The Negatives of Plus: The Challenges of the Plus Size Market

There was a great article in the New York Times recently about the challenges Plus women face when shopping for apparel, despite the fact that Plus has been a category for nearly a century and represents a huge portion of the US population. The article highlighted some staggering statistics:

“According to a 2008 survey conducted by Mintel, a market-research firm, the most frequently worn size in America is a 14…[y]et plus-size clothing (typically size 14 and above) represents only 18 percent of total revenue in the women’s clothing industry.”

If the most common size two years ago was a size 14, how is it possible that total revenue from Plus apparel is only 18%? Shouldn’t there be more opportunities for clothing brands to serve literally the majority of women?

The article also defined some of the key dilemmas the apparel industry faces in designing Plus size apparel, which shed even more light on challenges for the end consumer:

“The most formidable obstacle lies in creating a prototype. If you already have a line of clothing and a set system of sizing, you cannot simply make bigger sizes. You need whole new systems of pattern-making.”

Unfortunately, most brands don’t do this. For the most part, clothing brands size up according to a much smaller, drastically different pattern than the actual body of a Plus woman. Instead, new patterns need to be made in order to accommodate women with different proportions, not just of a larger size. This means that out of the already limited selections Plus women have to choose from, many of Plus clothing doesn’t represent real Plus women.

At indi, we’re proud to have a Plus pattern specifically designed for Plus women, and we are committed to customizing all of our patterns to fit every consumer. Unfortunately, most of the larger brands that have introduced Plus sizes (which certainly is a step in the right direction) morph smaller patterns into disproportionate ones.

For more fascinating information on the Plus market, read the full article here.

posted by: evan on August 2, 2010 at 3:35 pm
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TAGS: plus size, plus

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