CeCe Olisa’s Instagram account is flooded with images of polka-dot slipdresses, brightly colored jumpsuits, leopard miniskirts, her favorite denim finds and lots of activewear. But she’s the first to admit this is not the norm for plus-size women. As a style blogger, fashion consultant and cofounder of The CurvyCon, an annual shopping event for plus-size shoppers, Olisa gets access to some of the best plus-size fashions that brands have to offer.
Countless media outlets have cited the statistic that roughly 67 percent of American women are size 14 or larger. But where this data came from is unclear. What is known is that fashion is extremely nuanced. To start with, there is no industry standard for what classifies as “plus.” According to market research firm the NPD Group, most retailers define plus size as size 18 and up. But all companies and brands are free to make up their own size guidelines.
“For example, the brand will say, ‘Well, women are buying those pants. So let’s just keep making more of those pants,’” she explained. “But what you don’t know is that she’s sitting at brunch, coveting the parachute pants that her best friend is wearing, but no one ever thought she would like them and therefore never made them in plus.
Other brands have simply decided to opt out of plus sizes. In March, Loft said it would no longer offer sizes above a size 18 or XXL as of fall 2021. “What you see happen is that you see a lot of brands entering into the plus-size market — perhaps without the right strategies in place — and they kind of dip their toes in and when it doesn’t go according to plan, they exit,” said Joanna Griffiths, founder and CEO of Knix.
“And it can be very confusing when the brands are using all of these plus-size models and these campaigns are really inspiring and amazing and then you go into the store and you probably aren’t going to be able to find that thing in the store,” she continued. The conflicting messages don’t stop there. Tovar pointed out that most fashion schools don’t teach classes on plus-size fashion or how to make plus-size designs.
“It’s important to us that when customers shop Kohl’s they see themselves reflected in our brands,” said Doug Howe, chief merchandising officer of Kohl’s, which offers women’s apparel, activewear, sleepwear and innerwear up to sizes 4X in stores and 5X online, as well as select pieces from PSK Collective. “It’s through this lens that we make our merchandising decisions, including our continued work to elevate our inclusive size assortment to ensure we are serving all customers.
“We celebrate real, un-retouched beauty and promote self-love, positivity and empowerment,” said Jennifer Foyle, chief creative officer of American Eagle Outfitters and global brand president of Aerie. “This platform resonates with our very engaged Aerie community because our customers can see themselves reflected in the brand’s marketing and through our partnerships with inspiring role models who champion inclusion and diversity.
“I see a lot of companies, a lot of smaller companies, that are taking a lot of risk and eating a lot of costs to innovate and essentially push the industry forward,” Tovar added. Another brand to capitalize off the growing plus-size market is Christian Siriano. In 2018, the designer said he tripled his business by adding plus sizes. Dia & Co., the plus-size fashion platform and subscription service, continues to expand, most recently by adding plus-size lingerie and swimwear to the assortment, including bras by ThirdLove. In June, ready-to-wear brand M.M. LaFleur began selling select pieces on Dia’s website.
So what can companies and brands do to accommodate the plus-size consumer aside from simply adding more sizes. For one, they can hire more plus-size people, Olisa said. Chan agreed there is a plus-size ideal. “As there is for any model,” she said. “But consumers need to see clothes on different body types. We need brand’s websites to show different size models. We need to see the products on different size models. Then people are more likely to buy.
Because they're still not listening. Because some of us are older and refuse to buy our clothes from Blair or Alfred Dunner. Because we love clothes that are cut and tailored for women. Because we hate cutesy little prints. I can go on.
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