Thursday night Universal Standard celebrated the opening of its new 1:1 retail concept by hosting an intimate fireside chat in Belltown. Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong of KUOW’s The Record posed a series of thought-provoking questions to Co-Founder Alex Waldman about everything from the changes ahead in retail to why size should be taken out of the equation when it comes to shopping for fashion.

“This is about access. It’s about giving women access to great clothes. That’s it.” said Waldman. She went on to explain the concept of the company and share her hope that more fashion brands will follow suit. The discussion was rich and layered; several women were drawn to tears as they listened to the struggle that many women face when it comes to shopping. “They often leave stores feeling defeated or “othered” because nothing fits,” said Waldman, “Even when an expanded size range is available, the choices are limited. Women who are size 6 don’t have better taste than women who are size 22, they just have better options.” She went on to explain that most retail analysts will tell you that retail is failing- but of course retail is failing - it’s ignoring 70% of women who fall outside a “standard size” range.

When the company launched in 2015, Universal Standard offered clothing in sizes 10-28, they later expanded to offer sizes 6-32, and now cater to women size 00-40, making them the most size inclusive fashion brand in the world.

“We are here to create great clothes for all women and allow the industry to witness that it can be done well.” added Alex. This is the start of a movement and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. You can read the full post about the new Universal Standard 1:1 concept in Seattle here.

Fun facts:

• You can now filter the Universal Standard website to “See it in your Size”. This means you can now shop online and see exactly what pieces will look like on a real body, in your size.

• Universal Standard has an amazing Fit Liberty program that allows customers to return any item from the Fit Liberty Collection and exchange it for a bigger or smaller size (for free!) up to a year after purchase.

• Customers can rent out the 1:1 retail space to explore personal interests, host meetings, and throw parties- for free!

• To date, Universal Standard has done partnerships and collabs with a variety of likeminded brands including Rodarte, J. Crew, and Goop. A new brand partnership will be announced this fall.

The new Universal Standard 1:1 retail space is located in Belltown at 2228 First Ave. Seattle, WA next door to Umi Sake House and Local 360.

Photo credit: Chance McLaren