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0:49

Hello and welcome back to Girl Woz Radio.

0:51

I'm your host, Avery. I'm the founder and CEO

0:53

of Bloom, a workplace design consultancy on

0:55

a mission to build work that works for everyone.

0:58

Today I'm joined by Lauren Chan, a model, former

1:00

magazine editor, and entrepreneur. She

1:02

is the founder of Henning, an ethical luxury,

1:05

size-inclusive workwear brand that was acquired

1:07

by Universal Standard earlier this year. Lauren

1:10

moved from small-town Canada to New York City

1:12

to become a model. At the same time,

1:14

she started working as a fashion writer, contributing

1:16

to publications like Vogue and Interview Magazine.

1:19

Then she stepped away from modeling and became a full-time

1:22

fashion news editor at Glamour, where she

1:24

pushed for size inclusivity in their content. While

1:26

working in fashion, Lauren struggled to find plus-size

1:28

clothes for work. This sparked the idea for

1:31

Henning, and most recently she was named

1:33

the first queer, plus-size, sports-illustrated

1:36

swimsuit rookie. Lauren and I chatted

1:38

about how she's creating a more inclusive fashion

1:40

industry, why she felt ashamed to be a model,

1:42

and the biggest workwear ins and outs.

1:45

Let's get into

1:47

it.

1:50

Lauren, welcome to Girl Boss Radio. I

1:52

am so excited to have you here with us today.

1:55

First and foremost, how are you feeling?

1:57

I'm good. I'm so excited to be on

1:59

with you. especially because as I'm looking at

2:01

you, you are in Canada, my homeland.

2:04

So it's making me a little bit extra happy

2:07

today. It's

2:08

so funny. This is the second podcast in a row

2:10

where we've had someone that's from Canada.

2:12

So there's that overlap there, which I love. And

2:14

actually it's a great connection and segue

2:17

to the first question, which is what

2:19

did you want to be when you grew up?

2:21

Oh my gosh, I hadn't thought about it in so long

2:23

because I feel like I've had so many roles

2:25

within my career in the past decade.

2:28

But I remember

2:30

wanting to be everything from a

2:32

marine biologist to a WNBA

2:34

player to a dentist to a fashion

2:36

designer. I'm super grateful that marine biology

2:39

did not work out because I

2:41

much prefer making clothing.

2:43

But eventually you moved from

2:46

Canada and you moved to New York. And

2:48

I'm curious what inspired you to make that move?

2:51

By the time I was over dentistry in marine biology

2:53

and the WNBA, I

2:56

knew that I wanted to work in fashion and

2:58

New York City is where fashion happens.

3:00

It's the epicenter of North American fashion.

3:03

And so it was an early goal

3:05

of mine to move here and

3:07

become a fashion editor. So I've had

3:10

like the red X marked

3:12

on the map from the second I graduated

3:13

university. That's incredible.

3:16

And I think that there's probably a lot of people

3:18

that are listening in right now

3:21

that feel like they need to make a

3:23

move to perhaps pursue their

3:25

career goals. What advice do you have for

3:27

listeners that are maybe wanting to make

3:29

a move

3:30

for their career but are too scared

3:32

to take the leap? Well,

3:34

I think as a Canadian you move to the States. There's lots

3:36

of advice I could give that is

3:39

very technical because work visas are

3:42

so difficult to acquire. And most

3:44

of that advice boils down to carving

3:47

out a niche and making yourself an expert in that niche

3:49

because you need to prove to

3:51

the USCIS that your job skills

3:54

are so unique that this role must

3:56

be outsourced to a foreign worker.

3:58

But I think in general,

3:59

whether you're crossing country lines or not, if

4:02

you're keen to make a move for work,

4:05

for anything really, for love, for

4:07

fun, I would say that you should know

4:09

that you can always go home, that it is not some

4:11

big, final, terrifying

4:14

decision that you could never take back.

