Fashion & Homeware News South Africa

Lizzo launches size-inclusive shapewear brand Yitty

Grammy-award-winning singer Lizzo has entered the fashion business with the launch of a size-inclusive shapewear brand in partnership with parent company Fabletics, Inc.
Source: Yizzo
Source: Yizzo

Launching on 12 April, the line is named Yitty after the singer's childhood nickname. According to a statement, Lizzo has been working on the brand for nearly three years.

Yitty is described as "no-shame, smile-inducing shapewear" designed for all body types, with sizes ranging from size 6X to XS. It blurs the lines of inner and outerwear with intentional-meets-functional designs, sexy silhouettes, and bold colours and prints. Stylish silhouettes have been fit on every size and body type - not merely scaled up (or down) for convenience.

“Instead of thinking about size in this linear way, we’re thinking about it on a spectrum where everyone is included. Everyone’s size is just their size. It’s not high, it’s not low. It’s not big, it’s not small. It’s just your size,” says Lizzo.

Lizzo is no stranger to shapewear, and admits to having been told most of her life to “reshape” her body based on society’s made-up standards. “I felt that I was constantly being told through TV and magazines that my body wasn’t good enough. And, in order to be considered ‘acceptable’ I had to inflict some sort of pain upon it to fit into an archetype of beauty. Because of this, I’ve been wearing shapewear for a long time, maybe since I was in fifth or sixth grade,” she explains.

The singer made a firm decision to no longer feel ashamed about her natural curves and contours. Instead, she wanted to create her own collection of body-hugging pieces that "everyone would want to rock in the bedroom, at the club, to brunch with the girls, or simply chilling at home".

“I was tired of seeing this sad, restrictive shapewear that literally no-one wanted to wear. I had an epiphany like, ‘who can actually do something about this?’ I decided to take on the challenge of allowing women to feel unapologetically good about themselves again,” Lizzo says.

Three styles

Yitty debuts with three distinctive drops: Nearly Naked, a lightweight seamless collection designed to comfortably shape and firm natural curves; Mesh Me, smoothing mesh styles that blend fashion with function, designed to wear as underwear or outerwear; and Major Label, an assortment of everyday lifestyle pieces.

Of course, everything has a musical spin (think shades like Tempo Lavender and Moody Bitch Taupe, and collections like Major Label and Headliner).

More than 65% of styles are made with soft recycled fibres and the brand’s packaging is made with 100% recycled materials. The brand is also a part of a certified Carbon Neutral Company.

Business partnership

Yitty is a sister brand to Fabletics and is housed under the Fabletics Inc. umbrella. For her new venture, Lizzo wanted a business partner that believed in her message as much as she did.

After meeting Fabletics, Inc. co-founder, Don Ressler, and many meetings with the company’s executive leadership team, Lizzo decided on Fabletics, Inc. as her business partner. Not only did Fabletics have a solid plan for how to bring Lizzo’s vision to life, but the company has experience in delivering premium-quality, technically-engineered, fashion-forward collections. Plus, the company’s unique business model would allow the singer to offer affordable price points and make Yitty more accessible.

“Lizzo is the quintessential business partner,” said Kristen Dykstra, president of Yitty. “She is famous for her music, but beloved for her commitment to driving important social change. Creating this brand has been a long-term dream of hers; to revolutionise shapewear and build a brand and community that makes a difference in people’s lives. Lizzo has an incredible vision for this brand, and her commitment and passion for what we are creating together has inspired everyone around us. We are thrilled to partner with her on bringing her vision to life.”

The shapewear line will be sold on Yitty.com, Fabletics.com and in shop-in-shops at Fabletics stores.

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