The daughter of Haitian immigrants New York-native Rebecca Alexis launched Sized in 2020. Alexis, who is currently an Africana Studies major at Stony Brook University, launched the label to provide an outlet for people wanting stylish statement pieces offered in a broader range of sizes.
Typically ranging from size XS-5X, the label will celebrate July 4th with ‘Paramour Revival,” a new graphic-themed capsule comprised of a dress, skirt, one-piece swimsuit and bikini.
We had a phone exchange with Alexis about her goal for Sized and the importance of inclusive sizing. Check it out below.
Snobette: What led you to create the Sized brand?
Rebecca Alexis: “Around 2020 there was a lot more visibility given to Black-owned brands, which was of course exciting for me to explore. I remember visiting many of the websites and finding cute pieces but a lot of times size range went from small to large, not even extra large, which translates from about a zero to a ten, maybe a twelve. Personally, I would not be able to fit into any of the cool pieces. I decided I needed to do something about this. For young people there’s so little cute fashion options beyond fast fashion brands.”
Snobette: What was the first step you took to launch your line?
Rebecca Alexis: “The first thing I did two years ago was to create the name of the brand. Then I started working on the logo. My first logo was pretty ugly, but it was it was cute for what I was trying to do. It had an S in the center, to mimic the curves of a woman. After the logo I got some shirts made and launched them online. I was surprised that people really liked them. That was the beginning.”
Snobette: What is your design process?
Rebecca Alexis: “I sketch and I also take notes. I usually go through my notes and then I make a mood board. For feedback, I’ll check with my friends and my customer, most of the time if they like it, that’s when I will move ahead in production.”
Snobette: Did you anticipate the success of the Dragon dress (above)?
Rebecca Alexis: My first tattoo was a dragon tattoo and I’ve always been attracted to dragons as a graphic. I worked with an illustrator to create the dragon, and when I posted the sample it went viral. It’s priced at $75 because I really want to keep my clothes accessible. I try to keep the prices moderate. I’ve restocked the Dragon dress three times and that will be it for that dress lol. I want to move on and create new designs.”
Snobette-What was your inspiration for the Paramour collection?
Rebecca Alexis: “I’ve been trying to create this graphic for so long. It’s inspired by the 1887 sculpture by Anthony Canova called Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss. I’m very inspired by Jean-Paul Gaultier, I’ve always wanted some of his pieces, and I always loved his use of graphics. His clothes don’t go up to my size. For this summer drop I designed a dress, skirt, one piece swimsuit and bikini.”
Snobette: What’s your goal for Sized?
Rebecca Alexis: ‘I would love to be in small boutiques and open a showroom to work with stylists and get the clothes on more women. I would also love to expand my production and possibly extend to menswear.”
Snobette: Do you have a dream client?
Rebecca Alexis: “Its Lizzo and of course Nicki Minaj, she is everything to me and when she said “fuck the skinny girls” in ‘Anaconda,” that made me so confident because sometimes it feels like being thin is the only way to be.”
Snobette” Do you think size inclusivity is here to stay?
Rebecca Alexis: “Considering the amount of people that are plus size in America, I hope that size inclusivity is not a trend. Body shapes are also misleading when it comes to the perception and representation of plus size. Most of the times. the women shown have large breasts, a very small waist wide hips, small ankles and feet. It’s not an accurate representation of what most of my customer looks like and it also sends a message that this is the only acceptable body silhouette for plus size. There’s also a significant amount of tension in the plus size community between smaller fats and super fats or large fats who wear way above a size 20. In mass media you will most likely only see women up to size 20.”
