Plus-size clothing is clothing proportioned specifically for people above the average clothing size. [1] The application of the term varies from country to country, and according to which industry the person is involved in. [nb 1]
According to PLUS Model magazine, "In the fashion industry, plus size is identified as sizes 18 and over, or sizes 1X-6X and extended size as 7X and up". [2] The article continues "Susan Barone [...] shared, 'Plus sizes are sizes 14W – 24W. Super sizes and extended sizes are used interchangeably for sizes 26W and above. Sometimes the size 26W is included in plus size'." [2]
Such clothing has also been called outsize in Britain, a term that has been losing favor. One example of this is the renaming of "Evans Outsize" to simply "Evans", [4] as well as losing their advertising slogan "Evans – The Outsize Shop", which also featured on their clothing labels. A related term for men's plus-size clothing is big and tall (a phrase also used as a trademark in some countries). [5]
Lane Bryant began trading in the early 1900s as a producer of clothing for "Expectant Mothers and Newborn"'. [6] By the early 1920s, Lane Bryant started selling clothing under the category 'For the Stout Women', which ranged between a 38-56 inch bustline. [6] Evans, a UK-based plus-size retailer, was founded in 1930. [7] In the 1920s, small boys' clothing store, Brody's in Oak Park Mich (now Bloomfield) started the "Husky" size clothing.[ citation needed ]
The large-size fashion revolution of 1977–1998 in the US began after the Fashion Group of NYC released a study predicting the demise of the Baby Boomer Junior Market, as the Boomers were coming of age. Mary Duffy's Big Beauties was the first model agency to work with hundreds of new plus-size clothing lines and advertisers. For two decades, this plus-size category produced the largest per annum percentage increases in ready-to-wear retailing.
Max Mara started Marina Rinaldi, one of the first high-end clothing lines, for plus-size women in 1980. [8]
The first plus-size fashion line to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was Cabiria, featured in the Fashion Law Institute fashion show in the tents at Lincoln Center on September 6, 2013. [9] [10]
On February 6, 2019, luxury e-tailer 11 Honoré, which sells designer clothing in sizes 12 to 24, opened New York Fashion Week with a fashion show focused on size inclusivity. The runway show featured looks from Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung, Cushnie and Brandon Maxwell. Actress Laverne Cox closed the show wearing a custom dress by designer Zac Posen. [11]
In June 2024, a Fashion Nova campaign promoted as body-positive faced significant backlash for its lack of body diversity. Critics on Instagram highlighted that the campaign predominantly featured models with flat stomachs and hourglass figures, neglecting to represent a wider range of body types, such as those with stretch marks and larger bellies. This controversy underscored the ongoing debate about true inclusivity in fashion marketing. [12]
Plus-size clothing patterns have traditionally been graded up from a smaller construction pattern. However, many retailers use statistical data collected from their own measuring projects, and from specialized Body Scan Data collection projects to modernize the fit and construction of their garments. U.S. companies Lane Bryant and Catherines teamed up over a three-year period to source data to modernize the companies' garment construction. 14,000 women were measured in what was the most extensive female sizing study in the U.S. in more than 60 years.[ citation needed ]
The Australian plus-size clothing market has been growing since at least 1994, with major department stores such as David Jones, Myer, and Target producing their own brand ranges, and an increase in the number of individual boutiques and national chain store outlets across the country. Sizing in Australia is not synchronous with the US; plus-size garments are considered to be size 16 and upward, which is the equivalent of a US size 12. [3] A recent study conducted by IBISWorld reports that "65.2% of the population aged 18 and over are expected to be overweight or obese in 2017-18." [13] This is resulting in more interest and competition in the wider fashion industry, and as such resulting in more department stores stocking plus-size clothing.
Notable Australian chain store brands for plus-size clothing include Maggie T, Autograph (formerly 1626), Johnny Bigg, Free People and City Chic (formerly Big City Chic). There is also a boom in Australian designer independent plus size labels such as Camilla Jayne, Curvy Chic Sports, Hope & Harvest, 17 Sundays, Sonsee, Lowanna Australia, and Harlow.
