2006 a year in review for plus size fashion Part 3

In the final installment of this year ending series I decided that it was time to talk about some of the merchants and bloggers that made a splash this year and I expect big things from in the future.

IGIGI - At the beginning of the year all I knew about this merchant was the fact that they had cool catalogs. It wasn’t until I started corressponding with Ozlem that I noticed two things:

1. IGIGI seemed to be everywhere in the blogsphere. Bloggers had there banners up and there was a buzz being generated. I was part of that buzz as well talking about the different aspects of this company
2. IGIGI had pick up where Just My Style had dropped the ball and unless I am mistaken is the only company that has a presence in the world of blogging. More specifically a hand in the plus size fashion world.

As the year progressed IGIGI’s web presence grew in part due to the relationship that it forged with bloggers. We tend to pump up things that we like. That growth lead to them opening up a brick and mortar location in the San Fransisco bay area a few months ago. Using 2006 as a marker I feel that 2007 will be a banner year for this plus size fashion merchant.

Monif C. plus sizes - I actually came across Monif C. back before she launched the website that we all know today. Her Ebay store caught my attention first so I was not surprised when she launched a website that carried high quality upper end fashions.

What I had no way of predicting was the success of the Curvy Girls Night Out events and being one of the featured fashion houses on the BET Special RIP the Runway.

Monif’s has also done what many smaller but growing companies are doing now. She has a MySpace page that she updates with sales and other things that are going on in the company.

I feel that with all the exposure both online and offline that in 2007 there will be more than a few people in the area of high fashion will be looking at what Monif C. plus sizes has done and is doing.

A few others that I feel that came out the pack this year and will grow more as time goes on are:

b&lu - A brand new website that is targeting plus size teens and young ladies
Fashion To Figure - The grandsons of Lane Bryant founder Lena Bryant have created a full fashion experience for young ladies size 12-26.

Thats a wrap. As you can see 2006 was an exciting year in the world of plus size fashion. I expect 2007 to be even better. I will be keeping my eye on these merchants and on the lookout for the new kids on the block and as usual when I know you will know.