list and get notified the moment it hits the shelves.