4:16

Try it. If it doesn't work out, there's

4:18

no shame in going home. You'll feel comfort

4:21

whenever you visit. And if you make the decision

4:23

to permanently turn around, that is A-okay.

4:27

When you moved to New York, you

4:29

joined Ford Models, the

4:32

modeling agency to be a part of. But

4:34

what I also found really interesting is that you were

4:36

working as a fashion writer, contributing to

4:39

publications like Vogue and Interview. I'm

4:41

curious, what was that transition

4:43

like?

4:44

So I always end up talking about

4:46

visas for some reason, and I've gotta find a way

4:49

to kind of message outside

4:51

of this because it can be so dry.

4:54

However, it was this moment

4:56

that, to answer your question, really

4:59

changed the course of my career. So when

5:01

I moved here, I wanted to be a fashion editor

5:04

and writer.

5:05

But as I said, I couldn't prove that my

5:07

skill as a writer was so unique at

5:09

the young age of 21 or 22, fresh

5:13

out of school with no significant bylines.

5:15

And my reverse thinking into

5:17

that was that if my job skill was

5:19

what I looked like, then technically

5:22

that was entirely unique. And

5:24

technically, a modeling visa

5:26

might be within reach. And so I had

5:29

driven to New York City with my dad

5:31

and gone to a Ford Models open call and

5:33

got signed that day. Wow. Yeah,

5:36

with that came a visa sponsorship and my

5:38

ticket to New York. And at

5:40

the time, I really was living two

5:43

separate lives. So I was living a life wherein

5:45

I was a plus-size model, which all

5:47

this time ago was largely commercial. I

5:49

was working for macies.com, e-commerce,

5:52

et cetera. It was not fashion

5:54

with a capital F in the way that I

5:56

had always pictured it. And the other part of my life

5:58

was that fashion with a capital

5:59

F. capital F. I wanted to get

6:02

bylines in Vogue. I wanted to intern

6:05

at interview and I wanted to be

6:07

in the scene.

6:08

And eventually I

6:11

realized that melding those two

6:13

worlds was something that I could

6:16

feel purpose doing, would

6:18

carve out an expertise or a niche

6:20

for myself and would be the most

6:24

strategic for me to pursue. And so I did that.

6:26

I started writing about plus size

6:28

fashion and going to job interviews, explaining

6:31

that I care deeply about size

6:33

inclusion. And that is what

6:35

gave me my niche within writing

6:37

and editing. So I later landed at Glamour

6:39

as the fashion features editor, be the sponsorship

6:42

and all. And that's

6:44

really what I focused on it for a handful of years.

6:47

And I know that there's like a lot of misconceptions

6:49

and assumptions around the fashion

6:52

industry at large, but I wanted

6:54

to understand like in your experience, did

6:56

you find fashion or do

6:59

you find working in fashion to be a safe

7:01

space for you?

7:03

Dramatic pause. Yeah,

7:05

no, you're fine. Yes. Yes. And no, I

7:08

think that the ways in which fashion has

7:10

not been inclusive, I have chosen to see

7:12

as an opportunity and

7:14

I have always thought,

7:16

well, why wouldn't I take that opportunity?

7:18

Why couldn't it be me to go make this

7:21

a safer space or

7:22

a better product or a more inclusive content?

7:25

At the same time, fashion has made strides

7:27

in inclusion, but it is still not

7:29

fully size inclusive. And actually

7:31

we're seeing a little bit of regression in the past

7:34

few months here

7:35

in terms of inclusion in fashion, in media

7:37

in general. So the answer is twofold.

7:40

And I think that I choose to see that as an opportunity.

7:43

I love the reframe. I think that that's probably one of the reasons

7:45

why you've been so successful. Speaking

7:48

of your modeling career, I was quite interested

7:50

to kind of understand that there was a point in your

7:52

journey in 2015 where

7:55

you actually put your modeling career on pause to pursue

7:57

becoming a fashion news editor at Glamour.

