Have you ever taken a trip to the dressing rooms and things just didn’t work out the way you wanted? Maybe you had to order clothes online because retailers do not carry your size in stores, and even then, the fit was off a little? Unfortunately, this is happening more often than not for plus size shoppers. However, Professor Mallorie Dunn took a look at the data behind those important issues.
Dunn, the owner and designer of SmartGlamour, as well as a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a graduate of FIT and Pratt Institute, has been working in inclusive fashion for over a decade. She has always been passionate about clothing being for everyone, but has also always understood the shopping challenges that arise for the plus size community.
With all of her background in the field, years of having her own inclusive clothing brand, teaching the next generation of fashion designers, and the help of a grant from FIT, Dunn was able to conduct her own research on the real issue at hand: clothing brands’ approach to plus size shoppers.
Research that Dives Deep into Plus Size Shoppers Frustrations
Dunn started with a widely unknown statistic: between 67% and 72% of women and those who dress femme wear plus sizes. This means that well over half of women’s clothing is being worn by plus-size individuals, and the clothing industry is still not adhering to the way it should, which says how flawed the system is.
She worked with 300 individuals who buy women’s wear and measured sizes from an XL-14X, providing a large range in the plus size category. Throughout her measurements, she found that typically as sizes get larger, so do the length and other measurements, which isn’t always the case when a person needs larger sizes.
For example, if someone puts on an extra five pounds and need a larger pair of jeans, it doesn’t mean they need the jeans to be longer because they’re not getting taller. However, that is how a lot of plus clothing works.
Dunn found through her research that most clothing brands do not truly take the time to measure the plus-size community appropriately, which leads to clothes that do not properly fit. But aside from the measurements, she also asked her participants about their attitude toward shopping in general, which was not that great.
Most of the participants would rather shop online because their sizes are not offered in-store. Aside from that, she found that different brands fit different body shapes. For example, she found that Levi’s 1X and 2X sizes are made to fit a pear-shaped body, while their 3X sizes are made to fit a rectangular-shaped body. With each brand being different when it comes to this, it increases the difficulty for plus size shoppers.
Dunn asked her participants what they look for or care about the most when it comes to shopping, and surprisingly, the price was not the number one concern. Shoppers care more about the fit above all else. She also asked the participants what they never want to see again, and the infamous cold-shoulder top was number one.
Plus size shoppers want variety and a good fit. Not everyone has the same style, the same body shape, the same budget, or the same access to stores. However, a majority of people do have the same hope for the future of plus size shopping.
Dunn has started a large conversation that has been waiting to be addressed. Her research and presentation will continue to be housed by FIT and be available for those doing research in the fashion sector or the plus size sector. It’s time that clothing be made available for all sizes, in-store, for all body shapes, and measured correctly to fit people’s bodies.
This article, Data to Design: Rethinking Fashion’s Approach to Plus Size Shoppers first appeared on The Curvy Fashionista and is written by Katie Bradshaw.
Never miss the latest in plus size fashion news, trends, and conversations! Sign up for Curvy Fashionista Newsletter!
