Fashion to Figure

Fashion To Figure

Company type	Privately held
Industry	Retail
Founded	2002
Founder	Michael Kaplan Nicholas Kaplan
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Number of locations	26 (as of 2016)
Key people	Michael Kaplan, CEO Nicholas Kaplan, COO Frances Freixas, Chief Merchant
Products	Plus-size clothing, related accessories
Website	www.ftf.com

Fashion To Figure operates as a retail brand within the United States, specializing in plus-size clothing and complementary accessories. In November 2017, its parent company, B. Lane Inc., initiated bankruptcy proceedings.

Founding

The enterprise was established by siblings Michael and Nicholas Kaplan, who are descendants of Lena Bryant, being her great-grandsons. Their father, Steven Kaplan, held the position of president at Lane Bryant prior to its acquisition by The Limited Inc. in 1982. Nicholas Kaplan's professional background includes roles such as department manager and buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue, general merchandise manager at Bluefly, and co-founder of the Designer Warehouse liquidation chain. Meanwhile, Michael Kaplan worked as an analyst at Lazard and co-created an online shopping platform dedicated to plus-sized women in partnership with RRE Ventures.

Inspired by family history, the brothers grew up hearing about their widowed great-grandmother’s pioneering efforts in selling the first full-figure and maternity dresses available to American women, motivating them to uphold this legacy.

Expansion & Locations

The inaugural Fashion To Figure store debuted in October 2004 at the Palisades Center Mall located in West Nyack, New York. A subsequent location opened in 2005 at the Livingston Mall in Livingston, New Jersey. By 2011, the brand had expanded to seven stores across New York and New Jersey, with two additional outlets launched that same year. The company also introduced its e-commerce platform in 2010.

Catering primarily to women and teenagers wearing sizes 12 through 26, the brand’s name pays homage to a notable statement made by Lena Bryant. In a 1950 interview with Glamour, Bryant famously remarked that fashion should adapt to women's figures rather than expecting women to alter their bodies to fit fashion trends.

Fashion To Figure operates without vertical integration, sourcing merchandise from over one hundred different suppliers. CEO Michael Kaplan asserts that this strategy enhances product variety for plus-sized shoppers. In 2010, the company launched a co-branded store with P.S. and Wet Seal at the Cross County Shopping Center, which was subsequently demolished in 2017 to make way for Ulta Beauty and Sprint locations.

As of March 29, Fashion To Figure announced layoffs affecting 263 employees due to store closures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bankruptcy

In November 2017, B. Lane Inc., the parent organization of Fashion To Figure, initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Following a subsequent bankruptcy, Fashion To Figure was acquired in August 2020 by Saadia Group for $40 million.