Plus-size retailer Penningtons is aiming to start a movement that celebrates women who have put an end to compromise in their lives.
The Reitmans-owned retailer has created “Uncompromising Women,” an online platform where women share their stories to inspire others and spark a conversation.
The website features videos of New Brunswick-born Candy Palmater, who gave up an unfulfilling career as a lawyer to become a comic, and Quebec’s Marie-Claude Barrette, who made career sacrifices to raise her children and went on to become a television host. Two more videos (with Delia Noel, a Montreal non-profit professional, and Diana Di Poce, creator of plus-size magazine DARE.) will be released this summer. The videos will also be posted to Facebook and YouTube.
Another big component of the website is articles by regular contributors who share their personal stories about being uncompromising, with new articles being added each week. Visitors to the website are invited to submit their own stories and a selection of these will be published. They can also sign up to receive the “Uncompromising Women” newsletter and/or the Penningtons newsletter.
“The objective was to inspire women with a message of empowerment,” said Jill Selick, marketing director at Penningtons. “We believe that when you’re uncompromising, you’re 100% yourself. And we want to make sure that we create that emotional connection with women and with our customers.”
The campaign follows a larger movement in the plus-size world that celebrates curvier women and promotes self-acceptance. Plus-size retailer Lane Bryant, for example, recently launched the #ImNoAngel campaign, which emphasizes the fact that every woman can be sexy. And consumers are creating their own viral trends, like #Fatkini, which inspires plus-size women worldwide to proudly post shots of themselves in bikinis.
“Things are changing and there’s a lot going on right now around embracing your curves,” said Jack Latulippe, creative director at Montreal-based Les Évadés, which created Penningtons’ “Uncompromising Women” campaign.
“We think that this movement fits perfectly well into the larger trend. And as a ready-to-wear brand, Penningtons wants to encourage their customers to jump in, be themselves and love who they are, without asking them to change… I think today’s trends are giving [plus-size women] more and more reason to be openly comfortable in their skin and proud of their personal goals, attitudes and convictions.”
The website is largely unbranded, save for a section on style and a “Brought to by Penningtons” message at the very bottom.” Not having a strong brand presence on the website was important, said Selick. “The authenticity is really key when we’re taking a stance on celebrating women. We felt that rather than blanketing the site with Penningtons’ marketing messages, it would be better to tie in the brand where it made sense.”
However, the next phase of the campaign is where the branding sets in. In the fall, Penningtons is launching a new line of denim, DC demin, which stands for “denim without compromise.”
The “Uncompromising Women” website will remain active only throughout the summer. “Ultimately, we’re going to take the names of the women who have signed up for the movement and the women who have been engaging for the content and transition them into Penningtons with the launch of our DC Jeans,” said Selick.
