{"id":24305,"date":"2018-02-23T07:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=24305"},"modified":"2021-06-03T14:51:30","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T21:51:30","slug":"less-labels-more-sizes-introducing-more-styles-for-more-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/less-labels-more-sizes-introducing-more-styles-for-more-women","title":{"rendered":"Introducing More Styles for More Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through <\/span>Force of Nature<\/span><\/i><\/a>, our public effort to level the playing field for women outdoors, we\u2019ve made a commitment to provide quality gear that fits women of all sizes. It\u2019s been a journey to change the shrink-it-and-pink-it mentality among the outdoor industry over the past few years. \u201cAfter we launched Force of Nature, we had more and more feedback. We heard loud and clear that we aren\u2019t servicing everyone,\u201d said Michele Orr, general merchandising manager of apparel at REI. <\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen significant progress\u2014among our brand partners and here at the co-op\u2014but we\u2019re certainly not done. <\/span><\/p>\n

This month, we\u2019ve added 10 new products across all our categories: hiking, fitness, yoga, lifestyle and outerwear. We expanded our extended sizes into three more additional stores, for 17 total <\/span>(Seattle, Portland, Bloomington, Anchorage, Tustin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Atlanta, Boulder, Washington, D.C., Plano, Alderwood and Roseville, with stock on hand at our three distribution centers in Sumner, Bedford and Goodyear)<\/span>. Now, more women can go into a selected store in their market and try on styles, and find a size that actually fits. Of course, you\u2019ll find the widest selection online<\/a>, which continues to expand each season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission [at REI] is to get everyone outside, regardless of your size. Since that is our mission, we should stand behind that in our assortment,\u201d said Trina Fornerette-Ballard, senior category merchandising manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matching our assortment with our values <\/span>turned out to be trickier than one might think<\/span><\/a>. Unfortunately, we couldn\u2019t just say we wanted to serve people of all sizes and then write orders for plus, tall and petite sizes for the next season. Frankly, the options didn\u2019t exist. Making a wide variety of sizes doesn\u2019t mean scaling up or down a regular size. For a style to look the same on women of all sizes, designers need to create four completely separate patterns, one each for petite, standard, tall and plus. We had to work with our brand partners to make the dream a reality<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and we\u2019re still working with our partners to create more options for more women.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Women<\/p>\n

Studies show the <\/span>average American woman wears a size 16<\/span><\/a> or larger. However, historically only 3 percent of our annual sales have come from extended sizes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we go off of history, it\u2019s not profitable. We can\u2019t look at history<\/span>\u2014<\/span>we have to do this now,\u201d Trina said. Michele agreed, noting that \u201cbeing a co-op allowed us to move into this market more aggressively than if we were making decisions solely based on business performance,\u201d since we\u2019re accountable to our members, not to shareholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always as simple for our partner brands. \u201cThere\u2019s a chicken-and-egg thing happening with brands. They wonder, \u2018If we make it, will someone buy or sell it?\u2019 Our commitment to more sizes is important for other brands\u2014they know they have a market in us,\u201d said Laura Swapp, director of experience marketing and \u201cfor all\u201d strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trina has been on a mission to help brands offer women who wear plus sizes the same styles as women who wear traditional sizes. She not only puts the orders in for apparel, but pushes brands to offer more of what she wants to buy for upcoming seasons\u2014and she\u2019s been working to get women more stylish plus-size options, instead of the basics that are normally provided. Today, as more and more extended sizes become available at REI, you\u2019re seeing her hard work. \u201cWe really do give a damn. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here. It aligns with my values and who I am at my core. We are walking that talk,\u201d Trina said.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have taken this to heart, and you\u2019ll see the largest number of new extended sizing options from the REI Co-op brand. \u201cOne of the things we are most excited about in our own brand are <\/span>technical jackets<\/span><\/a>. You can\u2019t find that many for plus women, especially made of GORE-TEX,\u201d Michele said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Trina is \u201cexcited about all of it\u2014this has been my baby and it\u2019s coming to life. The <\/span>REI Co-op Screeline Hike Tights<\/span><\/a> [are cool tights] with style. The <\/span>KUHL Spire<\/span><\/a> is a cleaned up, modern take on a hiking pant. And our plus-size styles in the REI Co-op <\/span>Fitness collection<\/span><\/a> are amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Women<\/p>\n

Beyond the apparel, our commitment to offering less labels and more sizes is also about representation. Those who don\u2019t fit into \u201ctraditional\u201d perceptions of outdoors women don\u2019t often see themselves in the narrative of women outside. We are helping change that. \u201cBringing this conversation to the forefront acknowledges the challenges and the hope, the pain and the frustration for women who just want a pair of hiking pants. The hoops women are jumping through are a testament to how much they want to be outside,\u201d Laura said.<\/span><\/p>\n

You should expect (and hold us to) an evolving selection of apparel and gear for all women. In our storytelling, you should expect more representation of women of all sizes. And you should expect more brands to join us. <\/span><\/p>\n

The work is far from over. Keep speaking up by commenting on this blog, social media and writing to your favorite companies. Your voice is making change happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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