In the UK there are more than 60 brands for plus-size women's clothing; however, only a small number of these brands are manufactured or owned by UK-based companies. High-street stores such as Yours Clothing, Elvi, Evans, Ann Harvey, Dea London and BeigePlus sell only plus-sized garments, while many other brands and department stores carry extended sizes in their shelves, such as Debenhams, River Island, ASOS, Fenwicks and New Look. More recently, stores specifically supplying plus-size sportswear, fitness wear and bras have opened such as State of Mind, Charlotte Jackson, Eve Activewear, and We Fit In. Notable online sites also include ASOS.com, Dearcurves.com and Style908. Anna Scholz has been creating clothes for the high end market since 1995. [14]
Name | Distribution channels | Headquarters in UK | Year established | Multi brand | UK size range | Founder |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ann Harvey | Mult channel | Yes | Unknown | No | 16 to 32 | Unknown |
Anna Scholz | Online | Yes | 1996 | No | 18 to 26 | Anna Scholz |
BeigePlus | High Street, Online | Yes | 1970 | Yes | 16 to 28 | Leanda Walters |
Charlotte Jackson | Online | No | 2009 | Yes | 16 to 24 | Helen Crossland |
Dea London | Online | Yes | Unknown | No | 16 to 26 | Jelena Fehmi |
Dearcurves | Online | Yes | 2013 | No | 14 to 26 | Ojoma Idegwu |
Debenhams | Mult channel | Yes | 1778 | Yes | 16 to 26 | William Clark |
Elvi | High Street, Online | Yes | 1940 | No | 14 to 26 | Elin Vissor |
Evans | High Street, Online | Yes | 1930 | No | 14 to 32 | Jack Green |
Fenwicks | Mult channel | Yes | 1882 | Yes | Unknown | John James Fenwick |
New Look | Mult channel | Yes | 1969 | Yes | 18 to 28 | Tom Singh |
River Island | Mult channel | Yes | 1948 | Yes | 18 to 24 | Bernard Lewis |
YoursClothing | Mult channel | Yes | 1990 | Yes | 18 to 24 | AK Retail |
Specialist plus-size brands (found in independent plus-size shops) known to be active in the UK (2010) include: Hebbeding (the Netherlands), Dearcurves(UK), Escaladya (Germany), Martine Samoun (Belgium), Marina Rinaldi (Italy), Persona (Italy), Elena Grunert (Germany), Elena Miro (Italy), Verpass (Germany), Chalou (Germany), Kirsten Krog (Denmark), Wille (Germany), Jomhoy (Spain), Yoek (Netherlands), Be The Queen (France), Alain Weiz (France), Tummy Tuck Not Your Daughters Jeans NYDJ (USA), Anathea by Didier Parakian (France), Fred Sabatier (France), Tia (Denmark), Rofa (Germany), Jorli (Denmark), NP (Finland), OpenEnd (Germany), Sumissura (Switzerland), A Big Attitude (USA), Terry Precision Cycling (USA), and Carmakoma (Denmark).
In November 2013, the Debenhams department store chain indicated that it plans to add Size 16 plus-size mannequins in all 170 UK stores. [15]
Notable women's specialty plus-size clothing retail market include Lane Bryant (Ascena Retail Group), Avenue (Avenue Stores, LLC), Torrid, and Ashley Stewart (Ashley Stewart, Inc.).
Walmart also offers a limited but inexpensive plus-size apparel line. The department stores J. C. Penney, Kohl's and Macy's also offer plus-size apparel. Torrid is a retailer geared toward plus-size young adults. International online retailers, such as Simply Be (N Brown) from the UK have started marketing in the United States. Part & Parcel, a social commerce company focused exclusively on clothing for plus-size women, launched in May 2019.
On the men's side, Destination XL Group, Inc. is a major specialty retailer of men's big and tall apparel, with over 300 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada and London, England.
The purpose of the study is to determine the current average clothing size of adult American women. Secondary data of average body measurements from the most recently published National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys were compared to ASTM International industry clothing size standards. [16]
Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's flagship brand is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands including Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Uterqüe and Lefties. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.
Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., is the largest plus-size retailer in the United States. As of 2022, the chain consists of 448 stores in 46 U.S. states. Lane Bryant, Inc. is not affiliated with Lane Bryant catalog, which was spun off as a separate business in 1993.
Evans is a women's clothing retailer located in the United Kingdom and around the world. It sells plus-size clothing, lingerie, wide-fitting shoes, swimwear and accessories.
