Five years ago, plus-size women’s retailer Penningtons began a rebranding journey, with a focus on being more fashion forward. Now, the Reitmans-owned banner has a new mission to go with its new look: ending the stigmatization of plus-size women.
A new online video, “Who says plus-size women can’t?” stars real-life plus-size yoga instructor Dianne Bondy (who’s wearing Penningtons’ activewear). The spot lists common misconceptions about why plus-size women shouldn’t do yoga—they have no balance, they sweat a lot and slip, they’re too heavy to lift themselves—while Bondy shows off her impressive yoga poses.
“[Our new vision] is about advocating for body diversity and size acceptance in fashion,” said Ginette Harnois, vice-president of marketing and visual presentation at Penningtons.
“We’ve been looking at ways to be authentic and find messages that can empower our customers. Therefore, we want to be their partner in changing society’s perception of what beauty is… and help them have the confidence to push back on the stigma.”
The video (in English and French) was created by LG2 in Montreal, and uses the hashtag #iwontcompromise.
“The embryo of all this is was Ginette told me, ‘I want my Dove,’” said Anne-Marie Leclair, partner and VP of strategy at LG2, referring to the Unilever brand’s work on raising girls’ self-esteem.
“What I like about her philosophy is that she wants to do good,” continued Leclair. “She doesn’t only think about showing the clothes of her brand. She really respects the plus-size target and respects what’s in their mind and how they feel. So, yes, making great clothes that helps their self esteem is one thing, but doing something for society is much bigger and much more generous as a brand today.”
Reitmans’ also owns plus-sized banner, Additional Elle, which targets a younger and more fashion-forward consumer. Penningtons’ customers “are not as savvy on trends… so they look to us to help educate them and feel good about their body,” said Harnois.
Over the past few years, Penningtons saw an evolution where its customers went from wanting “boxy” fashions that hid their body to “wanting to blend in with everyone else, be on trend, and have outfits that were more fitted,” said Harnois.
“They’re transitioning to wanting to create their own sense of style, so they’re getting more confident and we’re evolving with them. We want to make sure that society allows them to feel confident in making those changes and be part of the same experience as everybody else with fashion.”
