Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jen Cylinder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

The fashion industry is huge and seemingly ever-evolving, yet I still found it difficult to simply go shopping with a group of friends and all be able to walk out of a store with something that we love and fits our varying body types. The average size of a woman in the US is a size 18, and though more brands than ever before are providing larger sizes, many companies continue to have flawed approaches.

When I decided to launch Pretty and All, I knew I wanted to break away from the industry standard. All women deserve the opportunity to feel respected and represented in the fashion industry, so I made the decision to only offer clothing pieces that go beyond the so-called “standard” sizing. I source inventory from brands that offer their pieces in a full size range from small through 3XL, at the minimum.

I think it’s important to note that while clothing businesses are starting to have larger sizes in their clothes, this is not true size-inclusivity. Often, when you browse the online or in-person offerings of these businesses, the larger sizes remain separated and less accessible in comparison to the smaller sizes. There is also inequality in what these businesses offer in their sizes. Offering everything in smaller sizes while only offering specific items in larger sizes isn’t inclusive, it’s overtly exclusive. Truly size-inclusive brands focus on equal accessibility to products and a range of sizes so customers don’t feel othered or less body positive when shopping and buying clothes.

Even though I curate pieces that are offered in a size range from small through 3XL, I know this isn’t enough. Full size-inclusivity means going beyond a size 3XL, or even offering petite sizing, but what I am doing is a start.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was always interested in the fashion industry and dreamed of working in the fashion world one day. Growing up I loved taking art classes and eventually started taking fashion design classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago while I was in high school. Part of me wanted to go to college to fulfill a career in fashion, however, things turned out differently. I also had an interest in business and could see myself as an entrepreneur, so I went to business school at Boston University with the intention of majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing. During my freshman year, I took my first accounting class and decided that was the track I wanted to pursue.

When I graduated college, I began my career in public accounting and never looked back. I currently work in financial reporting and technical accounting at a Chicago-based company, and I love what I do. But over the last couple years, I started feeling like something was missing. I wanted to be my own boss and dreamt of owning my own little boutique. It stayed a dream until the summer of 2021, when one day I was sitting at my parent’s house and decided today was the day. Why couldn’t I open my dream online boutique? Pretty and All Boutique was launched less than two months later in September of 2021.

When I decided to launch Pretty and All, I knew I wanted to break away from the industry standard. The fashion industry is huge and seemingly ever-evolving, yet I still found it difficult to simply go shopping with a group of friends and all be able to walk out of a store with something that we love and fits our varying body types. The average size of a woman in the US is a size 18, and though more brands than ever before are providing larger sizes, many companies continue to have flawed approaches. All women deserve the opportunity to feel respected and represented in the fashion industry, so I made the decision to only offer clothing pieces that go beyond the so-called “standard” sizing. I source inventory from brands that offer their pieces in a full size range from small through 3XL, at the minimum.

It can be extremely challenging to find brands that offer the size range I offer. It proves frustrating time and time again when I come across styles I would love to offer in my boutique, but the largest size it comes in is a size large. But I know this feeling doesn’t compare to the millions of women who may not fit the so-called “standard” sizing, often feeling shut out by the industry. I am proud to be able to offer my collections in a more inclusive size range, but I know it’s just a start.

I continue to run my boutique on the side while working full-time in accounting. It can feel overwhelming and chaotic at times, but I absolutely love every minute of it.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

One of the hardest parts about growing my boutique that runs solely online was figuring out how to get the name in front of people while being budget-conscious. I started signing up for street festivals in Chicago in order to set up a pop-up shop. Anyone who lives in Chicago knows that summertime in the city means street festivals every weekend. I found that having these opportunities to offer in-person shopping, and more importantly be able to talk to my customers, was crucial to growing the business and maintaining strong customer relationships.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

In May of 2022, I rented out a space in Naperville, IL at a store called Painted Tree Boutiques, which is a retail location that houses hundreds of small business owners under one roof. I have my own dedicated space within the shop to create a brick-and-mortar Pretty and All shopping experience. It was so fun to design and set up this space, as it was a glimpse into what owning a physical boutique location could be like. I’ve been able to learn so much about merchandising, inventory control, and targeting to a specific audience. From a business perspective, the additional revenue stream has allowed me the ability to grow and expand the boutique faster than I could have otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.prettyandall.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettyandallboutique/