Why We Need Size Inclusivity in Fashion? All You Need to Know!

Women use fashion as one of the key ways to express themselves. The kind of clothes we all wear reflects our personal style and taste. Unfortunately, fashion magazines and films have always propagated an ideal size, colour and shape. Most fast-fashion brands too do not have sizes beyond XXL. So, what happens to those people who need a size larger than this? People who are obese and slightly larger often find it difficult finding the right fits. Even if they go shopping, they become very conscious. Despite the emergence of several plus-size brands, they don’t feel 100% satisfied shopping from them. This has brought up the need to bring size inclusivity to the forefront of fashion.

Size inclusivity in clothing is a movement that supports all body shapes, all sizes and all types of people. It involves making apparel that everyone can wear. Though the fat acceptance movement began in the late 1960s, today there are a large number of people who have been advocating for size inclusion. The movement has gained traction but there is still a long-way to go. Brands too should move towards being more size inclusive.

Why are Brands not Size Inclusive?

Body positivity has literally become a buzzword on social media. There are a lot of influencers and plus-size models too who are creating content around size inclusivity. Despite this, there are many brands who are still shying away from size inclusiveness. Let me tell you how. Pantaloons is one such clothing brand that came up with another brand “ALL” for plus-size customers. They’ve been in the market for quite some time now. However, though they claim to promote size inclusivity, unfortunately they’re missing the mark. If they are a size inclusive brand, why have a separate store or section altogether? It simply creates an impression that they want to segregate plus-size customers from the crowd. Displaying it separately in no way makes the brand size inclusive. By doing so, brands are creating a sort of a divide which honestly hurts the sentiments of obese individuals.

A fashion brand is considered size inclusive when they display their XXXL size garments on the same rack as XS or S.

Another thing that has irked plus-size customers is the fact that fashion brands levy a “fat tax”- the practice of charging an additional fee for designs larger than a specific size. Brands claim that since more cloth is used and longer hours of manufacturing are put in, the apparel is more expensive. Honestly, this takes away the whole discussion of size inclusivity. The same was also discussed on Shark Tank India 2.

Affordable Size Inclusive Brands in India

In response, thankfully, several brands have started taking steps in the right direction. Here are a few size-inclusive brands who are bringing a weave of change:

• Angrakhaa

I hadn’t heard of this Indian label until it appeared on Shark Tank India. Spearheaded by two women founders, the brand caters to all sizes, especially plus-sizes. They aim at banishing the discrimination surrounding plus-size wearers and do not want to be a label exclusively for them. Instead, their aim is to offer a better shopping experience to every customer by offering interesting silhouettes and colours in all sizes.

• Curve Story

Curve Story is a brand that makes tailored clothing for not only different sizes but also different body types. Their size chart ranges from UK8 to UK30. The brand doesn’t just focus on offering clothes. Instead, they strive to offer garments that are trendy and comfortable.

• Lea Clothing Co.

Lea Clothing Co. came into the plus-size fashion space to offer trendy apparel. It’s often seen that a lot of size inclusive brands come up with garments in varying sizes but miss out on design and trendiness. To address this problem, Lea Clothing Co. came into the market. From corsets to co-ords to bodycon dresses, they have it all. Their silhouettes are empowering and vivacious. Through their products, they ensure curvy women can feel comfortable in their own skin.

• True Browns

True Browns is a sustainable and inclusive fashion label. Their focus is to offer comfortable and chic clothing in fabrics such as Khadi and linen. They truly are a size inclusive label as they don’t just cater to plus-sized individuals but also to skinny people. Their extensive size-range starts at 2XS and goes all the way to 5XL. How cool is that, right? Their ensembles are trendy and made using upcycled fabrics.

• Amydus

In a market where brands charge extra for plus-size clothing, Amydus is here to change the game. They offer fashionable pieces at affordable prices and have a variety of styles to choose from. Their motto is to help women embrace their curves. They have a range of kurtas, dresses and coordinated sets. Amydus’ size chart goes all the way up to 9XL.

Kudos to these size-inclusive brands for making an important statement on size inclusivity.

Benefits of Size Inclusivity

As a brand if you embrace inclusive sizing and body diversity, you’ll reap the following benefits:

• Catalyst in boosting women’s confidence: As a brand, if you offer clothes for women in all shapes and sizes, you’ll definitely be more successful in boosting their confidence.
• Customer loyalty: If you want to build meaningful relationships with women and turn them into loyal customers, you should definitely be designing clothes for women from all walks of life. Your clothes should accommodate their changing fashion needs. This will boost brand loyalty.
• Increased profitability: If you’re looking to increase the profitability of your clothing brand, you should definitely start making more sizes. If you make only up to a size 14, you’re losing out on 50% of the available market. If you expand your size chart to at least a size 18, you will get tremendous sales.

Size inclusivity is important. Not just in the fashion industry but everywhere. That’s because representation matters. When a brand uses skinny models in their marketing campaigns, it gives out a very wrong message. It creates a disconnect from reality and changes what people think as normal or acceptable. When a brand takes an initiative to make their clothing more size inclusive, brand loyalty increases and a customer can enhance their self-esteem.