After five years of trailblazing as a plus-size apparel entrepreneur, Raquel Vélez recently shuttered her outdoor apparel company, Alpine Parrot, due to a lack of profit.
Alpine Parrot was one of a handful of outdoor brands dedicated to the plus-size market, which makes up more than 65 percent of Americans. Vélez started with sizes 14-24 and ultimately expanded to size 30. Her biggest sellers were sizes 22 and 26, she said.
“Stopping isn’t the same as quitting,” said Vélez, who started the company in 2019 after she fell in love with skiing but found she had limited options for gear as a plus-sized woman. She left her work in the tech space, took up sewing, and self-funded Alpine Parrot for the first two years before opening up to investors such as REI. All along, her mission was to make clothing that allowed those with bigger bodies to feel comfortable and confident in nature.
Since announcing the decision in late 2024, she said she has had legions of customers and fans reach out disappointed because they were rooting for the brand.
“Whether you were a customer, a cheerleader, or simply…
