Connor Norton Established manyA big and tall brand of men’s clothing, when he couldn’t find a dress for his friend’s wedding.
“I had four weeks to prepare, and no budget. Despite all that time and resources, I would order something online, and it would arrive. One of them would fit, but it would be a thin material, and it wouldn’t look good on me. Then I went to this wedding, and it was the only thing I could think about all weekend,” Norton said.
She worked in PR, the entertainment industry and artist management before getting the idea of going into the fashion industry. Although he had no experience in designing, it did not stop him. Norton found a designer with whom he co-designed to create MANY.
MANY had a launch party in early February, where many big and tall people were invited, represented and allowed to take up space. Athletes, content creators and people from across the media were together to celebrate what MANY wants and represents: the evolution of the category.
Although big and tall men’s clothing brands exist, there aren’t many. Norton not only wanted to grow the category but also allow luxury fashion to remain present in it. With prices starting at $295, MANY offers quality, staple items to the community big and tall.
“I think sometimes personal style means having a nice, clean canvas to work on. When you don’t have something like that, a bold print becomes almost dirty or dirty by the fact that the canvas isn’t really of good quality. It doesn’t really fit well. To polish shiny pieces, you have to have a good base,” Norton said.
But for Norton, the fit and feel of the pieces is equally important.
“When I design, I start with a pattern based on my body, size 3XL, and then grade up or down from there. We only produce sizes larger than 4XL, waists 36 to 46, because I believe that if you really want to flatter larger bodies, they have to be centered in the design process. Most brands design on a small or medium fit model and just scale everything up. It’s like enlarging a photo. “Everything grows evenly, just not where it really needs space,” said Norton.
“I learned that from small to large, brands typically add about one and a half inches per size in key areas. But from XL and up, the grading jump can be four and a half inches, which makes no sense proportionally. That’s why so many garments fit poorly on larger men. I created my own grading rules, allowing more discreet increases in areas like the stomach, shoulders, and arms, but nothing more than four and a half inches.”
To earn his seat at the table, he needed to do something that everyone else wasn’t doing and really make it his own. Building your own scale for a large and upscale clothing brand isn’t possible for everyone, but Norton knew it was essential to ensure men had luxury options.
MANY is growing as a brand and Norton hopes that will never stop. She hopes the brand will add more sizes and see how customers can add their own twist to the pieces. With the current collection available for purchase, MANY offers capsule pieces, allowing people to wear the items however they like.
Available on many manyapparel.comThis sets out to prove that big and tall men’s clothing is just as important and necessary as every other size.
