Reality TV star and self-proclaimed “jeans junkie” Khloe Kardashian has seen her weight fluctuate in the past 10 years. And shopping for jeans, in particular, was a painful experience.
“Most designer brands didn’t carry my size,” she explained in an interview. “Buying denim was high anxiety.”
Although Kardashian has lost nearly 40 pounds in the past year, that experience stuck with her and served as the inspiration for founding Good American, a new jeans line and e-commerce site, with fashion executive Emma Grede.
Good American is designed for many women’s body types, especially for those who have a more curvy figure. The jeans, which cost $149 to $215, come in three styles including a classic skinny jean, a looser boyfriend style jean and a high-waisted variation. Unlike many designer jean brands, Good American carries a wide range of sizes, from size zero to a plus-size 24.
Grede explains that the duo and their team spent the past year working on perfecting the fabric and contouring of the jeans so that the stitching is complimentary to all sizes, and that the wasitband doesn’t create a gap for women. “It cinches you in,” adds Grede.
Good American’s jeans will have one important differentiator from rivals: All jeans will be modeled by models with a variety of body shapes, said Grede. “We want women to see closer representations of their own bodies when shopping,” she adds.
The jeans will also be sold available through the Good American website as well as at Nordstrom stores. All sizes will be showcased together in stores instead of separating smaller sizes from plus-sizes in different sections. Good American will also sell a collection of bodysuits, t-shirts, and sweatshirts, in addition to denim.
Although the price of the jeans is still on the high-end, Kardashian and Grede aren’t worried about appealing to a broad demographic of women. “Most women will spend on a fantastic pair of jeans as an investment,” said Kardashian.
This isn’t the first clothing venture for Kardashian. She and her sisters, Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian, launched a women’s clothing line called the Kardashian Kollection with Sears. The deal ended in 2015. When asked about what she learned from the experience of her previous line that she would apply to Good American, Kardashian said that she would expand internationally earlier on. The jeans brand will ship to some international markets from day one, added Grede.
Kardashian also launched a series of mobile apps with her sisters last fall.
Already Kardashian has big ambitions for Good American. “We are incredibly hands on with the business and want this brand to be around for years to come,” she said.