7:59

That was my dream job. I wanted to be

8:02

a fashion editor. I wanted to be a print

8:04

editor-in-chief. And so that was always

8:06

the goal. To me, the

8:08

early days of modeling were my means

8:10

to that goal. And it

8:12

was a no-brainer for me to leave

8:14

that behind. I mean, I think it's worth also

8:17

saying that I didn't enjoy modeling. It

8:19

wasn't fulfilling to me. It didn't make me feel

8:21

accomplished. I was always a little bit embarrassed

8:23

about saying that I was a model. And so I happily

8:26

left.

8:30

And I know that you've shifted back

8:32

into modeling now, which we'll get to, but

8:35

I'm curious to further explore you

8:37

talking about feeling embarrassed to be a model. And

8:40

I'm just interested because I think that there's such

8:42

a strong structure around shame

8:44

as it relates to the work of

8:46

being a model. We're even seeing this in influencer

8:49

culture as well. But for you, how has

8:51

shame played a significant role in your

8:53

career to date?

8:55

Well, I think that I've come a long

8:57

way first, which I'm super proud

8:59

of. But unfortunately,

9:02

that was myself

9:04

being insecure about doing women's

9:07

work, really, when you boil

9:09

it down. It was me being

9:11

insecure about being

9:14

proud of participating

9:17

in the beauty ideal and all that it

9:19

perpetuates negatively

9:21

within our society.

9:24

And I really tried

9:26

to distance myself from

9:29

both of those sentiments by always

9:31

having something else on the go like writing or

9:33

editing or later a business,

9:36

because I felt that it

9:38

was the crutch that made me sound

9:41

level-headed and intelligent

9:44

and not just a model. I've since

9:46

done a lot of mental

9:49

work on these feelings

9:51

and thanks to a lot of therapy, I'm

9:54

proud to now say I'm a model. I

9:56

am so lucky that I have one

9:59

of my gigs.

9:59

that I get to go to and

10:02

just have fun and be physically

10:04

and mentally present with folks and

10:07

behave like a kid sometimes and

10:09

moreover, have a job that

10:12

allows me financially to do

10:15

the passion projects that I care about like my

10:17

business or my writing.

10:20

It's so interesting the role that

10:22

internalized misogyny and the

10:24

system, the patriarchal system has a

10:27

huge influence on what we consider

10:29

to be work people can be proud

10:31

of and work that we believe that people

10:34

shouldn't be proud of. And this also extends to

10:36

ourselves. What advice do you have for

10:38

folks that are listening that feel shame about

10:41

what it is that they do to earn a living?

10:44

Well first I always say

10:46

pull the camera back, take yourself out of

10:48

it and look at the situation on paper and

10:50

say it out loud or write it down

10:52

and try to recognize the loophole

10:55

or the flaw in that shame. And

10:57

so in my instance, I

10:59

could say something to the effect of I grew

11:02

up in a world that told me

11:04

to do anything to be valued

11:06

like a model, have an eating disorder,

11:09

spend all your money on beauty products,

11:11

et cetera, et cetera. And then when

11:13

I was a model, that same world

11:16

also messaged to me to be

11:18

ashamed because that is not

11:20

a job for

11:20

intelligent people or poor

11:23

you. All you care

11:25

about is surface level beauty.

11:28

And when you look at it from that ridiculous

11:31

lens, it's a catch 22, you can't win.

11:33

And I

11:36

would say that just knowing that

11:38

has helped me. And I think that that

11:40

same practice works in a lot of situations

11:43

for me, whether I'm talking to you about work on

11:45

a podcast or I'm in my personal life and I'm feeling

11:47

frustration with a person or a situation

11:50

or a gig, calling the camera back always

11:53

helps ground

11:53

me and a reset my point of view.

11:56

Yeah. I think that reframing how

11:58

you're looking at a situation. is super

12:01

important. I've been practicing

12:04

trying to see the bigger picture more. I feel like I

12:06

get caught in the weeds a lot because I care

12:09

a lot about a lot of different things and all

12:11

the details, and it's so easy to get lost

12:13

in that.

