11 Honoré is Bringing Joy to New York Fashion Week With a Size-Inclusive New Collection

The last time the 11 Honoré team took the stage at New York fashion week in Fall 2019, they did so with a bang. The size-inclusive e-commerce site’s first show spotlighted the many designers who had launched extended size ranges through their groundbreaking e-commerce site and ended with a flourish thanks to Laverne Cox strutting down the runway. The event was a success, but the world is a different place than it was in 2019. Tonight the brand returns to NYFW with their spring 2022 offerings, created in-house by design director Danielle Williams-Eke and a fresh outlook. 

“This is really a celebration of where we’ve been the last two years,” shared CEO Patrick Herning pre-show. “From a design perspective, you have to consider what kind of stories you’re telling in the middle of a global pandemic, at the height of the nation’s racial reckoning, and during unprecedented times. It’s been an honor seeing Danielle navigate this tumultuous period; our business has had several iterations, but it’s all evolved into this clear point of view.”  

Williams-Eke’s vision for the season is all about joy. Her pieces, which will be available for pre-sale immediately after they appear on the runway, are filled with whimsical details and eye-catching hues. “Spring is more playful than we’ve been in the past, and that’s probably what I’m most excited about,” she says. “Lately, I’ve been so inspired by print, and we’ve been working with an incredible textile designer who has been able to bring our ideas to life. You see color and—bright pink skirts, dresses in shades of tangerine—throughout the collection.” 

All that vibrancy speaks to Williams’ mood and the feedback she’s received directly from the site’s clientele, who have been craving a mix of practical and fantastic. “The biggest takeaway [from customers] was the importance of balance,” says Williams-Eke. “In the beginning, our focus was on elevated wardrobe staples, so these statement pieces feel fresh and push into this fashion-forward space.”

Though they never lacked fashionable pieces, 11 Honoré deliberately pivoted to showcasing their contemporary priced, in-house brand rather than the ultra-luxury wares already featured on the site. “Now for the first time the stars align with the right product, at the right price, and with the right fit,” says Herning, who wanted to spotlight looks that would be accessible to all 11 Honoré’s fans. “To be able to demonstrate our unwavering loyalty to this customer and the community that enabled this will be incredible.”

Audience engagement has been top of mind this year with the team seeking to connect with customers online and off. “This hybrid mode  where you’re considering not just how you communicate, but also what you want to communicate both physically and digitally has been essential,” says Williams-Eke. “We’re finding new and creative ways to do it because what we’ve all been missing is that sense of community. Like many plus-size first brands, we’re tired of asking for the establishment to become more inclusive. The days of waiting are over; we’ve had to build it ourselves. We have a community that rallies around independent brands, gives us their support and feedback, which is so important because we want to take that in and continue to hone in on what our customer needs.”

Not only will their customers be able to see the pieces online in 2022, but even more of them will also get a chance to experience them in a brick-and-mortar store. In 2021, they began offering their private label at Nordstrom, a move that proved so lucrative they’re expanding into even more windows. “Our challenge has always been scaling customer acquisition profitably,” says Herning. “But we’ve found through the success of our partnership just how much the brand resonates once it gets in front of alternative audiences. We were sold in five doors at launch, now it’s ten and online is over-indexing, so it’s been fantastic.”

The numbers have been great, but so are the new visuals; model Candice Huffine stars in the collection’s accompanying fashion film, which nods to the atmospheric commercials Yves Saint Laurent released in the aughts. “We’ve done a lot of beautiful things in the past that I’m proud of, but this campaign and event are just coalescing into this beautiful, celebratory moment,” says Herning. “The last few years have been blood, sweat, and tears; now we’re bringing some joy to the conversation.”