The future of petite chic
While the petite fashion industry has come a long way in the past few decades, the fact remains that petite fashion has many gaps to fill before it can be considered “in sync” with the rest of the fashion industry.
These “gaps” refer to the distinct lack of diverse clothing options for petite women. While this is a well-known problem in the small community, it remains unchanged and not fully resolved.
As it stands, most petite clothing options are low-quality, fast-fashion items that are usually found in the limited “petite” collections of large fashion houses.
Therefore, it can be concluded that existing petite fashion is an afterthought by large brands that are satisfied with the bare minimum in terms of petite variety and quality.
We have a particular vision of what changes need to be made in the petite fashion industry in order to keep pace with the rest of the industry and to properly satisfy customers and their requirements. These include:
Different personalized clothing that caters to the customer’s personal style;
A wide range of affordable, premium and luxury styles to choose from; and
a choice of clothing suitable for all occasions and environments.
1: Something for everyone and their personal style
A common theme in the petite fashion market today is the focus on “must-have” items (i.e., plain tops and bottoms) for most casual closets.
While we are seeing more and more (and more and more) small “staple” collections, this in itself cannot be seen as bridging the gap. While most would agree that Good American’s trusty petite jeans are a must-have for every girl’s closet, what if some petites find denim distasteful and have a unique sense of style that favors a different type of pant?
Where are the classic, edgy, feminine, quirky, vibrant and masculine clothing options for smaller people? For big brands like ASOS, Topshop, Forever New, Banana Republic and more, a selection of different style pieces in their smaller collections is not enough.
We love the new petite fashion brand ‘The Shortlist’ and think its unique brand personality is something to be applauded. We’re also excited about the petite fashion brand “Pro Hac Vice,” which has a feminine, vibrant feel (launching in 2023). With the emergence of new, specialized petite brands, our vision of unique petite clothing options seems more attainable than ever.
2: Plenty of affordable, quality and luxury options to choose from
We believe that affordable, quality, and luxury clothing options are completely taken for granted for petite women, just as they exist in other areas of the industry.
As we’ve mentioned before, the vast majority of petite clothing options are low-quality, and these products are usually found in the limited “petite” collections of larger companies. While most customers want affordable clothing options, there’s no denying that some petite people, just like everyone else, want to invest in quality and luxury options.
In recent years, there has been an exciting new wave that focuses on quality clothing, including The Shortlist, Pro Hac Vice and Fable Petite.
Additionally, the luxury petite fashion market is virtually non-existent, with the only notable petite fashion brand involved in this market being House of Arti.
3: Something for every occasion and setting
The obvious reality that we, as petites, also need a plethora of clothing options to suit different environments and occasions has yet to be understood by the fashion industry.
In the future, we would like to see petite collections that cover all occasions/circumstances, including workwear, casual wear, activewear, basics, sportswear, loungewear, and a plethora of seasonal pieces, while keeping up with current trends.
At MONA JULIET, we believe that petite women should have access to clothing that is not only designed for them, but also catered to the occasion for which they are purchasing it. For example, our fashion brand specializes in high-quality work and office apparel for petite women because we know there is a huge gap in the market.