Nadia Boujarwah is the CEO and Co-Founder of Dia&Co, the retail service dedicated to meeting the plus-size community’s full range of style needs. As someone who always loved fashion but struggled to find clothes that fit her body and work with her personal style, Boujarwah launched Dia&Co in 2015 as a way for women like her to embrace their individuality. We recently caught up with Boujarwah to talk about the importance of the size-inclusive conversation in schools, and how Dia&Co plans to further the future of fashion.
For those who don’t know, tell us how Dia&Co works.
Dia&Co is the fastest-growing retail service for women who wear sizes 14 and up. The idea for the company came from my personal experience. I’ve been plus-size my whole life and always struggled to find stylish clothing that fit my body. Years of frustration prompted me to team up with my co-founder Lydia Gilbert to work towards ending sizeism in the retail industry.
How are Dia boxes produced? How do you pick the brands you work with?
At Dia&Co, we’re applying the best of data and technology to serve women who have been ignored for far too long. At dia.com, we provide curated access to the best-fitting plus size apparel, including both our beloved in-house brands and items from hundreds of brand partners.
Our top consideration when weighing a potential brand partnership is that brand’s commitment to serving our community exceptionally. Too often, we’ve seen brands try to dip their toes into extended sizing without putting in the necessary level of effort to understand the specific fit requirements of the plus-size community — and then those brands often give up on extended sizes after that first ill-fitting line predictably fails to sell. For those who are committed to getting it right, we’re able to help facilitate the process by sharing the fit expertise and deep consumer insights we’ve gathered through millions of customer interactions. We’re proud to have worked with dozens of top retail brands to successfully extend their size offerings, from Betsey Johnson to Nanette Lepore to EleVen by Venus Williams.
How important is it that the size inclusive conversation starts within schools?
When you’re making change one brand at a time, progress is going to be slow, and it’s going to be inconsistent. In order to bring about truly widespread change, we need to go to the source, and that’s education. By making an investment in size inclusivity at the school level, we can ensure that the next generation of designers will be equipped and excited to design for women of all sizes.
What makes theCURVYcon important to Dia&Co?
TheCURVYcon is the premier event for plus size brands, fashionistas, bloggers and influencers, and we’ve been proud to sponsor the event since its first year. We’re returning this fall as title sponsor for the third year in a row. At Dia&Co, we’re dedicated to celebrating the vibrant community of women who wear sizes 14+, and theCURVYcon founders CeCe Olisa and Chastity Garner Valentine have long been leaders in bringing life-changing experiences to our community.
How do you imagine furthering the future of fashion?
The future we’re working towards is a fashion industry free of sizeism. Sixty-seven percent of American women wear a size 14 or above, yet plus size clothing only accounts for 17 percent of total apparel purchased. There has been so much talk about inclusivity and diversity in fashion over the past few years, and we’ve seen exciting moments of progress for plus-size women in that time, yet we are still so far from true inclusivity. Most importantly to us, the progress has yet to be felt by the 100 million women in this country who still do not have access to the same stylish options as their straight-sized counterparts. We are thrilled to be partnering with the CFDA and design educators to work towards widespread, lasting change.
