The topic of plus-sized — which in many cases can be classified as normal-sized — apparel is one that can be controversial when retailers only offer limited sizes. In the case of H&M, the fast fashion brand is taking criticism for pulling its plus-sized merchandise from its NYC store, highlighting the industry’s potential prejudices against designing, producing and selling the items.
Tim Gunn, designer and the co-host of television’s Project Runway, noted in a guest article in The Washington Post that the fashion industry is outright neglecting plus-sized women:
“The average American woman now wears between a size 16 and a size 18, according to new research from Washington State University,” Gunn wrote. “There are 100 million plus-size women in America, and, for the past three years, they have increased their spending on clothes faster than their straight-size counterparts. There is money to be made here ($20.4 billion, up 17% from 2013). But many designers — dripping with disdain, lacking imagination or simply too cowardly to take a risk — still refuse to make clothes for them.”
The RTP team debates whether the issue (whether it’s real or perceived) represents a missed opportunity for retailers, and if so, explains how they can take advantage of it. The team also discusses whether fragmentation within retail would make it better for more brands to focus specifically on plus-size apparel.
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Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief: I am surprised and disappointed that this continues to be such a challenging issue, although I guess I shouldn’t be. Our society will always be body image- and beauty-conscious, as much as some celebrities try to challenge the status quo by appearing in public with no makeup, for example. I’m reminded of the movie Shallow Hal, in which Gwenyth Paltrow puts on a large-size costume in a role which depicts her as a plus-size female perceived as a size 0 beauty by co-star Jack Black. Nevertheless, it would be great if retail brands took the lead in appreciating all women, men and children of all sizes. But the bottom line is the bottom line. That tactic would likely involve great investments in SKUs that may or may not sell.
Adam Blair, Executive Editor: This is, unfortunately, not a new problem. I recall an episode of the early 1960s sitcom Hazel in which the far-from-svelte star, Shirley Booth, somehow participated in a local fashion show — after berating the designer that his clothes weren’t made for what women really looked like. In the fantasy world of TV, Hazel was the hit of the show. Flash forward to today’s reality, and very little seems to have changed: designers and retailers like H&M are not just failing to meet the needs of a large portion of the buying population, they are losing the money these shoppers would willingly spend on attractive, fashionable plus-size clothing. (By the way, shouldn’t we switch things around and call the apparel made for stick-figure models “negative size”?). With traditional department store retailers struggling with falling foot traffic, making their stores and merchandise more appealing to a large segment of the buying public seems like a no-brainer.
Alicia Fiorletta Esposito, Content Strategist: Given the current state of the retail industry, I feel like retailers simply can’t afford to exclude customers – especially if they make up a larger percentage of the general population. On the surface, I understand the explanation that there’s only so much space in a store to accommodate specific products. But I can’t help but question whether H&M is truly using hard data and facts to validate the average sizes shopped in that store and determine the average sizes of women in the area. I’m sure it would paint a very different picture. And as some of my colleagues have noted, despite the tribulations making headlines, there are many brands and designers making progress. I can’t help but think of (and praise) Christian Siriano, who developed a line for Lane Bryant and developed a custom ensemble for Leslie Jones when she was in need of a red carpet outfit. He also designed a wedding dress for Nicolette Mason who is a well-known fashion editor and blogger. Long story short, I’m sure it won’t be the last time we hear about retailers limiting their plus-size options, however, there are so many more brands that are becoming allies and leaders of change.
David DeZuzio, Managing Editor: Given retail’s current brick-and-mortar traffic troubles, excluding any customer segment seems to be a recipe for disaster. Not every plus-size person wants to shop at a plus-size specialty store, so while H&M gets points for using Ashley Graham as the face of its plus-size campaign, it missed a terrific opportunity by not maintaining the section in its physical locations. Some women were incredibly disappointed and rightfully felt the entire campaign was designed to just pay lip-service to the plus-size women category. H&M, or any other retailer for that matter, doesn’t need to dedicate an entire floor to plus-size women; even a small section would clearly generate interest and foot traffic. Then, once in the store, the shifting of the shopper journey to the e-Commerce channel would be much more enjoyable as the customer has at least had a chance to see some of the items in person. If retailers are truly trying to be customer-centric, they can’t ignore a significant number of potential shoppers. And, if retailers need an example of what they should be doing, look no further than the Christian Siriano/Leslie Jones collaboration. The designer treated his customer like a real person and was attentive to her needs. Of course, not every shopper interaction can be as one-to-one, but the smile on Leslie Jones’ face says it all, doesn’t it?
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: The move to get rid of the plus-size option in the NYC store is bizarre in that it’s such an open destination for all shoppers that one would assume you need inclusiveness there more than anywhere else. I would even understand if the move was made in certain stores that aren’t selling these products well in general but this just doesn’t make logistical sense from a customer engagement standpoint. I’m shocked more retailers haven’t at least taken the route that e-Commerce platform Fovo did in building out a way to get a read on what shape of dresses consumers are seeking. In an era where data gathering and analysis are vital to retail success, whether online or in the store, brands should be doing everything they can to understand what kind of merchandise can sell the best for them. While this process is likely difficult to harness, retailers will need to optimize their BI and inventory solutions to prevent overstocks and out-of-stocks in inventory if more items are featured within the store. With all that said, neglecting a potentially significant portion of your consumer base is just foolish regardless of the image your company is trying to portray — learned that the hard way in the late 2000s and the brand never really recovered from it.
Klaudia Tirico, Associate Editor: While this plus size debate is an ongoing issue for retailers, designers and brands, I have to look at the glass half full and say that many companies’ perspectives are getting somewhat better. But retailers have a long way to go in terms of realizing that a customer is a customer, no matter what size they are. And if they want more traffic in brick-and-mortar stores (as all of them do), they’ve got to make their products available to everyone. Shame on H&M in New York City for getting rid of their plus-size offerings, but that is just one store out of thousands. I have to praise JCPenney for its efforts, though. The department store teamed up with a former Project Runway contestant Ashley Nell Tipton to create its first, in-house plus-size clothing collection. I strongly believe that these types of partnerships — with the right influencers that can provide insight into current trends — can be very beneficial for retailers.
