Entrepreneur achieves new heights in clothing
Nneka Morgini creates online shop for tall women
Nneka Morgini was tired of not being able to find pants that reached her ankles or shirts that stretched down to her wrists.
The 6-foot-1-inch woman is proud of her height but admitted being tall made it difficult for her to find clothes that fit or felt good.
“Being so tall, I was very insecure with my height,” she said.
“I would always try to find ways to make myself blend in, make myself appear shorter by not wearing heels and just wearing clothes that weren't allowing me to stand out.”
Finding the right fit while shopping was one piece of the puzzle, getting apparel that was fashionable and trendy was the other. Morgini’s options were often limited and geared toward older women.
So, when the 26-year-old university employee had more time on her hands from the lockdowns in 2020, she turned solving her problem into a business.
In January 2021, Morgini founded and launched Tall Luxe, an online store catering to the specific needs of young, tall women.
“My mission is to give tall women the confidence and comfortability to stand out … (so they) no longer feel like they have to make themselves small to fit in,” she said.
Tall Luxe offers several pieces for women in sizes extra small to 2XL and shoes in sizes 10 to 14.
It took time and adjustments, but Morgini sells her clothing
line to women in the U.S. and beyond. At the onset of building Tall Luxe, she realized how finite the existing fashion market was for tall women.
She recalled several manufacturers questioned what she was looking for.
“What do you mean (a) 39-inch inseam?” they would ask. The regular inseam for women's pants is 31 inches.
Manufacturers weren’t used to requests for such lengths, which is why clothing tailored for taller women is harder to find and more expensive, Morgini said. Her desire was not to just design and create clothing for taller women but to do so at a price point that wouldn’t strain their wallets.
That’s partly why she chose to use a Chinese manufacturer.
Opting to open her store strictly online also helped reduce costs to give customers the best prices. A pair of distressed boot-cut jeans costs $65 and a turtleneck bodysuit costs $75 on the Tall Luxe website.
Morgini’s home can become chaotic when dozens of items needing to be packaged and shipped come in, but she doesn’t have to pay for a storefront and worry about funneling business into a particular location.
Joining the e-commerce sector gave her an entrepreneurial freedom that wasn’t geographically confining and didn't impose an added cost to her business. Morgini said not going the traditional brick and mortar route has also given her free rein to be able to spend the time to serve customers domestically and abroad.
“I have people from Georgia to out of the country like the U.K. (and) Canada. So, by using the online platform, I'm able to connect with more areas,” she said.
Michael Lobsinger, senior vice president of business growth solutions for the Center for Economic Growth, said ecommerce has become a common marketplace for smaller businesses building products because it allows them to access markets faster and at a lower price.
Many set up websites via platforms such as Wix or Shopify and are immediately set up to sell their products from there. After the site goes live, it’s just a matter of marketing to their target audiences to drive traffic to the URL.
“In a way, it requires a lot of these companies are, in a sense, building their own brand,” he said. “You kind of skip the middleman.”
E-commerce businesses have been a bright spot for consumers throughout the pandemic. As shoppers endured lockdowns and restrictions, they went to online stores for some much-needed retail relief. New and existing business owners readily jumped online to meet their needs.
The Capital Region alone saw a 16 percent spike in online shopping and home-based e-commerce jobs in 2020, according to data from the Center for Economic Growth. The increasing growth in e-commerce participation and sales is reflective of a national trend.
Tayde Aburto, chief executive officer of the United States Business Association of E-Commerce, pointed to data from Statista to underline the industry’s proliferation. Statista data showed retail e-commerce in the U.S. raked in $516.5 billion in digital revenues in 2019.
By the end of 2021, revenues jumped to $767.7 billion, according to the figures. Statista estimated future retail e-commerce revenues are to continue climbing through 2025.
Morgini hopes to grow the business into a warehouse but is focused on creating more options for customers first, including a new collection she plans to release next month.