design & sizing

our design & sizing philosophy

our sizing philosophy is simple: clothing is made to fit your body, not the other way around

i went to fashion school and grew up doing ballet, and in both of those worlds there was always this idea that you were supposed to be thin, or lose weight for an event, or change your body so you could fit into the outfit you had been planning. which is honestly wild when you really think about it. when nettle started, we wanted the sizing to feel true to us. we used ourselves as fit models then, and we still do.

GRADING REAL CLOTHES FOR REAL BODIES

all of our patterns start in a large, which is my size, and once we get that fit perfect, we grade up and down from there. then we keep fitting those sizes until they feel right too. to me, this is the best way to grade patterns for all sizes: start in the middle and go from there. that’s why our sizing might feel different than other brands. we kind of break all the rules we were taught, but fashion is about pushing boundaries... right?? a lot of brands start at the smallest size they offer and grade up all the way to their largest size, but bodies do not change in one straight line. things shift. proportions change. what works for one size does not automatically work on another size just because the pattern got bigger.

THERE'S NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL AT NETTLE

honestly, one size fits all is a crazy sentence. when we use OS, it means oversized, not one size fits all. you pick your size. the clothing does not pick for you. :) with our os size range, we set out to make something different. something we always wanted to find when we were shopping: oversized, cute clothing that could fit us throughout the years and throughout our fluctuating bodies. we build a lot of ease into our os pieces, which is why we only have four sizes in that range: os-, os, os+, and os++. the goal is clothing that gives you room to move, room to change, and room to feel cute exactly as you are.

what our customers say about our fit

we let our reviews speak for themselves.

4.95 average
220 reviews

chef's kiss

fit is great and feels like a dream on. this is my second pair of pants and this cut is chef's kiss.

brita

happy customer

obsessed

the fit is incredible and feels so good on my skin! i’m spoiled now and truly don’t want pants unless they are from nettle!

becca

happy customer

thank you gals

it fits me as if it was bespoke. they are the most comfortable pants I've ever had, perfect fit, perfect weight, perfect material, easy care and so well designed for all day wear. i'm so happy i found nettle studio.

vera

happy customer

always overjoyed

fabulous fits with clear sizing (love and so appreciate that). always overjoyed when my orders arrive.

e.a.

happy customer

i'll be back

i’ve gotten accustomed to buying everything from torrid as a size 6x and forgot what it felt like to try nice quality garments. so far they’ve washed up well and fit perfect as indicated in the size chart. i’ll be back!

amanda j.

happy customer

the best brand

i don’t think there is any clothing company that does nearly as much as nettle studios does to ensure that their customers have all the fit info they need. it’s so kind, so thoughtful, so helpful, & so honest, which is exactly the kind of business I want to spend my money with.

molly

happy customer

sourcing matters

more than a buzzword.

deadstock is basically thrifting for fabric and it's one of our favorite ways to source materials because the fabric already exists. it has already been made, shipped, stored, over-ordered, forgotten about, or left behind. instead of letting it sit in a warehouse forever, or worse, head toward a landfill, we get to find it, love it, and give it a very cute second life in our closets. ethical sourcing is a tricky little term in fashion. it sounds simple, but it rarely is. is it more ethical to use only “natural” fibers if you do not know how the fabric was made, who made it, or whether the people involved were paid fairly? or is it better to rescue and repurpose fabric that is already here, even if that fabric is polyester, nylon, or something less dreamy on paper? for us, the answer is usually: use what already exists whenever we can.

sourcing matters

from natural fibers to deadstock.

listen, we love a natural fiber. deeply. we started as an almost exclusively linen brand, and linen will always have a very special place in our hearts. it is breathable, beautiful, sturdy, softens with wear, and somehow manages to look both relaxed and sort of fancy at the same time. over the years, we have opened the door to many other fibers and blends, especially when we find something deadstock that feels special, useful, or too good to leave behind. but linen will always be a favorite around here. nettleheads will know. ;) that means we source as much deadstock as possible, from fabric to buttons to thread. we have spent many, many hours digging through bins in los angeles, searching for materials that still have plenty of life left in them.

SOURCING MATTERS

we're not perfect.

does that mean every single thing we make is deadstock? no. we wish. we are not perfect, and we are not going to pretend to be. but we do believe every little bit counts, and we would rather make thoughtful choices where we can than throw our hands up because perfection is impossible. so yes, if we find deadstock polyester we love, we will probably buy it. because to us, rescuing something that already exists and turning it into something beautiful feels better than letting it sit around forever, doing absolutely nothing except haunting the planet. we are not perfect, but nobody is. hehe.