There are many issues that only tall girls face: people commenting on how tall you are, the lack of leg room, standing out in a crowd and the dreaded issue of finding clothes that fit! Whether it's going into a store and realizing they don't carry your size or having to sacrifice style just to get the right length, Tall Size is on a mission to connect tall women to brands who create products with them in mind.
Threads products recently launched on Tall Size and we had a chance to ask them some questions about their mission.
1 . What inspired the launch of Tall Size?
Cold wrists and ankles were what originally inspired Nicole Murphy to reach out to her long-time friend, Kayla Alexander and propose that they co-create and develop a virtual shopping platform for tall women called Tall Size.
Around this time last year, while out for a walk with her dog, Nicole felt frustrated by the inadequate length of her coat sleeves, and was regretting her choice of footwear which left her ankles exposed to the elements.
“My pants and sleeves were always too short and while I was walking that day, I kept thinking that there’s got to be a better way to find clothing that actually fits. I am six feet tall and I thought of Kayla, who is 6 feet 4. If I was having this problem at six feet tall, I figured she must be as well.” Nicole says
Nicole called Kayla as soon as she got home from that walk.
What are some barriers that taller women face when shopping?
1. Fashion industry caters to the average woman who stands at 5'6, this means most clothing is too short (inseams, sleeve lengths, torso length, dress length, etc) and shoes often only go up to a size 10.
2. Inseams typically are 28-30" while tall women have inseams from 32-41". Shoe sizes usually go up to a size 10 while our customers range from size 9-15.
3. Tall women can't walk into any store and find something that works (ie. malls). It often takes a lot of searching/trial and error.
4. Most clothing websites don't list important measurements for their garments such as inseam, sleeve length, torso length, dress length, etc. This makes shopping online even harder!
5. There are quite a few tall brands out there but unfortunately since they're speciality size brands, they are smaller brands and not as easy to discover as mainstream fashion brands. Discoverability of tall brands or tall-friendly items is hard which is what we set out to fix.
How does Tall Size find the products offered on your site?
A lot of research. We have minimum requirements such as:
- 32" inseams for pants
- 27" sleeve length
- Size 9 shoe sizes
Every product on our site must meet these requirements and many of the items on our site are also tested by us as well to ensure quality.
Our customers and the general community of tall women are a great resource for us when it comes to discovering more tall brands.
For years, we've seen tall women strutting down runways. Why do you think that empowerment of taller women hasn't translated into production for the general consumer?
Tall women only make up about 5 per cent of the world’s population, it doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s still roughly about 300 million people. It’s frustrating that access to fashionable tall clothing is still such a challenge and that tall women end up with an empty cart or worse, clothes that are too short for them and uncomfortable.
Kayla and I will get excited when a tall public figure launches a new clothing line. But time and time again, we end up disappointed to discover that the clothes modelled on the Kendall Jenner’s and Brooke Shields’ of the world (5’10 and 6’0) are NOT what ends up getting mass produced and sold.
This recently happened again when an iconic fashion model launched a line of athletic wear that promised to be inclusive and supportive to women of every age and size. When we requested the inseam of their leggings, which was not included anywhere on their site (something that is almost always missing on a brands website), we were informed that all their leggings come in one inseam length of 25” and hit just above the ankle. 😊
Who’s ankles!?!
For context: On a 6-foot-tall woman, a 25” inseam brings the hem to mid-calf, if not even a little closer to the knee.
It’s truly a mystery why taller women are still left behind in the whole “inclusive” movement that is happening across so many important fashion platforms. In addition to providing shopping options to tall women, Kayla and I are also creating a community where tall women can feel heard and understood.
What are your top 3 style tips for tall women?
1. Take our style quiz to determine your personal style and shop from that collection on our site. 😉
A lot of tall women never had the luxury of expressing themselves through fashion and therefore don't know what their personal style is which makes shopping/fashion even harder. Once you know, it's easier to find items that work for you.
Quiz link here: https://5a9q31gmnws.typeform.com/to/BoE2S2J6?typeform-source=www.tallsize.com
2.Fall in love with accessories. They can elevate any outfit and don't usually discriminate against height 😉
3. #WearTheHeels - enough said.