Navabi: "We believe that women feel most confident when their clothes fit flawlessly"

As the demand for stylish plus-size womenswear continues to grow, online premium retailer Navabi set out to help fulfill the appeal with the launch of its debut premium in-house collection. To further help all women find the perfect outfit, the e-tailer also launched a unique made-to-order (MTO) service, with new collections from Manon Baptiste and Isolde Rothe launching every week. In a nutshell, Navabi produces one sample per style before offering it online and only when a customer places an order is the item produced and shipping. With the whole process taking between 7 to 10 days, from order placement to delivery, the online retailer is able to allow supply to meet demand. In order to learn more about Navai's MTO and in-house collections and pluz-size fitting, FashionUnited spoke to Navabi's co-founders and chief executive officers Bahman Nedaei and Zahir Dehnadi.

Does navabi use its own sizing range for its in-house collections?

Bahman Nedaei: "Yes, navabi has its own sizing range for its different own brand collections; we are in the business of listening to and learning from our own customer’s responses. We’ve adapted to their wishes for better fit and size accordingly, and base our sizing on the most up-to-the minute market knowledge from external professionals. This places us in the best position to develop and update our measurement charts on a frequent basis."

"That said we always do have the different body shapes (that constitute plus sizes) in our mind. Additionally we are able to offer both Tall and Petite size ranges for plus-size figures."

Is there a standard sizing range you use for the MTO (Made-to-order) collection ?

Zahir Dehnadi: "Our general sizing range at navabi is European size 42-56, but for some styles we size up to a size 60."

Are there any areas in particular that navabi's in-house design team focuses to determine the fit of a certain garment?

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BN: "We believe that women feel their most confident when their clothes fit them flawlessly, which is why the team spends a great deal of time with pattern cutters, technologists and size/fit models to ensure each piece sculpts, smoothes, and showcases exactly what and as you would expect it to. To sum up the main points for us as brand navabi when it comes to fashion design are: Look, fit, comfort, workmanship, fabrics, colours and accessories."

Are there certain fit issues when it comes to creating plus-size fashion that do not occur in 'normal' fashion?

ZD: "It’s very important to us as a brand that we are not perceived as simply as plus-size player, but a credible fashion and online tech/ecommerce brand that caters to a certain segment of the market with the most cutting-edge in fashion. However we listen and learn from our customers responses to ensure we cater to their needs when it comes to fit accordingly."

Does navabi use its own fit models when creating a new collection?

BN: "Yes, we are learning (and adapting) quite a lot based on the comments from our models."

How do you test new fabrics/materials for collections?

ZD: "In a number of ways, firstly, we commit to doing ISO 9001 fabric testing for (harmful substances, pilling, seam slippage strength, etc.) on all of our fabrics and materials before they come to market. In addition, the team and the models perform their own tests wearing the clothes themselves to give us anecdotal feedback on the feelings and level of comfort of all of the garments. The in-house designers also use the best and latest luxury fabrics that are available to the market to ensure we are providing contemporary fashion."

How does the in-house design team select which trends to incorporate into the collection?

BN: "It’s very important to create a complete look from head to toe. Christine Shaw, our head of design, for example, always starts off with the silhouette in mind. This allows her to easily work out the proportions and how each garment needs to be styled so it’s appropriate to the customer, as well as fashionable."

"Each season our fashion team does a lot of trend-led research, as we aim to consistently offer our plus-size customers the same fashion-forward trends that are currently available in the traditional fashion industry for ‘standard size’ customers. Currently the fashion industry tends to ignore the plus size customer and fashion segment. Mass-market retailers either do not offer the same trends as they do for “normal size” women. For those that do offer collections in a greater range of sizes, they simply tack on extra sizes to current collections as an afterthought. This option doesn’t put the customer first."

How long does it take for navabi to incorporate current trends into their own collections?

ZD: "We work right up to seasonal introductory deadlines and tend to introduce key items quite close to the start of a given season. This is especially true of our MTO process as it gives us the possibility to include the latest and actual fashion trends and 'buzz making' items within our collections. Within our MTO process we only require about 1-2 months from the initial concept or idea to making it available to our online customers."

Are there certain trends that the in-house design team would choose not to include in navabi's collection? Why?

BN: "Generally no, but we are always interpreting the latest trends in ‘the navabi way’ simply because we know our customers and the plus size woman better than anyone else!"

Finally, in your opinion is there a difference in fashion trends for plus-size fashion versus 'normal' fashion?

ZD: "No, it is just a matter of interpretation and proportions. Our choice of fabrics picks up on current trends and fashion-led details, but it is also dictated by how the material feels against the skin. I would say that the feel of a material is just as important as its appearance. It needs to be soft enough for that exquisite fall to be achieved, yet shouldn’t cling to the skin. It needs to sculpt without adding volume or unnecessary bulk."