The idea of bonafide plus-size fashion options isn't new, as we've seen runway stunts and welcome surprises by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs over the last half-decade. The real challenge seems to lie in the execution. Case in point: the lack of high-end designer options for statistically average-size women.
So when we caught wind of Pop Up Plus, a plus-size, designer pop-up shop was hitting Metropolitan Green next month, we jumped to get on the phone with co-founder Camille Newman. The ten-day sale's premise is simple: Newman and her partners seek out and accumulate size-12-and-up overstock and samples from indie designers and mainstream labels sold at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Macy's.
According to Newman, a buying, planning, and merchandising professional with a decade of experience at brands including Lane Bryant and Ross, it's visibility, not availability, that she's addressing: "Even though Michael Kors makes extended sizes, most people don't know about it because it's not brand-driven," she says. "There's a world of quality indie and mainstream options for women out there, but seeking them out can be frustrating."
"What we basically wanted was to walk into our own closets," said Newman of her fellow co-founders, who are launching with prize funds from this year's Brooklyn Business Plan competition. We're betting that if the merchandise options are as mass-appeal-level as we hear (DKNY, Cookie Johnson, and Ralph Lauren, among others) she'll be hosting these sales for seasons to come.
Pop Up Plus
439 Metropolitan Avenue (at North 6th Street) September 16- 26. Opening event, Friday, September 17, 6-9 pm.
