Dive Brief:

• Laws of Motion, a direct-to-consumer womenswear brand, launched May 15 stating its clothing fits 95% of women on the first try. The company uses machine learning algorithms to match customers with 99 "microsizes" within sizes 00 through 24, according to a company email to Retail Dive.

• Customers take a quiz to determine their personalized fit. Questions include height and weight, bra size, torso length, and sizing for a favorite pair of jeans. The questionnaire also asks for demographic information like birth date, race and occupation, which the company says informs its "algorithm logic and continuous development of microsizes" and is not made public.  

• The brand's single launch product is a $195 machine-washable sheath dress offered in three colors. Each dress is produced on demand in Brooklyn to reflect the customer's size, "resulting in zero waste and zero inventory," the brand stated.

Dive Insight:

While a launch with a single dress design may not set off fireworks for consumers faced with many options online and in stores, Laws of Motion has the potential to become a leader at the intersection of apparel and technology. Founder Carly Bigi worked with data scientists over two years to determine the company's sizing model by studying variations of women's body shapes and sizes. 

Where attempts at inclusive sizing have reached varying degrees of success, a made-to-order model rooted in data could boost efforts to please style-seeking customers. The founder of Universal Standard has recalled early struggles to stock sizes 00 through 40. ThirdLove has expanded its sizing to 78 options, but must fit each cup size on at least 20 women alongside its Fit Finder algorithms to achieve that. Stitch Fix, known for using algorithms to inform its styling services, unearthed some needs when accommodating inclusive sizing. The introduction of its big-and-tall program for men garnered a long wait list, but the service found that sleeve and shirt length requirements could vary among those new subscribers.

Direct-to-consumer customization may also help retailers avoid the brick-and-mortar struggle of not having enough space to display a more comprehensive size offering. Shopping mall plus-size favorite Torrid, which offers sizes 10 to 30, pulled its IPO plans this spring; Dressbarn, known for its plus-size offering, announced recently it will eventually shut all 650 of its stores.

Laws of Motion aims to increase its fit success rate to 100% as early customers start to provide feedback.