For six-feet-tall, 390-pound comedian Louie Anderson, finding stylish clothes that fit is no laughing matter - which is why he's collaborating on a new line of shirts for the big-and-tall man that he hopes to roll out to retail outlets early next year.
"The journey for me started as a fat kid going to Robert Hall [Clothes]" in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, Anderson said, referring to the warehouse-type chain that flourished in the mid-20th century. "Our family was so poor we'd get these vouchers for school clothes from the welfare department. We'd go into the top men's store in town and the guy would yell out: 'Bill, I've got another husky!'"
Anderson, 59, says he learned at a young age that wardrobe options were limited by his size. "There were three different pants, a shirt and a jacket I could choose from," he recalls. "When all the kids from the projects lined up [at school], all the fat kids were wearing the same clothes.
"My whole life, when I've gone shopping I've wondered why they didn't make that in my size?"
Then, in March of this year, Anderson's manager introduced him to Will Hoover, a 25-year veteran of the apparel industry, including a five-year stint with the California-based Vans action-sports brand. And the quest for a more stylish big man's shirt began.
"Our research found that when it came to bigger guys, the clothes seemed like simply an afterthought," Hoover said. "Or like they just took pieces out of their main line and just up-sized them," a practice that doesn't necessarily lead to the best or most flattering fit.
So Hoover, who designed the line along with assistant designer Ana Safazada with creative input from Anderson, was determined not to fall into the clich脙漏 of the Hawaiian florals and awning stripes that frequently mani-fest themselves in the larger man's wardrobe.
By late August, sample pieces of the just-completed Louie's Big n' Easy line were hanging on a rolling rack in the back of the Louie Anderson Theater at the Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas.
Anderson debuted his full collection to a press audience of one - in the same theatre where he makes audiences laugh five nights a week.
It was the first time Anderson had a chance to see the entire collection, and as he looked through the rack of shirts, a proud smile crossed his face. The husky kid from St. Paul at long last had more than three options.
In the debut collection alone he has 12 styles, ranging from informal, shortsleeve shirts to dressier silhouettes that would look right under a blazer in a restaurant or, in Anderson's case, onstage.
Initially, the line is to be offered in sizes L to 6X.
Retail accounts for the proposed spring 2013 debut of Louie's Big n' Easy aren't locked in, but the hope is that Anderson's name recognition will make the line appealing not only to men's big-and-tall shops but also to big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. "Which would be great because I really want everybody to have a chance to get the shirts," Anderson said.
That's also, he says, why it was important for the shirts to retail in the $65 to $79 range. " I come from a background where $150 is a lot of money for a shirt."