12:14

We all have to ask ourselves where,

12:17

when we feel moments of shame, where the

12:19

root of that shame is coming from. Who

12:21

or what made you feel that way? Do you actually

12:24

believe that? And I'm thinking specifically

12:27

of body image here because

12:29

to me in my personal life and a lot

12:31

in my work life with my work in size inclusion,

12:33

I talk and I have thought personally

12:35

a lot about body image over the years. And

12:39

I was able to start forming

12:41

a healthy body image when I started challenging where the

12:43

shame in being a size 14,

12:46

not an hourglass

12:46

came from.

12:48

And when I noticed a

12:51

change in body trends specifically,

12:53

when our society went from super

12:56

thin to

12:57

curvy in the right places, back to super thin

12:59

again, that's when I noticed that it's

13:02

not absolute. They're literally telling us

13:04

that it's not absolute. So to believe

13:06

that it is, is nonsensical

13:09

and we don't deserve that. We don't deserve

13:11

to live with the shame of that.

13:13

I 100% agree. A book that I read

13:16

by a writer named Adam

13:18

Grant, it's called Think Again. It's in my top

13:20

five favorite books. I'd recommend anyone who's listening to

13:22

read it. He talks a lot about the power

13:25

of changing your mind and

13:27

how a lot of the beliefs that

13:29

we hold, the values that we have,

13:31

the opinions that we have are sometimes

13:34

really part of how we're socialized and

13:37

influenced by design. But also he

13:39

talks a lot about how it's okay for us to

13:41

shed these things. They're not a part of our identity.

13:43

And what you're saying really

13:46

deeply connects with what he shared in his book. Body

13:48

image is such a personal thing for a lot of people. And

13:51

it's okay if your body

13:53

image is not linear and

13:55

if it feels like a bit of like a messy

13:58

map, if you will.

13:59

Absolutely. I mean, speaking of the

14:02

book that you mentioned, which I just

14:04

pulled up on my Audible while you were talking

14:06

for me, a book that was pivotal in rethinking my

14:08

body image with Sonya Renee Taylor's The Body

14:11

is Not an Apology. And since

14:13

I've recently come out, a book that helps me

14:15

there was Untamed by Gwen and Doyle. So

14:17

those are two more books that I implore listeners to

14:20

at least give a sample listen to on

14:22

Audible.

14:23

Yeah. I'm one of those people that buys the book

14:25

and then listens to the audio book. You

14:28

double support the authors. There you go. Yes.

14:31

Yes. I'm a very supportive

14:33

consumer of books. I will double

14:36

down and I always, if I really like a book, I'll

14:38

buy it for people and share it with them.

14:45

Hey, it's Victoria from Team Girlboss.

14:48

We're coming up to the end of the season and we'll

14:50

be taking a short summer break,

14:52

but don't fret. We'll be back in the fall

14:54

with more amazing guests and must listen conversations.

14:57

Our season finale is next week

14:59

where the producers, that's me and Liz,

15:02

talk about what it's like to work at Girlboss

15:04

and what the word and the movement means

15:07

now.

15:07

We hope you tune in.

15:16

You're listening to my chat with Lauren. Next up,

15:18

we talk about what it was like to have her fashion brand

15:21

Henning acquired by Universal Standard.

15:23

Let's get back into it.

15:24

I actually wanted to dive

15:27

a little bit into your career

15:30

as a fashion designer. You

15:32

started this company called Henning.

15:34

What is Henning

15:35

and why did you start it? Henning

15:38

was the ethical

15:40

luxury plus size clothing brand

15:42

that I founded and was the CEO of

15:45

for five years until it was recently

15:47

acquired by Universal Standard.

15:49

We made luxury clothes

15:52

locally in New York and on an

15:54

on-demand basis for sizes 12

15:56

to 26. From a mission

15:58

standpoint why me as

16:01

a founder standpoint,

16:03

I had just come off of years

16:06

as a fashion editor who wore

16:09

everything from a size 14 to 20 during that time.

