From challenging the status quo to taking a risk on your customers, Alexandra Waldman, co-founder of fashion retailer Universal Standard, led a truly inspiring masterclass yesterday as part of Retail Week. Here are some of our favourite parts from the presentation: On what it was like to build a truly inclusive brand from the ground up “We were building a new country. We thought that if we’re going to build something new, let’s make sure we make it better than what was there before.
here before. That meant representation across a lot of categories, not just size, but race, gender, age, ability. It was a way to reflect a new cultural revolution that said beauty is much broader than what we have been led to believe so far.
The Bella and Gigi Hadids – they’re stunningly beautiful women, don’t get me wrong – don’t represent womanhood overall. If you never see yourself represented in any way, through your size, race, age or whatever it is, then you feel invisible and in many respects, you are invisible to the fashion industry. So we wanted to change that. We knew that if we were going to build a new company, we wanted to make sure we were talking about all of us as we are.”
On why it was worth taking the risk of launching the Fit Liberty program
“We convinced our customers to buy exactly for the size they are at the moment of purchase, so they look and feel their best and should they go up or down in size over the course of a year, you can return the clothes…and we’ll send you a brand new version in your size for free.
That was a lot of, ‘Wait, what’s the catch?’ There is no catch. Just buy the size that you actually are and whatever should happen in your life, we’ll stand behind you, we’ll give you your new size, bigger or smaller. Be who you are for a year and give yourself a break.
That really resonated with our consumer. I think they felt that we had their back and they felt good about the brand. There’s a lot of loyalty for our brand because we’re loyal to our customers. These acts of generosity have never been wasted. We always get it back in some form.”
On why inclusion in retail needs to be led by the culture around us
“In order for [size inclusion] to kick in and become meaningful to the industry, it has to become about more than retail, it’s about culture. Once we understand why it’s culturally important, everything else falls into place.”
“Fashion is a reflection of what’s happening in the real world, where we used to be exclusive with very thin, very specific-looking white models. I think that has now become a bit anachronistic and people are going, ‘That’s not keeping up with the times, it’s not interesting anymore, it’s not cool anymore, there are a lot of issues.’ The new normal is much more embracing of diversity.”
On how to be authentic in business
“All you have to do to be authentic is [make sure] your intention is there. It’s not an intention to increase your sales, tick a box or be on the right side of some event. It really is about understanding what matters to you [as a brand] You have to be willing to fly that flag, regardless of the reaction it might garner. Really stand behind it. It’s impossible to have that one thing that everyone can agree with. Understand what you believe in and support that, fly your flag, let people know who you are. That’s what’s worked for us.”
On the importance of equality in fashion
“It should be a presumption on anyone’s part that you can get something you want to wear when you walk into a store. What size you are should not be part of the question. I should be able to walk into any store in Soho and buy more than a scented candle.
It’s about women. If you’re a woman who needs clothes, you should be able to walk into a store and buy them. It’s so simple that it’s complicated.”
To hear more insights from great retail leaders during Retail Week 1-5 March, visit: https://insideretail.live/