Plus-size athletic wear and athleisure has come a long way. With major sportswear brands like Nike and streetwear options like Old Navy finally offering plus-friendly pieces, there are some options, but the size range isn't always so inclusive. Enter the Universal Standard x Adidas collection, a major partnership that not only celebrates women of all sizes who participate in sport, but is also pushing the fashion industry as a whole to do better.
Fo those not familiar with the brand, Universal Standard was founded by Polina Veksler and Alexandra Waldman with the idea that sizes — no matter what the number — should be able to shop together. The brand cites findings that 67% of women in the United States are size 16 and above (and according to a study in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education, the brand is correct). However, what Veksler and Waldman found was that those who fell into this size range did not have the same quality options that straight-sized shoppers were offered. Thus, the brand was created.
Universal Standard doesn't just offer a typical plus-size range, though (most brands end around a size 24). The label begins at a 00 and extends to a 40, a number that is rare even in exclusive plus-size brands. Now, the brand is bringing that incredible range of fits to Adidas with the new collaboration.
See, you understand why the collection is a BFD now, right?
Universal Standard x Adidas launched Oct. 8, and is available now on the sportswear brand's website. Like Universal Standard's own pieces, the items done in partnership with Adidas features an inclusive size range that includes both straight and plus options. The range begins at an 2XS and extends to a 4XL. While leggings have been available in a size 2XL from the athletic wear brand, it has never featured a 3 or 4XL, which means pair's work together marks Adidas' largest size range ever.
Inside the collection, shoppers will find a variety of options including cropped leggings, hoodies, moisture-wicking tees and tanks, and shorts, all in a myriad of sizes and offered in four different color ways: Black, Legend Earth, Maroon and White. Pricing for the pieces ranges from $40-$90 on the Adidas website.
Adidas' Allison Stewart, Vice-President of Concept Development, explains in a press release that the brand is always looking to incorporate progressive concepts and ideas. Working with Universal Standard allowed the brand to do that. She says, "Our approach to inclusive product creation is born from our commitment to making sport more accessible, and as the industry-leading experts, Universal Standard were the perfect partners to collaborate with... the partnership is designed to inspire and enable all women, as they are.”
As for Universal Standard's decision to partner with Adidas, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Universal Standard Alexandra Waldman says that the collection is about pushing the fashion industry forward.
"We want the industry to keep witnessing that inclusion is the only way forward," Waldman said in a press release. "Together with adidas, we want to change the way fashion looks at women and the way women look at fashion. This is to the benefit of the industry, the consumer, the idea of diversity, and to creativity itself.
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