Lauren Chan had a hard time finding quality clothing in her size, so she started Henning, a luxury fashion brand in sizes 12-26, and made the clothing herself...that’s what we at Love Squad would call a BOSS!

The clothes at Henning are made with “fit tricks”- as Chan refers to them, to ensure that the clothing performs as well as it looks. Their button-down shirts include extra, hidden buttons to keep from pulling open across the chest (where has this been all my life?), and pants are reinforced with gel tape in the inner thigh to strengthen seams and prevent ripping caused by thigh chafing. The high-quality fabrics were hand-selected with natural fiber blends and a built-in stretch.

The goal at Henning, Chan told Love Squad, is to tell women of all sizes that they are valuable, inspirational people.

“I think that fashion has long perpetuated the narrative that (plus-sized people) are not by excluding them from the luxury tier of the market,” she said. “So by filling the gap in that market with our brand, we hope to negate that long-standing narrative.”

Before launching her company, where one can find trendy blazers, amazing work pants, stunning silk dresses, and more, Chan had to be savvy to achieve her desired looks. She found luxury items, such as men’s blazers, in thrift stores, and got them tailored to her size. As a plus-sized consumer and former fashion editor with a history as a plus-sized model, Lauren was often surrounded by the issues in plus-sized fashion.

“Over time I just kind of had this slow-burn feeling that I could fix it myself,” she said.

Lauren left her job as a fashion editor and took the time to prepare, plan, and strategize before launching Henning in September 2019. Her career went from fast-paced, digital content creation, to knocking on doors in the Garment District to inquire about plus-sized clothing production and going to trade shows to source fabric. A year of extremely hands-on planning and research went into the business. The result is thoughtfully made, high quality clothing that allows women of all sizes to feel confident in their outfits.

“I’m so heartened and excited and motivated and uplifted by everything that our customers say,” she said. “I think that they give us our entire reason for being.”

If there is one thing Chan could share with women of all sizes who struggle to get dressed, it is to know that you are not alone and to remember that clothes have the power to make us feel things.

“If you are feeling down or you’re not feeling motivated, put something on your body that typically makes you happy and allow it to have that effect because I think that’s so important right now,” she said. “We are only getting dressed for ourselves and so if clothes aren’t there to make us feel good, what are they there for?”