Style Uncompromised – the ethos for Cynthia Vincent’s new fashion venture Baacal. After a “self-imposed exile,” the designer is back with a collection that seeks to bring a modern point of view and fashion to sizes 10 to 22. It’s a much-overlooked range in fashion, yet represents the majority of women in America. Vincent, who was behind the St Vincent, Vince, and Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent labels, is known for her fit, and she is now using that expertise for flattering pieces that partly use upcycled, vintage and existing stock fabric to reduce the carbon footprint.
The launch collection features looks such a a classic belted trench, an oversize double-breasted Melton wool coat, and signature T-shirts, blouses, and dresses. It is priced from $95 to $795 at retail and currently available at Baacal.com and at Almastoria in LA.
We interviewed Vincent on Baacal, why she is launching the collection now, and what Style Uncompromised means to her.
Do you have any personal anecdotes of women approaching you, for example, and expressing the need for fashion at a wider range of sizes?
Yes, for most of my career, I have been asked, “Would you please make your clothes in my size?” or, “Why don’t you offer bigger sizes?” and inevitably, that size would be a 12 or larger.
I will never forget doing an appearance at a high-end boutique in LA and dressing all the young stylish bohemian women when an older woman came in and was ready to buy. She wanted one of everything. Sadly, nothing fit. [While styling her or attempting to style her] we had a fascinating conversation. She was so interesting and I felt her clothes did not reflect who she was a woman. I later found out she was the mother of one of my customers, who shared with me how frustrated her mother was with finding clothes that she just gave up on fashion. She then shared a photo of her mother with me from “back in the day.” She was in Tulum looking very glamorous and oh-so-stylish in the early 80s, bookended by two gorgeous men. She was the original bohemian, hanging out in Tulum way before I and the fashion world discovered it 20-years ago…I made sure my seamstress made her a few of my favorite things because the boutique only carried up to a size 8 and I wanted her to be able to share with the world how fabulous she was.
What inspired you to launch BAACAL now?
The time is now. The conversations have shifted to the individual and personal. Technology is helping to lead the way to inclusiveness and ensuring we are questioning the status quo. That is even truer for fashion.
In personally trying to find beautiful clothing of a certain quality and, as a designer, being frustrated by the complete void, I could only imagine the experience women were going through every day. I know the importance of the need for everyone to be able to find beautiful clothes to express themselves. Adding inclusive sizing has always been something I believed in and attempted to do in all of my past endeavors. However, in the past, there were too few retail outlets to sustain the cost and investment. There was a lack of understanding and a great deal of fat-shaming in the fashion industry. Now, with the ability to speak directly to your customer, their need is visible and we have the opportunity to cater to it. It’s wonderful that everyone can have a voice now.
In your view, what’s been missing in the market?
Baacal is the first design-led brand in plus size. That is exactly what has been missing: offering better made and fit garments for sizes above a 10…beautifully tailored garments that really look and feel great to wear and give my customers a fantastic silhouette.
Describe the ethos/philosophy and aesthetic of BAACAL.
Baacal is a built on values of strength and integrity. We make beautiful things in an honest and sustainable way. Our customer is always front of mind and we build on our strong fashion heritage to bring the best principles of design to plus size fashion. We aim to empower by allowing women to find high quality clothes that truly express who they are.
Define “Style Uncompromised.” What does it mean to you?
Style Uncompromised is the entire ethos of Baacal distilled down to its core. Style is something you have or evolves as you better understand yourself and who you are or want to become. Clothing is one of the most powerful tools as you discover your style and what and how you present yourself to the world. When you can’t find the pieces of clothing in your size that help you express yourself or help to empower you to live your best life, you make compromises. Through Baacal, I want women of all sizes with a certain eye and desire for better clothes to be “uncompromising” in their own expression so they can own their style.
How is the collection sustainable, and why was this so important to you?
Sustainability can no longer be an afterthought. I believe it needs to be front and center of any business. We cannot continue to be one of the most polluting industries. We must all become more mindful and responsible for what we create. The collection and the company are and will be sustainable by taking a 360 approach – from eliminating one-time use plastic bags that are used in the manufacturing of Baacal, to the use of used hangers and shipping packaging designed to create the least amount of waste. Also, personally, [I have a] a commitment to continue to educate myself and my supply chain to find new and better ways of becoming more sustainable. I also am using upcycled, vintage and stock raw materials with a goal of making that 80 percent of the offering.
The most impactful way to do this is by creating clothes of a better quality and better raw materials that are made to last. When they can stand the test of time, they become the opposite of landfill fast fashion.
How did you come up with the name? What does it stand for?
Baacal represents strong, confident women, and the name is a way of paying homage to the dynamic true style icon that is Lauren Bacall. I once read that she was asked to lose weight and refused! That always stayed with me.
