Today is the 4th anniversary of Eloquii in its current, awesome form, and I just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a plus size brand who is really getting it right!  As you might have heard me say on a podcast before, I often cite Eloquii as something of a morality tale for companies balking at expanding to plus.  If you aren’t familiar with Eloquii’s history, it originally was the Limited’s way to tentatively dip their toe into the plus market.  I remember reading about the launch on The Curvy Fashionista, and being so excited at the news.  After the launch, however, the Limited basically stopped publicizing the line.  It wasn’t available in stores, and there were virtually no marketing efforts.  Just about a year later, the Limited announced they would be shuttering Eloquii, treating it as a failed experiment.  This half-hearted approach followed by what amounted to the shrug emoji at its inevitable failure was infuriating – how can you expect clothing to sell if no one even knows it exists???  Can you imagine if marketing teams for straight size brands just stopped working after the launch of a line?  No one would blame the customer then, but that is exactly what happened with the original Eloquii.

Wearing an Eloquii statement suit

Fortunately, a group of people who worked on the original Eloquii saw the untapped potential, and grouped together to buy the brand name.  Since the re-launch as a new company four years ago, Eloquii has worked with plus women, listened to their customer base and responded to what people were asking for ( like extended sizes, and fits for petite, tall, and pear shapes, just to name a few), and have continued to offer timely, on trend items in plus.  Women sized 10 and up make up over 75%  of the market in America, so it only makes sense to treat that segment with respect and care.  And the Limited illustrates what happen when you don’t – it is no longer its own company, and every one of its stores are closed.  There are of course other factors at play here, but the message is still quite clear in this time of retail upheaval: Ignore plus at your own risk.

I’m very happy for Eloquii’s continued success, and if you want to join in the celebration, shopping their giant birthday sale is a great way to do so (I’m all for supporting businesses that support us!)  Today only, get 50% off all original ticket items (even shoes!) and $1 flat rate shipping with code HBD.  Click through my top picks below to shop: