DSW has brought on a new shoe brand to bolster its assortment of extended sizes for women.
Vaila, which offers shoes between sizes 9 and 14, has officially launched on DSW’s website with a selection of five styles. Vaila launched in March 2022 via a mainly direct-to-consumer model and last year inked its first major retail partnership with Macy’s to sell in five locations as well as online.
“The expansion of Vaila into DSW is allowing us to set a new standard for the fashion industry, where body-positivity is seen head-to-toe.” said Vaila Shoes’ founder and chief executive officer Ahriana Edwards in a statement. “As a digital-first founder, I have had to retrain customers with extended sizes to gain the confidence and trust that legacy retailers are working to change and include their sizes in store. We are so excited to work with DSW to ease the women with extended sizes and finally offer them the same luxurious shopping experiences as everyone else.”
The announcement comes as demand for extended and wider shoe size options for women increases and more brands heed the call for size diversity. Last month, Dolce Vita launched a new line of tall boots with three calf widths (including extra wide) and extended its shoe sizes to 13. Aldo followed up shortly after and announced its first-ever women’s footwear collection in extended sizing for its fall 2024 women’s line.
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Some women, like Edwards, have started their own extended shoe brands to address the issue. Edwards launched Vaila Shoes in March 2022 after struggling to find shoes in her size as a college student. Detroit native Sierra Massey had a similar story and recently founded Cee Cee Massey, a new brand that offers loafers, sneakers, ballerina flats and more in women’s sizes 12 to 16.
“We love seeing established, national retailers open their range of inclusivity in partnership with Vaila,” said Taryn Laebn, president of IRL Ventures, an early-stage advisory and investment firm, one of the brand’s early stage investors. “Vaila’s exclusive focus on providing women with extended sizes access to an inclusive shopping experience aligns with our values and is one that is long overdue. We’re excited for what the future holds with this partnership.”
