Lab Tested: Raising the Plus Size Fashion Bar. Quality Promised.

Lab Tested: Raising the Plus Size Fashion Bar. Quality Promised.

Our quality promise.

Quality is paramount to us - We are committed to creating a sustainable wardrobe with highest quality that lasts. With meticulous attention to every design and construction details, we elevate favorite go-to pieces made to last in your wardrobe, not in a landfill. 

This is our fundamental believe at See ROSE Go and we are raising the bar in plus-size quality standards with our Coolest T-Shirt.

“Beautiful and functional design with staying power is the future,” - Yi Zhou and Erin Cavanaugh, founders of See ROSE Go. “Its time to raise the importance of quality clothing in plus size fashion. In an industry that prioritized quantity over quality, craft takes a back seat. It’s time lasting quality and the sustainable benefits become forefront in plus size fashion.”

Not every brand takes the same position on lasting quality, especially plus-size brands. We all know high quality items can last longer because of the meticulous approach and thoughtful design process in fabric selection, garment construction and proper fitting sessions. However, the majority of the industry is still only focused on offering only clothing options to women wearing plus-size clothing, and due to speed to market, quality seems to become a second or third priority in plus size fashion. Especially as fast fashion is the most prevalent in only creating options and chasing after short-lived trends…This drives a consumption cycle of constant chasing, finding, buying then having to replace clothing after a few wears and ultimately, resulting in waste, throw-away clothing and ending up in landfills. The pandemic has further exposed this unsustainable cycle and only accelerated the importance of buying fewer and more meaningful things that have lasting quality. Pieces you desire that become favorites for years to come.

We spoke with women wearing plus-size clothing and noted frequent elements that rose to the top of conversations, words like durability, quality, lasting, timeless and even “I hate dry cleaning” were heard repeatedly. We see the lack of quality clothing. A lack of recognition and respect to the plus-size consumers who desire thoughtful design offered with authenticity.

Quality can be an abstract term but after hundreds of insightful l conversations, pop up shops and focus groups with customers we shaped our definition as  Timeless Style, Versatile Performance and Mindful Sustainability crafted to last. Our unique approach redefines how plus size clothing should perform by fusing technical performance with timeless design elevating everyday comfort and function. 

We all want better quality. Quality food, Quality home life, Quality self care, Quality time, Quality connectivity. Why not expect Quality clothing, the layers that we put onto our skin, that protect us and should make us feel good, and look good?!

We are proud to offer lasting quality in every products, with our fabric, garment construction and timeless design. We strive for those 5-star customer reviews on all our products, authentic support from influencers, press endorsements and our own community trust. Going through the last year and now coming out of the pandemic it has heightened our focus and sharpen our commitment to quality. A quality promise we make to our customers. Last year we made the decision to pause new arrivals as we decided how to proceed through the pandemic. We used the time to connect further with ourselves and our community. We also used the time to reinforce what we feel PASSIONATE about. What brings See ROSE Go PURPOSE and how can we spark IMPACT. 

Coming out of pandemic lock down and desiring more quality everything in our life, the time is right to talk about quality in plus size fashion. We hope to accelerate the topic by testing our own quality. Imagine if we could keep one item, like a T-shirt, ten times longer than average in our wardrobe and out of the landfill? 

We surveyed our community about quality in the omnipresent T-shirt of (any brand) and found that most replace their T-shirts every 6-12 months! That is a lot of cash and a lot of waste.  According to a report by Ricoh, 2 Billion T-shirts are sold every year, imagine the cycle going to a landfill. North Americans alone send 10.5 Million tons of clothing to a landfill every year.

This leads to three reasons we feel passionately to provide lasting quality in our clothing. 

  1. To be a lasting favorite bringing joy for years
  2. Save time and money from replacing low quality clothing 
  3. Keep clothing out of a landfill.

Next, we surveyed our community about their experience with T-shirt quality, any brand! 

Here is some of what we heard:

What causes the most wear on your T-Shirt...

46% said ruined by the washing machine

33% said ruined by pilling 

28% said color fading

26% said fabric stretched out

7% said seams pulling

Top reasons t-shirts are thrown away...

"Shrinkage, Pilling, It looks old and worn-out, Misshapen or faded, Wear and tear, fading, Looks old and stretched out, Shape of t-shirt has changed, Fading or pilling, Stretched out of shape, Holes or thinning material, Stretching out, Rips, Doesn't look nice anymore, No longer fits, Holes, Pilling or holes, Fit, Threadbare, Discoloration, stains, Stains shrinkage sleeves, Stretching/Tearing, Too short length, Pilling, Holes in awkward spots, Holes or not fitting, Ripped at seam, Wear, fit, Stretching, Looks faded, Looks ratty- stains, pills, fading, Stains, broken threads on top-stitching, and dinginess are the top reasons."

Over 1/2 said they wash their t-shirts once a month

38% said twice a month

Confident in our quality promise and garment construction methods designed to last, we put our best-selling Coolest T-Shirt to the test by partnering with third party lab QIMA, a certified apparel testing laboratory. They specialize in running clothing through rigorous test like tumbling with texturized steel balls to gauge resistance to pilling, washing/ drying repeatably too test shrinkage and color fading, stretching seams to the extreme to measure ripping points. Taking the survey results from our community we partnered with QIMA to test our Coolest T-shirt. Researchers at the lab took all the pain points from our survey and tested how the Coolest T-Shirt would strand up to repetitive machine washing and drying, color fade testing, dimension test (meaning fit stretching out) seam strength (meaning when would seams rip) and the dreaded pilling. 

The results, PASS with flying colors on all levels.

Please find official test results below: 

 

We’d be lying to say we expected anything less from this beautiful design. The Coolest T Shirt was build to last as a wardrobe favorite, beyond seasons, for years. Each individual element was selected and tested, these recent tests prove the tee is a sum of its fabric innovation and durable construction. A stunningly functional design crafted to last and perform. The quality material we invented based on insight we heard from women wearing a plus size. CoolROSE™ Tech is a soft cotton and cooling tech yarn blend giving durability and performance cooling benefits. 

The Coolest T-Shirt is available in White, Luscious Green, Black, Grey Heather and Burgundy for $48.  

Shop the Coolest T-Shirt 

 

2 comments

  • Shelley Jerige on

    I purchased two tee shirts months ago in black and one in white. Both have held up beautifully after multiple washings. I love the weight of the fabric and the flattering design. I hope you come out with a long sleeved design for the Fall & Winter! ❤️

  • Yippie Vibe on

    Great reading and extremely comprehensive post – pretty much covers everything…

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