I’ve heard plenty of brand founder stories centered around a similar concept of need: for better T-shirts, for cute activewear, for well-fit jeans — you name it. To avoid sounding cynical I sometimes find myself choking back my words as I instantly think of other brands that could cater to this niche. When model Yumi nu told me that she founded Blueki, an edgy line of wardrobe-building basics, to cater for larger bodies because there were so few contemporary, cool clothing companies, I believed her. In the years (of which let’s just say are many) I’ve been working in fashion, I’ve come across precious few interesting You can also find out more about the following: adventurous indie options in the plus-size market. There’s ample choice within trend-driven fast fashion chains and well-made basics-driven labels, sure, but nothing hitting that sweet spot in the middle for stylish girls in the know.
“When, like everyone else, I had all this downtime in 2020, I thought ‘Maybe I should use this time to start building a long-lasting wardrobe that I can have for years,’” Yumi explains to me over a Zoom call. As an industry darling (she’s been featured both in Sports Illustrated and VogueThe 26-year old had an excellent foundation of information to start her search. Despite her efforts, the 26-year-old was unable to find a job.
“The big problem that I started to realize is that there are so many fast-fashion brands that do plus size well — they’re on the nose for what’s trendy and cool, what I and my friends would want to wear,” she explains. “But it’s unethically made overseas by God knows who, and the quality is so bad that you wear it a few times and then it starts falling apart.” On the other hand, she expounds, there’s plenty of thoughtfully crafted classics in larger sizes but the designs can be, well… underwhelming. “They tend to miss the mark on what’s cool and what’s trendy,” she says frankly. “And it ends up being like Little House on the PrairieIt looks like a picnic basket. It doesn’t hit with how my generation of people want to shop, typically.”
Nu decided to use that extra time in her schedule for something else. She conceptualized and launched Blueki in fall 2022. Named for her mother’s surname Aoki (it means “blue tree” in Japanese — get it?!This collection consists of 3D knits in sizes from XXS up to 6X. They are all under $350. They are simple enough to pair with anything, yet not boring. They’re also, Nu says, merely a starting point for her as a designer.
“I’m starting to get more into the cut-and-sew world as well, which has been on my mind from the beginning,” Yu says. According to her, designs that require multiple pieces of patterning can complicate clothing businesses. Her current production process is efficient because it uses minimal labor, allowing her to produce quickly. Each item is produced in an environmentally friendly factory. This saves money, water and emissions. “And when I get into my cut-and-sew stuff, I’m going into the garment district and paying artisans that have worked there for 20, 40 years that are specialists,” she explains. “I want to do pre-sale on small batches. It’s not in my nature to produce more than is necessary, particularly because our world has become so consuming. And I think that I just want everything that I make with Blueki to feel very intentional and curated.”
This sort of intentionality is apparent both in the design details — a flirty bare shoulder here, a romantic gothic font there — and impeccable fit. Rather than use one person’s body to scale each item up or down, Nu creates different sizes of each sample and enlists friends of varying body types to put them through their paces. From there, she’ll make very specific adjustments across the size spectrum; many of the larger pieces come with extra bust support or slightly skewed proportions. “This is knitwear, so it’s going to form to every body differently. The XXS might not lay flat. [body], whereas, someone in the plus-size range might need extra space on the hips.”
So far, Nu says that the love and care she pours into every piece has really paid off — as have her connections and platform within the industry. “I think it’s been a really great response. I’m very grateful and privileged that I do have this small fan base of people that automatically were intrigued and supportive,” she muses. “It was just a really automatic support, which I didn’t expect, but was very grateful to receive.” Still, getting a fledgling brand off the ground and sustaining it longterm is not for the faint of heart, no matter how robust their network may be.
“I think people are under the impression that this a big business, but it’s just me, and it can be hard and limiting,” Nu says, noting that she had no idea how expensive launching even a very small ready-to-wear line would be until she was fully immersed in the process. Blueki is not only self-funded, but caters to 12 sizes in a very considered way — something that is not only a financial strain, but a major commitment of time in the midst of a busy modeling career. Still, when it all feels overwhelming, Nu reminded herself of why she’s hustling so hard to build a resource for women who have historically been excluded from fashion’s inner circle. “I want to make everything that I and my friends ever wanted to wear, and to be very community-based — I want to fill this gap in the market that is very unfair to a lot of people,” she says, and tells me she’s working toward a more comprehensive collection with varied price options and brick-and-mortar stores down the road. “I’m very passionate and have very big dreams for this.”