When I was young, my dream was to own a corner grocery store… so I could eat chocolate bars whenever I wanted! But it was really this idea that I could interact with customers through sales. When I got a bit older, I started sketching store concepts, clothes, and logos, so much that I’d tune out during my university business courses to sketch designs and organize fashion shows.
Can you share about your new venture, SHORTLISTED, that just launched on March 19thm, 2024. It’s North America’s first size-inclusive brand for petite women. What inspired you to launch this new business and why was now the perfect time?
My childhood dream was always to start my own clothing line, but I didn’t have the money, and felt like I lacked the business experience, or the confidence.
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I realize I’d save up enough startup capital, and that it was now or never. Even though I wanted my own clothing line so badly, I had no idea what kind of clothes to make. I’d just had my first child at the time, and kids clothes seemed like the easy thing to do. But my heart wasn’t into it.
It took a lot of reflection and research to realize that 50% of women in Canada, USA, and the UK are 5’4” and under – and there are barely any options for us! After a petite plus sized friend told me how it’s impossible for her to walk into a store to buy something, my heart sank. Although I have the lived experience as a short person, I had no idea what it was like for women at the intersectionality of petite and plus. So I decided SHORTLISTED would serve regular and plus size petite women—because short people come in all sizes too.
What started out as a “let’s try this out” turned into a year-long technical fashion design education that included industrial sewing techniques, pattern drafting, grading, and tech pack creation. As an entrepreneur, this step wasn’t necessary, but it ultimately made me a much stronger business owner who understands garment construction at a much deeper level.
So it’s easy for me to have my head in the clouds and dream up the most elevated and functional pieces. Yet that only takes a small percentage of time, as the bulk of the work is the ‘hard part’ of bringing it to market and making sure the fit—and product-market fit—is impeccable.
It took me years of fiddling around with the idea of a washroom-friendly jumpsuit before I landed on the Unstoppable JumpSet, a two-piece matching jumpsuit set. I did a ton of research on other jumpsuits that had this feature in one way or another, but realized there’s a reason their method of undoing the garment wasn’t adopted at a mass market level. The contraptions were too finicky for the average consumer.
Do you have a favorite garment or look in this collection?
Since there are only two pieces in the collection, it feels like picking a favourite among my two kids! I’d say for short shoppers everywhere, the High-Waisted pants would be the more practical option since it addresses the issue of shorter inseams. But I love the functionality designed into the easy, breezy Cropped Tank. It’s cut in such a way that it doesn’t show the bra, and features bra strap holders. In other words, you won’t need to spend time digging up your strapless bra, and it’ll probably take you only a minute to throw on and look put together.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
My childhood dream was always to start my own clothing line, but I didn’t have the money, and felt like I lacked the business experience, or the confidence.
It took a lot of reflection and research to realize that 50% of women in Canada, USA, and the UK are 5’4” and under – and there are barely any options for us! After a petite plus sized friend told me how it’s impossible for her to walk into a store to buy something, my heart sank. Although I have the lived experience as a short person, I had no idea what it was like for women at the intersectionality of petite and plus. So I decided SHORTLISTED would serve regular and plus size petite women—because short people come in all sizes too.
How did you learn your fashion design skills?
Originally, my goal was to launch as quickly as possible. But after running into some product development issues, I listened to my accompaniment coach’s advice to take some beginner sewing classes. It wasn’t in the plan, but I figured it’s not a bad idea since I’d wanted to learn how to sew over a decade ago. The next day, I natively reached out to Chris Falcon at Vancouver Sewing Classes, thinking that all I needed was a couple of Pattern Drafting classes to be set.
Originally, my goal was to launch as quickly as possible. But after running into some product development issues, I listened to my accompaniment coach’s advice to take some beginner sewing classes. It wasn’t in the plan, but I figured it’s not a bad idea since I’d wanted to learn how to sew over a decade ago. The next day, I natively reached out to Chris Falcon at Vancouver Sewing Classes, thinking that all I needed was a couple of Pattern Drafting classes to be set.
What about the process comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
The easiest part is to be in the ideation phase where you can design anything and everything for your customers, limited only by your imagination. There are no logistical snags, no critics, no production issues.
The hard part of design is when you have to face the technical realities of ensuring your collection is production-friendly, then systemizing and scaling those designs to make sure every single size fits properly. When you include Plus Size, it’s a whole different game because the grade rules change and the way people carry their weight differs drastically.
The easiest part is to be in the ideation phase where you can design anything and everything for your customers, limited only by your imagination. There are no logistical snags, no critics, no production issues.
The hard part of design is when you have to face the technical realities of ensuring your collection is production-friendly, then systemizing and scaling those designs to make sure every single size fits properly. When you include Plus Size, it’s a whole different game because the grade rules change and the way people carry their weight differs drastically.
So it’s easy for me to have my head in the clouds and dream up the most elevated and functional pieces. Yet that only takes a small percentage of time, as the bulk of the work is the ‘hard part’ of bringing it to market and making sure the fit—and product-market fit—is impeccable.
Where did you find inspiration for your inaugural collection?
The design for the JumpSet came to me when I was randomly shopping for my daughter. I came across a two-piece shorts set that was so cute I wish they offered it in adult sizes! Then I figured I could adapt the idea to a jumpsuit, and voila! Feels like it came full circle because even though I didn’t want to design a children’s line, the design inspo still came from childrenswear
How important was colour to your design process?
Color wasn’t important to the design process, but 100% important to sourcing fabrics. I sourced all the fabrics and notions in Canada, which meant options were pretty limited. It actually took me years to find a fabric that hit all the notes: sustainable, not too wrinkly, easy to wash and maintain, and of course the one thing most people look for - color.
I landed on Latte, Black, and Terracotta with this beautiful GMO-free linen blend. I wanted women to be able to mix-and-match with the colours if they didn’t want a head-to-toe monochrome look.
Color wasn’t important to the design process, but 100% important to sourcing fabrics. I sourced all the fabrics and notions in Canada, which meant options were pretty limited. It actually took me years to find a fabric that hit all the notes: sustainable, not too wrinkly, easy to wash and maintain, and of course the one thing most people look for - color.
I landed on Latte, Black, and Terracotta with this beautiful GMO-free linen blend. I wanted women to be able to mix-and-match with the colours if they didn’t want a head-to-toe monochrome look.
Do you have a favorite garment or look in this collection?
Since there are only two pieces in the collection, it feels like picking a favourite among my two kids! I’d say for short shoppers everywhere, the High-Waisted pants would be the more practical option since it addresses the issue of shorter inseams. But I love the functionality designed into the easy, breezy Cropped Tank. It’s cut in such a way that it doesn’t show the bra, and features bra strap holders. In other words, you won’t need to spend time digging up your strapless bra, and it’ll probably take you only a minute to throw on and look put together.
They can visit the SHORTLISTED website! For a limited time until March 28th, your readers can get an exclusive 25% discount with the code FRIENDS25.
In closing, is there anything else you'd like to share with readers?
A quote in the New York Times said, “Female designers create clothes for life, while male designers create clothes for fantasy.” My goal as a WOC business owner is to create thoughtful pieces that help women save time and energy, so they can focus on the more important things, while still looking good. That’s why in addition to nailing the petite fit, the brand also focuses on functionality and versatility.
Aside from SHORTLISTED, I’d love to see more fashion brands focus on functionality. Because the least we can all do is give women real, working pockets!
Links -
- Website - www.theshortlisted.co
- Facebook - www.facebook.com/shortlistedco
- Instagram:@shortlistedco
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