By Jillian Urcelay

JU: Which of the L’Amy America brands offer
specialty fit sizing, and which do you personally enjoy working on best?
MS: Within our brand portfolio, we offer several specialty fit collections. These include the Ann Taylor Petite Eyewear collection, Champion Extended Size collection and Nicole Miller YourFit. To only select one as my favorite to develop is quite difficult as they each have their own distinct design aesthetic and appeal. If I were forced to choose, I would have to say Ann Taylor as I had previously managed the brand in addition to developing the product.

Why were these brands specifically chosen to offer specialty fit sizing?
We continually analyze the product in our bags to see what it is that we are bringing to the market, and how it not only represents/reflects on the brand but also makes sense for the brand. The Ann Taylor Petite Eyewear collection was a natural extension as the Ann Taylor brand has serviced the clothing needs of the petite shopper for more than 25 years. Under the Champion direction, these extended styles complement the core ophthalmic and sunglass collections by offering designs that exemplify the brand’s design philosophy to create performance and lifestyle pieces that celebrate their rich sport heritage. With the success of the Nicole Miller brand in the market and the response to the modern, urban designs that are tough-girl chic, we took the same design sensibilities and developed styles catered toward the woman who might require a larger fit.

Are the styles directly comparable to the original collections in terms of quality and design? (i.e., Nicole Miller Eyewear vs. Nicole Miller YourFit)
The product developed within our specialty fit segments does not differ in any way from the original collections in terms of quality or design. We maintain our quality standards in all product that we develop, and each piece is reflective of the brand in all design components—shape, hardware, materials and color.

Why is it important for L’Amy America to offer alternative sizing?
In today’s market, it is extremely important to have a wide breadth of product to offer. It is becoming increasingly more competitive especially as accounts are looking to reduce the number of suppliers that they work with. We want to become an invaluable partner to our accounts and be able to offer product across multiple segments, addressing essential consumer needs ■