Provogue is an Indian clothing and accessories retailer based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was launched in 1997 as a menswear fashion brand for contemporary clothing. Over the years the brand has expanded its collection of men’s and women’s fashion apparel and accessories.
Crystal Renn is an American model and author.
Designer clothing refers to apparel created by a specific fashion designer or licensed by a person or brand. It is often considered luxury clothing, known for its high quality and haute couture appeal, made for the general public and bearing the label of a renowned designer. Licensing designer names has been a common practice within the fashion industry since the 1970s. Designer clothing includes a wide range of apparel, such as designer jeans, which can often cost several hundred dollars.
Ann Inc. is an American group of specialty apparel retail chain stores for women. The company is headquartered in New York City and currently operates as a subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group. The stores offer classic-styled suits, separates, dresses, shoes and accessories. The brand is marketed under five divisions: Ann Taylor, Loft, Lou & Grey, Ann Taylor Factory, and Loft Outlet.
A plus-size model is an individual size 12 and above who is engaged primarily in modeling plus-size clothing. Plus-size clothing worn by plus-size models is typically catering for and marketed to either big, tall or overweight men and women. Plus-size models also engage in work that is not strictly related to selling clothing, e.g., stock photography and advertising photography for cosmetics, household and pharmaceutical products and sunglasses, footwear and watches. Therefore, plus-size models do not exclusively wear garments marketed as plus-size clothing. This is especially true when participating in fashion editorials for mainstream fashion magazines.
Clothing sizes are the sizes with which garments sold off-the-shelf are labeled. Sizing systems vary based on the country and the type of garment, such as dresses, tops, skirts, and trousers. There are three approaches:
Charming Shoppes, Inc. is a specialty and plus size clothing retail holding company based in Bensalem, Pennsylvania; a suburb of Philadelphia. Its subsidiaries include Lane Bryant, Cacique, Fashion Bug, and Catherines Plus. Clothes were sold from over 2300 retail stores in the United States, as well as numerous catalogs and online sites. In 2012, the company and assets were acquired by Ascena Retail Group.
Avenue Stores LLC was a specialty retailer in the United States offering plus-size clothing to women who wear larger-size clothing. The company serves a target audience of women aged between 25 and 55 years of age, wearing apparel of size 14 or larger, and also sells shoes and accessories. The group operated 222 stores in 33 states in 2019, all under the name The Avenue.
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. He or she can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas."
Cotton On Group is an Australian retail company known for its fashion, clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across eight brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Factorie, Typo, Rubi, Supré, Ceres and Cotton On Foundation.
A virtual dressing room is the online equivalent of an in-store changing room.
Fashion To Figure is a United States retailer focusing on plus-size clothing and related accessories. In November 2017, its parent company, B. Lane Inc., filed for bankruptcy.
Robyn Lawley is an Australian model, writer, photographer and director. She has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Elle, and other publications. She has been outspoken in her support for size-inclusiveness in the fashion and modeling industry and led a boycott which compelled Victoria's Secret to make changes to their annual fashion show.
Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry, embellishment using embroidery, via the fashion industry to apparel retailers up to trade with second-hand clothes and textile recycling. The producing sectors build upon a wealth of clothing technology some of which, like the loom, the cotton gin, and the sewing machine heralded industrialization not only of the previous textile manufacturing practices. Clothing industries are also known as allied industries, fashion industries, garment industries, or soft goods industries.
FullBeauty Brands Operations, LLC. is an American holding company based in New York City, featuring online and catalog retail brands for plus size women’s apparel, big and tall men’s apparel, and home goods. As of June 2023, the company's CEO is Jim Fogarty.
City Chic Collective (CCC), founded as Miller's Retail in 1992, and rebranded in December 2006 to Specialty Fashion Group, is an Australian retail clothing company. It is headquartered in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria. As of January 2024, the company operates 90 stores in Australia and New Zealand, and a global online store.
Retail Apparel Group is an Australian and New Zealand clothing retail company, wholly owned by the Foschini Group. The company operates stores under the Tarocash, Connor, yd., Johnny Bigg, Rockwear and AXL+Co brands.
While Evans, a store that started life all the way back in 1930 as Evans Outsize