16:12

I was at fashion shows

16:14

interviewing designers. I was in meetings with the

16:16

most iconic editors you can imagine.

16:19

I had accolades like print covers

16:21

and Good Morning America segments,

16:24

you name it.

16:25

But I still could not get dressed.

16:28

I was doing all these things, wearing forever 21

16:31

plus sizes, because that was all that was available

16:33

at the time. And I grew sick of the

16:35

disadvantage I faced. I started

16:38

becoming very aware that in these rooms

16:40

with these folks,

16:41

I was othered by what I was wearing

16:44

and I wasn't one of them to

16:46

them. And I really just knew

16:49

there was no way I was alone, that there

16:51

were people who wore above size 14 who

16:53

were also editors,

16:54

but were lawyers and politicians

16:56

and doctors and public speakers,

16:59

et cetera, et cetera, who probably

17:01

felt the same way and needed clothing to show

17:03

up at work at and be perceived as

17:05

capable as they were and therefore be given

17:08

opportunities that they deserved for better

17:10

lives. So I can hear myself getting

17:12

needed about it because it's such a passion point

17:14

for me, but that was the impetus for Henning.

17:17

What I love that you did is that you

17:19

took your own real challenge

17:21

and your own real pain and you turned it into something

17:24

that could actually solve other people's challenges.

17:26

Unfortunately, there's real bias around the

17:28

way that you present yourself. And we know

17:31

that fat phobia and

17:33

people that exist in larger bodies experience

17:36

discrimination. We see this through

17:38

clothing and then physical spaces. It's

17:41

really, really disheartening. I have a huge

17:43

level of respect for people like you that are wanting

17:45

to go out and solve for this because it's

17:47

such a widespread issue.

17:50

Well, that fat phobia really is palpable

17:52

within the fashion industry as well. And I think that's

17:54

why we don't see a lot of success stories

17:56

in the plus size category. Unfortunately,

17:59

we see young brands.

17:59

who want to get into the space facing a dire

18:02

number of disadvantages

18:04

just because that's how the industry is set up. So

18:06

think fabric wits that don't come in widths

18:08

wide enough to make plus sizes factories

18:11

that haven't made up to size 26

18:13

before retailers that don't buy a bug

18:15

size 14, et cetera, et cetera, not

18:18

to mention the lack of funding. And then we see

18:20

veteran brands who either

18:22

do make plus sizes or

18:24

genuinely want to make plus sizes, but aren't

18:26

able to innovate in this new direct

18:29

to consumer made on demand ethical,

18:31

et cetera, et cetera way. And then we have a bunch of

18:33

brands who just don't want fat

18:35

people in their clothes. And that is really

18:38

what all of their reasoning to not

18:40

making larger sizes boils down to. As

18:42

we know, 70% of America

18:44

are plus size shoppers, but only 19%

18:47

of apparel

18:49

sales are plus sizes. And

18:51

we sometimes get gas lit into this conversation

18:54

to talk about plus sizes as if they're

18:56

the minority. We're the overwhelming

18:58

majority. The stat that we make

19:00

up nearly 70% of the U

19:02

S population is years

19:05

old. So I wager it's much

19:07

more at this point. And I

19:10

always kind of like to pull the camera back

19:13

when I'm having conversations like this and reframe

19:15

to stop talking about it as if

19:17

we are the

19:20

ones who should be othered or left out

19:22

or marginalized because it is

19:24

just statistically untrue.

19:26

Exactly. And this works by design, right?

19:29

This is society telling

19:32

us to shrink, telling women to shrink.

19:35

But in April, 2023, Henning

19:37

was actually acquired by universal standard.

19:40

So huge pause and congrats

19:42

for you. Thank

19:45

you.

19:46

Did you ever imagine another company acquiring

19:49

Henning?

19:50

Yes. Most startups these days are built

19:52

with the goal to be acquired. And so

19:54

for us, that was the goal. I

19:57

am so thrilled that it was

19:59

acquired specifically. specifically by universal standard.

