At one point or another, all shoppers experienced trying on clothing they purchased online only for it to fit nothing like they expected. TikTok star Remi Bader understands that for those in the plus-size community, this is an occurrence that happens on a regular basis. With 2.1 million TikTok followers and counting, the creator first went viral for her “realistic” clothing haul videos where she gives unfiltered video reviews of products from popular fashion brands. In the few years since then, Bader has become one of the loudest voices advocating for a more plus-size-friendly fashion industry. So, it seems only fitting that her perfect mélange of wit, humor, and relatability would lead to a partnership with Revolve on an inclusively sized collection, Remi x Revolve.
“There’s barely any brands that right now I can even fit so easily into,” she tells Refinery29. So to be able to pick stuff from my line before I’m going out for the weekend and have stuff available that’s cute and trendy in my size is so rare for me.”
Remi x Revolve’s first of the two drops — which was released in August — marked the first time Revolve expanded past size XL. Being the force behind a major retailer’s first-ever expanded sizing collection is a huge deal, but Bader is also very aware that, in only going up to a size 4X, there are still many people who are being left out — and she’s not done fighting for them. “[Revolve is] aware that there’s still a long way to go,” she says. “There are so many more sizes it can include. Hopefully, if [the partnership]continued down the line, it would.” In the meantime, Bader is just excited for people to see the pieces from the second release, out this week: ” I’m looking forward to seeing people’s reactions.”
Ahead, we spoke with the social media star about the making of her collection with Revolve, her connection with her followers, and how she deals with negative comments.
How did your collaboration with Revolve come to be and why did you want to partner with the retailer?
“I made a video in March of last year just kind of saying in the nicest way possible that I really wish I could wear [Revolve’s] clothes but I’m unable to. My realistic haul was me saying, ‘do better’ in a way. They actually saw that and ended up reaching right out. After, it was a long conversation where they were like, ‘We’ve been trying to be more inclusive for a while, but not really sure how. We would love to do a line with Remi.’ So it was super organic.
I’ve always ordered from Revolve but would have to return half of it just because it never fit me, so [the partnership]was very exciting for me. I don’t really hold brands accountable for not doing things in the past as long as they’re open to doing them now.”
What were some of the things that were important for you to have in your collection?
Clothes that I feel like I’ve never been able to easily find, like a blazer matching set. I know some people don’t feel comfortable being in crop tops and tighter things but, for me, I think that’s kind of what I represent. A lot of people have told me, ‘I never would have worn this if I didn’t see you wearing it.’ Why should I wear different kinds of clothes just because I’m bigger? I’m wearing the same clothes my sister would wear as a size small.
What was also really important was getting the right fabrics to make sure that things were stretchy enough and doing two layers of fabric instead of one so that it really looks flattering on a body. I also wanted to keep things under $150.
What was the most challenging part about designing the collection?
I think the hardest part is that you’re never going to be able to fit everyone perfectly. Everyone’s bodies are so different. Knowing that some of [Revolve’s other] lines run a little small, I wanted mine to run as true to size as possible, and if anything, even be a little bit structured and bigger.
What is it like looking back and seeing what you’ve accomplished since that first Revolve video?
“It’s been a really exciting process working with them, and I’ve been very honest with my feedback and how I feel. At first, we actually were only going to a size 3X, and we got a lot of feedback when we announced — from people that wished it was more extended. So we were able to go up to a 4X. We also got feedback about the size chart right before it launched, and we were able to change that before it came out. I’ve been really taking a lot of what my followers want to Revolve, and I am very happy that they’re actually making those changes.
I feel like they’re really listening because they know that their main customers aren’t people of my size, and they actually are putting in an effort to change that. If I’m going to be putting my name on anything, I want my partner to be as committed as me.
You’re such an instrumental figure in the plus-size fashion community, what does knowing that mean to you?
I appreciate that I’m making some of these changes within the plus-size community, but there’s so much more to do. I’m only touching a small part of the community going up to 4X and in [my partnership with]Victoria’s Secret going up to 2X. So there’s so much more that I feel like I could be doing and I want to be doing but this is a great place to start.
[With brands,] I’m always standing my ground and always saying how I feel; I’m saying how my followers feel and sharing what it’s like to be my size. And that’s why I think getting feedback from followers and other plus-sized creators and influencers is very helpful to me. It’s really a great feeling that people do look to me and that brands look to me for a lot of feedback.
How do you protect yourself mentally from trolls, while also continuing to be a champion for those in your community?
At this point, I’m still figuring out how to tune those out because I don’t want to ever fully turn my comments and messages off. I feel like the reason that I connect with my followers so much is because I speak to them and answer them and talk to them. It’s unfortunate that people are allowed to say the things that they do online and how fatphobic this world still is, but when good things happen, like when the line was selling out, I’m like, There’s no reason to even look at the negative comments when things like this are happening.
It’s a weird mental space to be in. I don’t think anyone should be seeing those things being said about them, especially from people that don’t know them personally. I just learned that it comes with the territory and I’m working really hard to try to focus on the positive comments and messages more than the negative.
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