First previewed in April, model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham’s JCPenney collection, officially dubbed the Ashley Graham for JCPenney Collection, hit shelves on Thursday. But this isn’t just a one-off collaboration — the 29-piece collection is the first in Graham’s three-year partnership with the retailer. The debut collection is notably fashion-forward and includes body-con pieces — the types of clothing that plus-size customers often struggle to find.
For Graham, the partnership is a homecoming of sorts — Graham modeled for JCPenney catalogs when she was just 19. “We were able to come up with something that JCPenney hadn’t ever [done] for my curvy girls,” Graham said, referring to the fashion-forward styles in the collection.
JCPenney has always been committed to serving the plus-size community, even as plus-size options in stores and representation on runways have decreased. According to Vogue Business’s size inclusivity report from the Fall 2025 shows, just 0.3% of the models were plus-size, defined as wearing a U.S. size 14 or above.
“I’m blessed to lead a company [where] we’ve never had to worry about countering other people’s decisions [to reduce plus-size options], because it’s always been in our history. We’ve carried plus, petites, big and tall, and plus-husky [sizes] since the 1950s,” said Michelle Wlazlo, brand CEO of JCPenney.
Every brand JCPenney sells — which includes many women’s apparel private labels, such as St. John’s Bay, Liz Claiborne, Xersion, a.n.a. and Worthington — are size-inclusive. Every piece in Graham’s collection will be available in sizes 0X–5X or 14W–30W, in-store and online — but, notably, not in straight sizes.
“That’s what we want. … You know how often women [shopping] plus-size go, ‘Oh, my God — that’s so great. I wish I could wear that.’ It’s flipping a script. Ashley didn’t want to do this in all sizes. … But it should be so good — great fashion, great fit, great quality, great value — that every woman wants to wear it,” Wlazlo said.
Of the decision, Graham said, “[Plus-size clothing is] an underserved market, for sure. And [in terms of] affordability and fashion, the two never merge for extended sizes. So it was not lost on us that [this] felt like the right road to go down. … The average American woman is a size 16, so why aren’t we serving her? It wasn’t a hard decision, but it was definitely a conversation that we had.”
To build hype in advance of the campaign, JCPenney created a trailer for a movie starring Graham titled “Omitted.” Though the movie will never be made, it serves as a living lookbook for the collection and will play in movie theaters. Graham’s looks in the trailer were styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.
“One percent of actresses in a main character role are considered plus-size. … We know our favorite curvy actresses, and you can probably name them all on one or two hands. And it’s just really devastating. So, when they came up with that concept, I was like, ‘I’m here for this.’ I’ve done so many different campaigns, but this one really hit home for me, because in all of our lives, we’re the main character,” Graham said.
In the trailer, which reads like that of a thriller, Graham says: “Do you ever get that feeling like you don’t even exist? … I’ve been getting that a lot lately. … I guess that’s how it has to be for women like me … but then again, does it?”
For the brand’s marketing, Graham cast plus-size creators such as Samyra Miller (2.3 million TikTok followers), Emma Arletta (879,000 TikTok followers) and actor and comedian Michelle Buteau (684,000 Instagram followers). They will be featured on JCPenney’s social media channels in addition to posting on their own.
The brand’s hero styles include the Slouchy Wide Leg Jean ($80). “The jeans were literally made for us, and jeans are so hard for any woman,” Graham said. “I was like, ‘We have to nail the jeans.'”
She also called out the Asymmetric Mockneck Dress ($80). “It’s the best I’m-going-out-on-date-night, freakum dress, bachelorette party dress and birthday party dress,” she said.
Graham added that this collection is just the start of the JCPenney partnership. “There are going to be drops every season. We’re in this for the long haul, because this is a community that is here to stay, and I want her to know that she’s being served.”
