Meet Questrom Undergrad Alum Jean Wang’08, Founder of Extra Petite and Edited Pieces
Jean Wang (Questrom’08) is a former Big 4 finance professional and former CFA charterholder who turned her passion into a full-time career as a petite clothing influencer and business owner in 2010, about two years after graduating from the Boston University Questrom School of Business.
“I got my start writing about my fashion struggles as a petite young professional entering the stodgy corporate workplace,” Jean says. As a smaller framed woman trying to look her best, she found herself swimming in most business professional clothing. After working hard to cultivate pieces that fit her perfectly, she began sharing her recommendations on her blog and social media in 2010. Now with close to a million followers, Jean Wang is a busy social media influencer, blogger and business owner of Extra Petite and Edited Pieces working with brands like Zara, Nordstrom, H&M, and Reformation.
Originally from Clifton Park, NY, Jean Wang graduated from the Boston University Questrom School of Business in 2008 with a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Jean reflects on her time at BU and says, “my Core project group led to some of my best lifelong friendships.” Jonathan Hibbard, Jean’s Core Professor was an instrumental part of her Questrom experience. “Professor Hibbard brought a good natured attitude to Core and created a learning environment that helped prepare us for the real world workplace and entrepreneurship,” says Jean.
After graduating from The BU Questrom School of Business, Jean went to work for Deloitte in Business Valuation and then for M. Gemi as a Marketing Strategy and Acquisition Manager. From 2008 to 2015, Jean was running Extra Petite after hours. While balancing both was a lot of work, it was also very rewarding. The blog gave her a creative outlet; “such a sharp contrast to the nature of my full-time job,” she says. Then in 2015, Jean began working for Extra Petite full-time. The work is much more involved now as Jean has a small team of employees that work together to help run things.
Through her years of reviewing clothes, there were always a few specific items Jean couldn’t find that fit properly, so she decided to focus on and refine those pieces. She launched her signature belt from her new business, Edited Pieces, in 2019, and the belt sold out almost immediately with a 10,000 person wait list.
Edited Pieces, aims to fill a whitespace in the market with timeless wardrobe staples in a size range that is inclusive for petite customers. “Petite-Friendly. But Not Petite-Only,” is the slogan featured on the company’s story page welcoming women of unique body types to check out the carefully curated pieces offering small tweaks that bring big improvements, such as the popular Reversible Horsebit Belt. Edited Pieces is set to launch new products and styles later this year, including a sleek trench coat with adjustable sleeve lengths.
Jean Wang says, “I would rather have fewer pieces that were tailored to fit you perfectly, than a hundred pieces that just don’t look quite right on you.” Scoping out pieces she can soundly recommend is one of her main focuses. Another critical part of managing Extra Petite is working with fashion brands like Abercrombie, Nordstrom, and Ann Taylor. Jean says, “I also enjoy working with brands like Everlane and Reformation… brands that give me almost complete creative freedom in featuring and styling items from their collection.” Jean says these campaigns are measured using KPIs like engagements and conversions. With almost a million followers on Instagram, Jean is always looking to stay on top of industry trends. “We’re constantly trying to figure out which platforms are just trendy and which ones our audience truly cares about.”
If you would like to learn more about Jean Wang, check out her Extra Petite Blog and Extra Petite Instagram.
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