20:02

And to answer your question with an anecdote

20:04

about, do they ever think it would happen? I thought

20:06

it would happen so strongly that in

20:09

the early days of Henning, I worked with a branding

20:11

agency who proposed that I campaign

20:13

around New York City that said anything

20:16

but standard with a capital S.

20:18

And I said, no,

20:19

no way. Because first of all, as a Canadian,

20:21

I never, ever, ever get ahead

20:23

by putting anybody down. And second of all,

20:26

I hug the wits about me to

20:29

think, but maybe one day we'll work together

20:31

and why would I make an enemy out of a

20:33

friend? And so good thing I did not run

20:36

that campaign because now Henning

20:38

is part of universal standard and

20:41

it's the perfect home. We had a

20:44

few conversations active about who

20:46

the business would go to, but universal

20:48

standard has been

20:51

in my life for the past, at

20:53

least, well, since it was

20:56

founded. When

20:56

I was an editor at Glamour,

20:58

Alina Bexler and Alex Waldman, the co-founders

21:01

were doing early press meetings

21:03

and I was one of the first ones

21:06

to meet them, listen to their story and

21:08

hear about the brand. The first one

21:10

to cover it in print.

21:11

Later, we worked

21:14

together by way of me modeling

21:16

for them. And also when they

21:18

hosted a Henning pop-up

21:21

within their showroom space and had me on

21:23

some panels alongside Alex

21:25

and

21:28

all of those relationships

21:30

and experiences and moments

21:32

proved to me that this

21:34

was the right place. I have long believed

21:36

in what they have done. They are extremely innovative.

21:39

They're profitable year over year. They

21:41

are inclusive. They are the most

21:43

inclusive brand in the world. We make sizes zero,

21:45

zero to 48 universal standard. I'm just

21:48

so excited about it. I didn't even answer your question, but.

21:50

You did, you did. No, I love it. It

21:52

was the right home and I'm so thrilled

21:55

that

21:55

this is how it turned out. People

21:57

can't see me right now, but I'm like admiring you from across.

22:01

I just think it's so impressive. What

22:03

did you learn through the acquisition process?

22:06

You know, I was really nervous

22:08

at first in these conversations about acquisition.

22:11

I am an independent brand. I had

22:14

a small team before COVID. And after

22:16

the PPP loans went out, I unfortunately

22:19

had to let the team go. And

22:21

so I've been running it by myself since 2021. And

22:25

that

22:25

made me feel small

22:27

and insecure. And on the back

22:30

foot.

22:31

And I really had to do

22:33

a lot of mental work and be able to access

22:35

my pride and my accomplishments

22:38

in a way that was not

22:41

surface level cockiness,

22:43

in a way that made me feel deeply

22:46

proud of myself. And regardless

22:49

of how this situation turned out, happy

22:51

with the work that I've done and the impact

22:53

that I've had and the people that I've been able to connect

22:55

with.

22:56

And

22:57

it's just surprising to me that in the end,

23:00

that was the biggest lesson in

23:02

the biggest business deal of my life. And

23:04

I think that during this time in my life,

23:06

I was super focused as well on mental

23:09

health and about therapy

23:11

and all of the practices that made

23:13

me as well as possible because I was

23:16

also going through a divorce and coming out.

23:18

And I just had to find a way to really

23:21

be level.

23:22

That was such a powerful reflection from

23:25

that experience. And I'm really happy

23:27

that you shared your vulnerability and kind of

23:29

going through that. It's so interesting. Like

23:31

some of the most successful women

23:33

I know have been going through massive

23:36

personal changes and shifts

23:39

whilst coming to this point

23:41

of like a massive career pivot

23:43

or a really big accomplishment. And now hearing

23:46

yours, how did you navigate

23:48

your coming out experience going through a divorce?

23:50

Well, it's also to your point, navigating

23:52

the

23:52

biggest career deal of your life.

