Ashley Graham, plus-size supermodel, entrepreneur, and currently starring as the murderess Roxie Hart in “Chicago” on Broadway, has a new gig — a three-year partnership with JCPenney on a plus-size collection.
The deal furthers Penney’s already extensive plus-size offering, and advances Graham’s efforts championing body positivity. Penney’s offers plus sizes across its entire women’s private brand portfolio including the St. John’s Bay, Liz Claiborne, Xersion, a.n.a., and Worthington brands, as well as with some market brands such as Puma and Playtex.
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“There are still designers and department stores that don’t carry plus size and it’s ridiculous,” said Graham in an exclusive interview from her home in New Jersey. “There’s a plethora of reasons that they come up with, for no reason at all. I know so many small, tiny designers that have no money, that come out with extended sizes. And if those people can do it, then the big department stores and the top, leading designers in luxury fashion should be able to do it too.”
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In some cases, she’s actually paid for the extra fabric required for plus sizes so designers could work with her.
Asked if the industry stigma around plus sizes persists, Graham replied, “I’ve been asked that question my whole career. I’ve been doing this for over 25 years. And if there’s still a stigma around cellulite and back fat and a chubby arm, then there’s a problem with society.”
Michelle Wlazlo, brand chief executive officer of JCPenney, told WWD the strategy with Graham is to create a comprehensive collection, in sizes 14 to 24, simply called “Ashley Graham.” The brand will debut in the fall at JCPenney stores and on jcp.com.
Wlazlo and Graham declined to provide much in the way of details on the upcoming collection, pending the launch in the fall, though Graham said, “For me, the best part is that it’s affordable fashion. It’s timeless. It’s fashion forward. There are trending pieces. There are fun pieces. There are pieces that you’ll have in your closet for 10 years. I am just really excited that this is specifically for my community, specifically for my [size] 14 to 24 girls who have not been serviced so she can feel like she’s just as fashionable as her friend that isn’t her size.”
She said Ashley Graham will be a head-to-toe collection, including sportswear, outerwear and other categories.
While acknowledging Penney’s track record selling women’s plus-size fashion, Graham said, “I think JCPenney saw that their plus-size division was doing well, but wanted to amplify it and take it to the next level. I’m honored they called me in as a force to help with that. I’m taking on a big responsibility, but I’m really confident we’re going to have a new wave of customers that either haven’t been to JCPenney, or haven’t been back in awhile. They’ve been waiting for this, something exciting, something for this [plus-size] community that just hasn’t been done before.”
Has she felt anxious about the project? “I feel zero pressure because of how much I have been involved,” Graham said. If it was just a matter of her picking pieces she liked, and rejecting others shown by Penney’s, “I’d be sweating bullets,” she said. “But because I’ve had multiple trips to Dallas with the whole team, because they’ve come to see me in New Jersey, and there has been phone calls, zooms, text messages in the middle of the night, determining whether I wanted this fabric or that fabric, the buttons, whatever the details, I’ve been involved in it. I don’t think there really could have been any other way to design this because I’m the customer.”
Graham has been involved in fashion collaborations in the past “before everybody and their mother was on social media, but it was when social media was around,” said Graham. “I had a lingerie line with Addition Elle, which is a Canadian retailer, and that was specifically lingerie in plus sizes. And I’ve done small capsule collections with different partners,” in such categories as swimwear and dresses, she said. There was also a denim line with Marina Rinaldi, the upscale plus-size collection and retailer owned by Max Mara.
“But I’ve never had a full fashion collection that is ongoing, that is seasonal, and with a lot of [stock keeping units] for just plus-size girls.” That is, until this year with JCPenney.
This is not her first association with Penney’s. “I actually started modeling for JCPenney for their catalogues and mailers in 2011,” Graham recalled. “I was in my early 20s, and it was a big deal for me to be flown out to Dallas to go to Penney’s Plano headquarters, and go down to the basement. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the basement, but it’s like a full factory.” Penney’s no longer publishes a catalogue.
For the upcoming collection, she worked closely with Wlazlo and the Penney’s team, sitting in rooms together for hours as models tried things on, and changes in the fashions were made. Wlazlo thought some of the plus-size styles being created would be great in regular sizes, too, but Graham would have none of that.
“Ashley looked at me and said, ‘You can’t have it because it’s for my community. And I love that because that’s the way it should be. Ashley is doing such amazing fashion that people who are not in that plus-size range are going to be jealous,” Wlazlo said.
Graham underscored the importance of having a strong in-store presence with her collection. Retailers have notoriously buried their plus-size clothes in the far corners of their stores, leading to women shopping more online, but Penney’s, Graham suggested, will provide a better retail experience when it comes to her namesake line. She said that when she shops online, she buys two or three sizes in the same style because she doesn’t know how the item will fit, and then she has to return the items that don’t fit. It’s hardly a seamless shopping experience.
Wlazlo said Penney’s is finalizing how many of its stores will carry the collection. “Ashley Graham will be very strongly represented across a large portion of our stores and online,” she said. “I think everyone across America will feel and find Ashley Graham’s collection.” JCPenney operates just over 650 stores and generates about $7 billion in volume. According to Wlazlo’s statistics, 68 percent of American women are size 14 and above.
Recounting a bit of Penney’s history in plus sizes, Wlazlo said in 1962 the retailer launched its first catalog, which showcased plus sizes. “We had already been carrying plus sizes for years before. Just think about that, for a retailer in the ’50s offering plus sizes, and then a catalog launching in 1962 where we featured plus, that’s over 60 years of leadership in size inclusion.”
The Ashley Graham partnership, she said, “goes beyond just launching a product — it’s a strategic move to redefine the plus category with fashion-forward, runway-inspired looks that truly embody Ashley’s style and spirit. Her genuine connection to JCPenney and her passion for making fashion more accessible to the plus-size community make her the perfect partner to amplify our ‘Yes, JCPenney’ message,” which is the retailer’s new brand positioning introduced last month.