Lauren Chan Scaled & Sold Her Fashion Business in 5 Years
Lauren Chan was a modeling and writing about plus size fashion when she noticed no one was doing a good job at making plus size fashion.
It's a problem she was the perfect person to solve and in 2018, four months after leaving her fashion editor job at Glamour, Lauren started her own plus size luxury brand, Henning. Just five years later, she sold it to global retailer Universal Standard. Here's how.
Lauren wanted to partner with folks who really understood her mission, so turning to the ol’ boys club of traditional venture capital wasn’t the move. Instead, she raised some money from friends and family and used her life savings to get started.
“From there, I started trying to develop the product and I was literally going around the garment district [in NYC], walking into factories, asking if they made plus size clothing.”
Lauren was able to get traction quickly by attracting incredible partners. Instagram, WeWork and Red Antler are some of the companies that supported her early on. She says that learning to confidently share her story and mission helped land the partnerships.
“I think that unwavering confidence came from the years that I had spent writing to, talking with, and meeting my plus size readers.
Glamour reached 1 in 8 American women. Up to 70% of women in this country wear above a size 14. And so I had the fuel of over a hundred million women I knew felt like me.”
Lauren says Henning's growth came down to a few key strategies and decisions:
Nail social advertising if you’re on e-commerce. Henning brought on a seasoned brand director to lead all things digital, which was super impactful.
Build your community in person. Henning offered studio visits, and hosted VIP events and pop up shops with like-minded brands.
Hire people who are your customer or who deeply care about them.
Then, in 2021, a huge change: Henning stopped dropping collections every season. Instead, individual pieces are now made in the days after customers order them, reducing pressure on cash flow and reducing waste. They started working with Tailored Industry in Brooklyn, New York to sew and ship orders within 72 hours after an order is placed.
Henning was acquired this year by the most size inclusive brand in the world, Universal Standard. Lauren had built the relationship with Universal Standard over many years. She first met the founders as a fashion editor, modeled for them, and eventually hosted a Henning pop-up shop in their NYC showroom. Now, she leads partnerships for the brand post-acquisition.
