Ashley Graham, Chloe Marshall, Jennie Runk, and Tara Lynn are just some
of the plus-size models showing up on the covers of magazines. They are
testimonials of the ongoing evolution in the fashion industry that is
moving toward an inclusive sizing concept.Get more news about
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The plus-size market has never been exactly what people think of when
they think of fashion, glamour, and trendy clothing. In addition to
being difficult to find, plus-sizes have hardly allowed women the
opportunity to look sexy, fun, or glamorous. With bright colors,
stripes, flowers, and fancy fabrics mostly banned and with the garments
being loosely cut to disguise the form, plus-sized women have always
found it difficult to accentuate their beauty.
On the other hand, what is termed “real” fashion has promoted a
stereotypical image of women that didn’t resonate with the vast majority
of them. Size 10 models look great on a fashion catwalk and billboards,
but they portray the image of a woman that doesn’t exist. In fact,
statistics show that the size sold most frequently is not size 10, but
rather size 14 through 18.
Similar issues have been faced by all special size customers, which
includes plus, petite, junior, and tall sizes. The inclusive sizing
concept is now breaking these barriers and introducing a new approach to
the special-size segment. One that gives everybody the same opportunity
to be themselves. Besides the important cultural and social changes
that this evolution is bringing about, the inclusive size market is a
new horizon for high fashion. New inclusive sizing labels are emerging,
and established brands are slowly adapting to this new trend. In turn,
this opens new market opportunities across geographies and countries,
target audiences (men, women, children), and product segments.
Inclusive sizing is more than simply producing extended ranges in size.
This is already being done by many fashion brands, although not to the
customer’s complete satisfaction. Inclusive sizing is a company
philosophy that must be embraced.
Noteworthy, is what happened to the online retailer Nasty Gal when it
announced the launch of its first extended size collection, ranging from
size 0 through 18. Even though this was a definite improvement from its
previous sizing options, the plus-size community has not reacted kindly
toward Nasty Gal, with some customers accusing the brand “of jumping on
a bandwagon they don’t actually care about.” Similar reactions have
been experienced by brands like TopShop and Express when they extended
their sizing options to size 18. This shows that a clothing selection of
up to size 18 is not considered truly inclusive by the plus-size
community. It is a good step in the right direction, but definitely not
enough.
These examples show that when a brand embraces the inclusive-sizing
evolution, they must avoid being labeled as “fake inclusion.” To avoid
this labeling, it is important to understand some of the factors that
make a brand inclusive and make inclusivity a company philosophy.
First of all, inclusivity goes beyond size 18. Currently, the average
American woman wears a size 16 or 18. Therefore, referring to these
sizes as “plus” is no longer current. For a brand to be inclusive it
means they would cater to the needs of customers that are a size 24 or
greater. While at the same time, not forgetting customers who fall into
the categories of petite, junior, and small.
Another factor that is attached to the plus-size issue is the
discrimination that comes with the term “plus” itself. This
discrimination has been reinforced by the shopping experience, the
commercials and the marketing materials provided by many brands.