23:55

I just couldn't help it. I couldn't help

23:57

that I was working on selling the business and all

23:59

these... conversations were coming to a head around the

24:01

same time that I was going

24:03

through a divorce and realizing my sexuality.

24:06

And I just had to get through it.

24:08

And I think that as I'm speaking, I

24:10

can hear myself kind of saying the same

24:12

sentiment of there was no, what

24:15

was me moment? There is no, Oh, well,

24:17

I can't do X because

24:19

why we as women

24:22

are more than capable of handling

24:24

so many things. I

24:26

mean, whether or not you're a founder in the news

24:29

or a mom who's working

24:31

or a student who's

24:33

also trying to get a career off the ground,

24:36

women are often painted in a way that they have

24:38

to choose one thing or another

24:40

or that a

24:42

few among us can quote unquote

24:45

have it all. And I just think we figure

24:47

shit out. Yeah. We move

24:49

through it. We face it head on a hundred percent.

24:53

What is your definition of

24:55

success? My career

24:57

has had multiple

25:00

forms. I've been a

25:02

model, an

25:03

editor, a founder, how

25:05

I'm now sports illustrated swimsuit rookie.

25:08

I don't know that happened,

25:10

but I think that I've had a very

25:12

clear through line. My goal has always

25:15

been for my work to make folks

25:17

who have felt on the fringes because of their

25:19

size or race or identity feel

25:21

included and served and powerful.

25:23

And

25:26

if I just keep shape shifting with

25:29

that goal in mind, I think

25:32

that I'll feel successful.

25:33

So we are

25:35

recording this on June 13th, 2023 as

25:38

of today. Do you feel successful? I

25:43

do. I do feel successful today. And

25:46

I think that is because

25:48

of a mix

25:49

of things.

25:51

The old me would say I feel successful

25:53

because I've had my dream job and I've

25:55

had my company acquired and the new

25:58

me says, well, I've had my dream.

25:59

dream job and I've had my company acquired,

26:03

but I made an impact and

26:05

I was vulnerable the whole time and

26:07

I connected with people and made a difference.

26:10

And that is what well rounded

26:12

success feels like to me.

26:15

That's awesome. Thank you for sharing that.

26:18

What's next for Lauren?

26:21

Well, I am, as I

26:23

mentioned, now a Sports Illustrated swimsuit rookie

26:25

and that changes my career a

26:29

little bit. And that

26:31

happened around the same time that the business

26:33

was acquired. And so I'm

26:36

in new chapter phase. And since

26:38

I've also come out, I'm

26:39

in new chapter phase personally. And

26:41

I'm

26:44

really excited about making

26:46

work and experiences

26:49

and product that

26:51

is inclusive and celebratory

26:54

and

26:55

impactful.

26:56

So that's what's up for me.

26:59

And I wanted to do

27:01

a quick in or out with you before

27:03

we wrap up and usually our in or outs like for

27:05

folks that listen every single week, they'll know that I

27:08

asked specifics around in or out around

27:10

specifically usually the workplace. But for you,

27:12

I want you to actually define your

27:15

top three in and out

27:17

trends that you've noticed in the work

27:19

where space.

27:21

So out heels by

27:23

now when we stopped going

27:25

to the office, I stopped wearing heels in workplace

27:28

settings. It's uncomfortable out with

27:30

the torture devices. Also

27:32

out for work in

27:34

terms of trends, I

27:37

would say uniforms. I used to be

27:39

a uniform dresser, but since COVID

27:42

and the nostalgia and individualism

27:45

trends in fashion, I've really had

27:47

fun with

27:48

making clothing

27:50

a little more personal. And

27:52

so I would say dressing like everyone

27:54

else or dressing in the same uniform all the time

27:57

is out. And I'm really

27:59

I'm

27:59

fashion editing on the spot.

28:02

I love it. I love it. I would also say

28:05

that what's out is changing

28:07

your outfit between day and night.

