Eight years ago, Nadia Boujarwah launched fashion styling and e-commerce company Dia & Co to cater to women wearing sizes 10-32. This customer segment has long been neglected, but according to Boujarwah, brand interest in serving the demo is at its height. “The social calls for inclusivity have never been more pronounced,” she said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Inclusivity has really moved into the limelight in the last two years." She added, "We're hopeful we're at the beginning of the next renaissance of plus-size fashion, where both the social imperative and the inventory availability finally meet”. Old Navy recently laid the foundation for such a renaissance by launching inclusive sizing, pricing and merchandising across its women’s product portfolio. Of course, not every brand can afford to make such an investment in the category -- but doing so isn’t needed to forward progress, Boujarwah said. “Our advice to brands is to just start [offering plus-size options],” Boujarwah said. “As long as the customer knows they’re on a journey with you – where things are going to get better, and that is communicated clearly – the endpoint doesn't have to be today.” In addition, Boujarwah discussed Dia & Co.’s strategic use of data, approach to fundraising and evolving business model.

Nine years ago, when CEO Melissa Mash and COO Deepa Gandhi set out to launch their accessories brand, Dagne Dover, they made sure to do things their way. That included being thoughtful about the makeup of their founding team, which also includes chief creative officer Jessy Dover, and getting the brand off the ground before bringing in outside investors. “We didn't see ourselves reflected in management. [Retail] was and continues to be a very male-dominated industry, despite who they're selling to and who the products are made for and who actually works at these companies,” Mash said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “So we wanted to create a place that felt like it was made for us and was run with a different type of energy than we've seen in our previous experiences working in retail.” She added, “It was also really important that we had [financial, operational and design] skills represented on the founding team, so that we could move quickly and move longer without having to raise money immediately. We [could instead spend time] testing it out and making sure we did have product-market fit.” That independence from industry norms has stayed with Dagne Dover since its launch. For example, though the brand is digitally native, the founders haven’t hesitated to strategically expand its sales channels to select retailers, including Nordstrom. They opened the first permanent Dagne Dover store, in NYC, in 2020. “In many ways, we often run more like a traditional retail brand, but with the efficiencies of tech and of the modern times,” Mash said.