A Wren Says

It seems that more brands are removing their larger sizes from stores and keeping them online. The reason: the demand for the products just wasn’t there like they thought it would be. One of the arguments for expanding sizes ranges was because brands had been leaving out a large population of people who would gladly wear their clothes if only their sizes were available. And yet, they weren’t in store shopping. I guess people were wrong. Of course, it’s not that simple.

It is very easy to jump to that answer, that the demand simply wasn’t there and then move on. But brands have to ask themselves, really reflect on, why the demand wasn’t there. Is it because for years the sizes weren’t available, so a reasonable plus size shopper wouldn’t waste time in a place they think doesn’t serve them? Is it because with all of the resources devoted to making the clothes not as many were devoted to marketing this change? Is it because even thought the clothing was there, readily available, the environment or image of the store still felt unwelcoming?

The easy part is making clothing in larger sizes. The difficult part is changing store and company culture to actively invite plus-size buyers in to the space. And now another difficult part is explaining to eager customers who come into the store and realize their size is no longer carried. How do you navigate that conversation without turning them away from the brand?

I am curious how the industry will continue to evolve on the topic of size inclusivity. I wonder what steps these brands who have removed the sizes are taking to maintain a positive image and still cater to a wider range of shoppers.

If you are also curious, you can read more about this trend in this Modern Retail article.