Fashion to Figure Trendy Alternative for plus-size Fashion

Fashion to Figure: Walking into a thrift store (aka FTF) is not the same as shopping in a big box store, where solid clothes and muted colors are all too common. Instead, consumers are looking for experiences that emphasize a sense of size.

“We’re the cool little sister to Lane Bryant,” says founder and CEO Michael Kaplan, grandson of the store’s founder, Lena Bryant. “They don’t look good, they look good, they look like us.” Kaplan’s business started with a single store in West Nyack’s Palisades Mall in 2004 and has since grown to 26 stores nationwide, selling women’s clothing sizes 12 to 26.According to market research firm NPD Group, the plus-size apparel market jumped from $16.7 billion in May 2013 to $17.5 billion in April 2014.

The plus-size women’s apparel business continues to grow because publications popular like Sports Illustrated choose plus sizes. model Ashley Graham for her popular swimwear issues. According to the NPD Group, 67% of American women wear a size 14.

On a recent morning at the Yonkers FTF store, employees, including the CEO, quietly greeted customers in a bright environment with live music and store decorators. We focus on making sure our customers are happy with their size. “When they say, ‘I’m fat, I hate my body,’ I say, ‘I’m not,'” said district manager Esther Soto.

The Cross County center, which opened in 2011, holds the fourth best-selling location. A national training center for new recruits.

With more than 150 styles of clothing, casual and basic, with prices ranging from $30 to $50, FTF shoppers can be stylish and productive. The Fashion to Figure jeans are specially designed for retail in various shapes and sizes and are cut to flatter the body shape. And consumers are looking for new things like the green and mint printed dresses found in fashion to Figure magazines.

“I think having our own good standards and having an in-store stylist is critical to connecting the in-store experience,” says Kaplan.

Fashion to Figure

The Fashion to Figure company launched its online shopping service in 2010 and bridges the gap between the e-commerce experience and the in-store experience by understanding its customer base and delivering a consistent brand. As Kaplan says, “This is the compromise between digital and marketing.”

Sheaneil Giles of Mount Vernon was shopping for work clothes with her fiance when she said she was there because of recent stress. His style is a mix of classic and rocker chic. Fashion to Figure “The design is great. I hate crowded stores and I know what I’m looking for before I buy,” she says.

Soto trains new employees, and says his job is to familiarize customers with themselves. “It’s about promoting and building relationships with people,” Soto said after a mother thanked him for helping her find clothes for her 21-year-old daughter, who had never worn a dress since she was six.

Kaplan is the first to say that even in the plus size market, one size does not fit all, but there is a project to expand the reach of the plus size category. “There are companies moving into the market. “I think things are changing.” But even if a liquor store dedicates an area of ​​the store to this customer, that doesn’t mean the entire store is dedicated to that customer,” Kaplan said. .”And we’ll get down to business. This is a good house.”

Giles, a licensed real estate agent, said she bought three dresses and returned them. “I thought the price was right and the clothes looked stylish and different from what you would find in larger sizes,” she said.