Chromat’s Inclusive Swimwear Line Is Now at Nordstrom

Chromat’s founder is designer—and, fittingly, former architect—Becca McCharen-Tran, who has made it a point to feature models of all sizes, ages and genders on the runway. Currently, their line of swimwear has been available for purchase on Chromat’s webstore and at Barney’s. But, as McCharen-Tran explained to Glamour, there’s a reason why they want to expand from Barney’s.

“We’ve been in Barneys for a long time, and they’ve really supported us over the years, but their size ends at large,” said designer Becca McCharen-Tran to Glamour. “Nordstrom is for sure at the forefront of size inclusivity in retail, so I do see that, finally, that consumer is getting more options in the high-fashion space.”

It was back in February that the designer announced Nordstrom’s order of “future-forward body wear” in sizes up to 3X. McCharen-Tran announced that Chromat had partnered with a company that produced curve sizing for other top swimwear brands — and body-positive mannequins were even used.

The importance of the brand’s decision to come to Nordstrom lies in making diversity and inclusivity available in a way that’s non-tokenizing. A wholesale account order from a brand like Chromat helps larger sizes become available to shoppers permanently—which means a lot more than just seeing it on the runway.

“I think it’s the stigma around plus size that needs to be abolished, not the definition itself,”McCharen-Tran said. “I think people will always need to know what size range is available no matter what you call it. Hopefully, the stigma around larger bodies in the fashion industry at large is changing. That’s what really needs to be exploded and expanded upon.”