conor norton established manya big and tall men’s clothing brand, when he couldn’t find an outfit for a friend’s wedding.
“It took me four weeks to prepare, and I didn’t have the budget. Even though I had all that time and resources, I would order something online and it would arrive. One of them somehow fit, but the material was thin and didn’t look good on me. Then I went to a wedding and that was all I could think about all weekend,” Norton said.
Before I entertained the idea of entering the fashion industry, I worked in PR, the entertainment industry, and artist management. He had no design experience whatsoever, but that didn’t stop him. Norton found a designer and co-designed with him to create MANY.
MANY held a launch party at the beginning of February, and many large and tall men were invited, represented, and allowed to occupy the space. Athletes, content creators, and men in the media industry came together to celebrate what MANY stands for and represents: the evolution of the category.
Big, tall men’s clothing brands exist, but there aren’t that many. Norton wanted to not only grow the category, but also allow luxury fashion to exist within it. With prices starting at $295, MANY offers quality staples for the large and tall community.
“Sometimes I think that having a personal style means having a good, clean canvas to work with. Without something like that, bold prints end up looking muddy or smudged by the fact that the quality of the canvas isn’t really that good. It doesn’t really fit well. You need a good base to make your flashy pieces shine,” Norton said.
But for Norton, the fit of the parts is just as important as the look and feel.
“When I design, I start with a pattern based on my body, a size 3XL, and work my way up or down from there. We only make sizes from plus to 4XL, and from waist 36 to 46. Most brands base their designs on a small or medium fit model and simply enlarge everything. It’s like enlarging a photo, not where you actually need the space, but making everything evenly larger,” Norton said.
“I’ve learned that from small to large sizes, brands typically add about 1.5 inches to each size in key areas. But from XL and above, the grading jump can be 4.5 inches, which doesn’t make sense proportionally. That’s why many garments don’t fit larger men. I created my own grading rules to allow for more thoughtful enlargement for areas like the abdomen, shoulders, and arms, but the 4.5 Nothing is more extreme than inches.”
To carve out my own seat at the table, I had to take something that no one else was doing and make it truly my own. Creating your own scale for a big and tall clothing brand isn’t something everyone does, but Norton recognized the need to ensure men had luxury options.
MANY is growing as a brand, and Norton hopes that never stops. He would like to see the brand add more sizes and see how customers can put their own spin on the items. The current collection is available for purchase, and MANY offers capsule pieces, allowing people to wear the accessories however they like.
Many are available below manyapparel.comare ready to prove that big and tall men’s clothing is just as important and necessary as any other size.
Source: The Curvy Fashionista – thecurvyfashionista.com
