Dia&Co has been at the forefront of changing the fashion game for women sizes 14 and up with their clothing rental service. Each season, the retailer has been involved in bringing truly fashionable looks to curvy women, whether it be through amazing designer collaborations (remember their Nanette Nanette Lepore collab?) or a fresh collection sector (they launched a full activewear range this past May, Dia&Co Active). Their next endeavor? A partnership with tennis champ Venus Williams' EleVen brand, which is available in sizes 0X-3X.
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This will be EleVen's first foray into the plus-size market and Dia&Co was the perfect partner to bring their concept to life. “I love what Dia&Co is doing for women", says Williams. "They really understand their customer base and allow women to embrace their individuality. They also have incredible brand ambassadors, a wonderful blog, and fantastic social media reach. We wanted a partner that has great synergy with EleVen’s mission of striving for more... ‘ten is just a number, EleVen is a lifestyle!’”
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The size inclusivity movement has been an ongoing conversation and we've seen growth in the fashion industry. However, one of the biggest areas that is still lacking options is the activewear sector. "Women above a certain size are typically ignored by the fitness community and on the rare occasions that we are included, it’s with the assumption that we only care about weight loss", says Marita Aikonen, Director of Design at Dia&Co. "This is completely off base. We’ve spoken with thousands of members of our community, and we heard clearly that they are pursuing a wide range of holistic wellness goals, from improving overall health to reducing stress. We need to focus the conversation on supporting each other in achieving our personal goals, whatever those may be."
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Moving the conversation from weight less to overall health is the right idea, especially when the products come at such affordable prices (nothing is priced $89). “I design for all women. No matter their size, no matter the budget", says Williams.” This means we're getting the best functional fashion pieces for the affordable prices. And with Williams being behind the EleVen brand, we know that we're getting the best available.
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"This is one of the first size-inclusive lines created by an athlete, and we’re proud to bring it Dia customers", says Aikonen. "With the EleVen line, we’re bringing our community quality, accessible athletic apparel that has both strong performance capabilities and also an element of liveability. “Active” can take many forms, from running a marathon to running errands. We want to give our community clothes in which to pursue every element of their lives fully and purposefully. We’re excited to have EleVen join the roster of products available through Dia Active."
Check out some of our favorite pieces below, then head over to dia.com to browse the full collection. Also, if you're in New York City for the CurvyCon convention running from September 6-8, you'll be able to check out the pieces in person!