28:09

And I remember a time where I used

28:11

to have the heels in the bag, the

28:13

sneakers in the backpack, a

28:15

change of clothes for the subway home, and

28:17

then a blazer to put on at an event. And

28:20

I think that what's so cool about fashion these

28:23

days is that individual style is so

28:25

heralded that you can go to

28:28

the work dinner without the blazer on, which

28:30

I guess leads me to what's in. So I

28:32

would say within in workwear

28:34

is blazers. And

28:36

that's biased because I just love blazers.

28:39

My favorite fashion item.

28:41

It was the number one selling piece of my company. And

28:43

basically what I built the whole assortment around.

28:46

So I love blazers. I

28:49

think they're timeless, but I'm

28:51

wearing them less so with suits

28:53

and more so over, say a crew

28:56

neck sweatshirt and sweatshorts loafers

28:59

or a dress

29:01

with Birkenstocks or something like that.

29:04

I would say what's also in

29:06

for workwear is for me, at

29:08

least in my life, still

29:10

zoom dressing. So wearing

29:13

something a little more put together up top

29:16

and a little more casual on

29:18

the bottom. And the last thing

29:20

I would say is in for workwear

29:23

is denim because it

29:26

really straddles the line of

29:29

comfortable and casual, but

29:31

in today's world, still more elevated

29:33

than sweats or joggers. And

29:36

I have a very plug

29:38

surprise for you, wherein

29:41

I would love to gift everybody listening

29:43

a free pair of universal standard denim.

29:46

So if you go to universalstandard.com

29:49

and plug in your email, we will send

29:51

you a pair of free jeans of your choosing.

29:54

You just gotta pay shipping. So happy working, happy

29:56

denim wearing.

29:58

That's awesome. Thank you for sharing that.

30:00

I think you're totally right, going to like the

30:02

office and having multiple outfits for like

30:04

my life in a day. And it just is

30:07

so unnecessary. Oh, gosh, yeah.

30:09

That is a huge tip. And I'm so happy

30:11

that it's out. I'm going to an event next week and

30:13

I was going to get a hotel to stay downtown

30:15

because I need to change my outfit. I can't be that dressy.

30:18

And like, you know, I'm just going to wear the same thing all

30:20

day and I'm going to sleep at home that night. So you just saved

30:22

me like probably 400 bucks. So thank you. Thank

30:24

you. Well,

30:26

you're welcome. But also, Bonnie, your dog is probably

30:28

thanking me because mom's going to come home at the end of

30:31

the night now. Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

30:34

Well, Lauren, thank you so much. Before

30:36

we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to leave

30:38

with folks other

30:39

than that offer to get a free pair of jeans?

30:42

Like, hello. I

30:44

feel like I don't know what else I've

30:46

got to give, y'all. But

30:50

thank you for listening. I'm so

30:52

happy to be here. Thank you, Avery, for

30:54

having me. If you want to follow along, I'm

30:56

at LC Chan on Instagram

30:59

because Lauren Chan, everything is

31:01

taken to find me. DM me.

31:04

Keep in touch and let's keep talking.

31:08

Thank you, Lauren.

31:13

Thank

31:13

you for listening to my chat with Lauren. She's

31:15

doing the work to make the fashion industry more size

31:17

inclusive. After we stop recording,

31:19

we talk for another half an hour and followed each other on Instagram.

31:22

And I'm pretty sure I've made a new friend. Oh,

31:24

and about the free jean promo. You can get a free

31:27

pair of denim from Universal Standard by signing

31:29

up at the link in the show notes. So,

31:31

we're coming to the end of this season of Girl Wasp Radio,

31:33

which is one episode left to go. Tune

31:36

in next week for a special final episode of

31:38

this season. And until then, please rate this episode

31:41

or leave a comment to let us know what you thought.

31:43

As always, this podcast is produced

31:45

by Liz Goober and Victoria Christie and

31:47

edited by Diego Dominate. Until next time,

31:50

keep blooming.

31:52

Bye.