Good American has landed in Canada. The size inclusive clothing line co-founded by Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede in 2016 is now available in Canadian stores for the first time at Hudson’s Bay locations. (The brand’s athletic gear will be sold at Sport Chek.)  Kardashian and Grede were in Toronto at Hudson’s Bay’s Queen Street location Wednesday evening to celebrate the launch and meet with fans, who swarmed the third floor women’s department waiting to see the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star.

We talked to Kardashian and Grede ahead of the public meet-and-greet in the private shopping suite within designer haven The Room, where Kardashian wondered aloud if she might have time to shop after the event. “I have a credit card that’s burning a hole in my pocket,” she quipped.

Emma Grede and Khloé Kardashian at Hudson’s Bay for the Good American launch event
Photo: George Pimentel Photography

Why was now the right time to launch in Canada? 

EG: The whole point of Good American is to get into the hands of our customers. We choose our wholesale partners really carefully, and Hudson’s Bay was just the obvious choice for Canada. They have a great reputation, and were willing to take all of our sizes.

KK: And that’s something that Em and I have always stood behind. If a retailer wants to take on a brand, you have to carry it in the entire size range, you can’t break it up. [Ed note: Good American has sizes 00 to 24.] 

Everyone has had a bad experience trying on denim. Can you speak to some of the problems you’ve experienced in the past, and how is Good American denim is different?

KK: In L.A. there are a lot of boutique shops and they never carried anything in the double digits. And I was always in the double digits. I would be between a size 12 and 16 at my heaviest. And I remember when I wanted a 10, that was like, get out of here. I just remember how I felt when my sisters and my friends could shop at places and I wasn’t able to. Even when I went to other retailers I would be ushered to a different floor with nothing to choose from. The clothes would be incredibly unflattering and they just weren’t my style. I didn’t wear denim for so long because I didn’t feel comfortable. When I met Emma and she presented me with this idea [for Good American] I was like, ‘This is genius.’ And if it speaks to both of us, there has to be a whole squad of women who feel the same.

EG:  The first time we started thinking about what these jeans need to be, it was so simple: they just need to fit. There’s a lot that’s different in our denim and it all starts with fabrication. We make beautiful premium denim jeans, but it’s all about this amazing recovery fabric. People want to find a product in their size, which is why we make 15 sizes, and then have it really fit well. And that’s what you get with all of our clothing.

When you launched the brand in 2016, you said retailers were hesitant to carry sizes over 12. How has that changed in the last few years?

KK: It’s so sad. The average size in American is a 14 or 16. And it was frustrating that no one even wanted to carry the 12. Yes, we would be in a lot more doors if we said, ‘Just this once [you can carry a selection of our sizes].’ But that’s not who we are. We’ve been very clear about that. Normally we don’t want competition, but when it comes to body positivity and having women feel empowered, bring it on. Let’s have the healthy competition. And if they’re encouraging other brands to expand in sizes so women feel good about themselves, that’s what it’s about at the end of the day. We’re proud about that.

As moms, has that body positivity movement taken on new meaning for you?

KK: Definitely. I want to show my daughter what I stand for. You’re allowed to have values, and sometimes those values might change and adjust based off your evolution as a human, but you don’t need to change just because someone else is asking you too. Have morals, believe in something and fight for what’s right. If that’s body positivity and inclusivity for you, then that’s a beautiful thing and stand behind it.

EG: It’s so important not just in our designs, but in our images as well that we show the product on 15 different sizes. We’re going to be really realistic about what the brand looks like and make sure all different women from all different walks of life are visible in the campaign. When you have young kids, that’s so important. The overall media impression of what we’re doing is everything. It really is something we’ve been very careful about. Sadly, it is used sometimes as a marketing tool where they launch a plus size collection [KK: With like, four pieces!] and then it’s like, ‘OK, checked that box.’ But that’s not what we’re about. I’m happy for the competition, but you have to do it properly.