Founded in 2015 by Alex Waldman and Polina Veksler, fashion brand Universal Standard has been at the forefront of inclusive sizing for nearly a decade. As such, the brand has recently become profitable — which is especially relevant news, given the decrease in size representation during the last fashion month.
According to previous Glossy reporting, in 2021, Universal Standard’s revenue grew more than 70%. The following year, CEO Veksler said the company’s revenue had grown about 60% from the year before. More than 80% of its audience are repeat customers.
At the helm of Universal Standard’s inclusive designs is chief design officer Ramon Martin. Throughout Martin’s five years at Universal Standard, he’s prioritized the fit of the brand’s styles, which include newly-launched swim and intimates lines. That and the company’s customer-centric business model have helped it to reach profitability.
“If you are going to commit to size inclusivity … build it into the business so there are no surprises. Build an equitable fashion system that is about making sure every customer, regardless of size, is getting the same quality and the same fit and being charged the same price for a product,” Martin said. “It’s a long-term build that brands need to commit to, to be able to move forward.”
Statista expects the global size-inclusive apparel market will reach $2 trillion by 2028, up 10.5% from the market research company’s prediction of $1.79 trillion by the end of 2024.
According to Martin, Universal Standard is currently focused on category and product expansion. In January, the brand released a limited-edition product collaboration with Henning, the size-inclusive luxury fashion brand by model and inclusive fashion advocate Lauren Chan (@lcchan; 90,6000 Instagram followers). The collection debuted nearly a year after Universal Standard acquired 4-year-old Henning from Chan.
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In June 2023, Universal Standard launched swimwear, and it will launch an expanded swim collection this month. Also in April, Universal Standard will relaunch its Fit Liberty take-back program, allowing customers to exchange their purchases for another size if their size fluctuates. The team will also build upon the underwear line it launched in 2022.
“We dove deep into the development process. There was a lot of troubleshooting and testing, and there was a lot of refinement. There was also a lot of rejecting product, which is really important,” Martin said, regarding the brand’s approach to category expansion.
Martin spoke with Glossy about Universal Standard’s approach to scaling a profitable company through innovative and thoughtful design. He also shared what’s next for Universal Standard as the brand continues to expand its product offerings.
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How Universal Standard’s design process fuels its profitability
“[Size inclusivity] has been a very hard path. … But we anchor ourselves in the customer’s life and in the size range of the real fashion customer in America. … We begin our design and fit process with a size 18. It’s important for us to treat the design and fit processes as one and the same. … We make products in the size range of 00-40, and we ensure the quality of design and the intent of fit offer the exact same experiences, whether someone is a size 2 or size 32. … [Our] attentiveness to every size starts from the beginning of the design process and is carried all the way through, as opposed to being an action at the production level, toward the end of the design cycle, as most brands do. … When we talk about profitability and how the business has scaled and been profitable for some time now, we [owe that] to the key problem-solving [we’ve done] for the customer. We listen to them and make sure that we’re fulfilling their needs, improving that [fit] experience and democratizing that experience for every size so that everybody can hold us to the same standard.”
Taking the guesswork out of fit
“There are a myriad of ways we connect with our customers. One is our trunk shows. We have ‘US on Tour,’ which is a traveling trunk show that hits almost every [major] city in America. Two retail teams take all our products out into the world and meet the customers where they are. We also have a permanent space in New York, where customers can make an appointment to come and see the product, and try it on in their size, which is an important experience. … Being able to communicate with the customer and see what’s working [for them], what their pain points are and what need they’re trying to fill [are also key]. It’s necessary for any designer, and any fashion company, to understand: ‘What’s the experience for the customer when they get this product in their hand and put it on their body?’ Answering that question and tuning in to that need is the path to profitability, from a design standpoint.”
Juggling innovation and profitability
“Innovation and profitability are not polar opposites — they occupy the same space. … From a design standpoint, creating a product that brings customers joy and makes them feel empowered is what [equates to success]. … We believe our customers are changemakers, so if we create a product that fits well, works for their lifestyle and lets them go out and change their own worlds, then that is a great success. So how does that translate to that space of profitability? It’s about innovation, which translates to profitability through better products that serve our customers better and better fits, so they’ll buy it and they won’t return it. Our return rates are low because of our sizing structure. … We are more than confident that the product is going to fit and satisfy customers, and satisfied customers are returning customers. They want to come back and see what we’re doing that’s new and how we’re interpreting what’s happening in the world right now through fashion. That relationship with a customer — that trust and closeness — is the real value.”
