Ashley Graham, Chloe Marshall, Jennie Runk, and Tara Lynn are just some of the plus-size models showing up on the covers of magazines. They are testimonials of the ongoing evolution in the fashion industry that is moving toward an inclusive sizing concept.

The plus-size market has never been exactly what people think of when they think of fashion, glamour, and trendy clothing. In addition to being difficult to find, plus-sizes have hardly allowed women the opportunity to look sexy, fun, or glamorous. With bright colors, stripes, flowers, and fancy fabrics mostly banned and with the garments being loosely cut to disguise the form, plus-sized women have always found it difficult to accentuate their beauty.

On the other hand, what is termed “real” fashion has promoted a stereotypical image of women that didn’t resonate with the vast majority of them. Size 10 models look great on a fashion catwalk and billboards, but they portray the image of a woman that doesn’t exist. In fact, statistics show that the size sold most frequently is not size 10, but rather size 14 through 18.

Similar issues have been faced by all special size customers, which includes plus, petite, junior, and tall sizes. The inclusive sizing concept is now breaking these barriers and introducing a new approach to the special-size segment. One that gives everybody the same opportunity to be themselves. Besides the important cultural and social changes that this evolution is bringing about, the inclusive size market is a new horizon for high fashion. New inclusive sizing labels are emerging, and established brands are slowly adapting to this new trend. In turn, this opens new market opportunities across geographies and countries, target audiences (men, women, children), and product segments.

Inclusive Sizing as a Business Paradigm

Inclusive sizing is more than simply producing extended ranges in size. This is already being done by many fashion brands, although not to the customer’s complete satisfaction. Inclusive sizing is a company philosophy that must be embraced.

Noteworthy, is what happened to the online retailer Nasty Gal when it announced the launch of its first extended size collection, ranging from size 0 through 18. Even though this was a definite improvement from its previous sizing options, the plus-size community has not reacted kindly toward Nasty Gal, with some customers accusing the brand “of jumping on a bandwagon they don’t actually care about.” Similar reactions have been experienced by brands like TopShop and Express when they extended their sizing options to size 18. This shows that a clothing selection of up to size 18 is not considered truly inclusive by the plus-size community. It is a good step in the right direction, but definitely not enough.

These examples show that when a brand embraces the inclusive-sizing evolution, they must avoid being labeled as “fake inclusion.” To avoid this labeling, it is important to understand some of the factors that make a brand inclusive and make inclusivity a company philosophy.

First of all, inclusivity goes beyond size 18. Currently, the average American woman wears a size 16 or 18. Therefore, referring to these sizes as “plus” is no longer current. For a brand to be inclusive it means they would cater to the needs of customers that are a size 24 or greater. While at the same time, not forgetting customers who fall into the categories of petite, junior, and small.

Another factor that is attached to the plus-size issue is the discrimination that comes with the term “plus” itself. This discrimination has been reinforced by the shopping experience, the commercials and the marketing materials provided by many brands. 

It is not a secret that in brick and mortar stores, plus-size sections are often relegated to hidden corners or less accessible areas. As if to say that these customers are different and need to be separated from everybody else. This is not the type of shopping experience that customers want to have. An inclusive sizing philosophy guarantees a fun and pleasant shopping experience for all individuals, even when friends of different sizes shop together. Therefore, inclusive shops, both brick and mortar as well as online, focus on offering the same shopping experience to every customer, regardless of their size. This concept is clearly explained by the words of Target’s CEO Jane Hali who said: “Plus size customer does not want to be separated at brick and mortar. Target is very definite about plus size being inclusive, with plus size mannequins next to regular size mannequins. Target has one plus-size line separated, Ava & Viv, otherwise plus is part of the merchandising statements.” 

Even the marketing approach needs to reflect the inclusive sizing philosophy. Currently, too many fashion brands approach the plus-size market featuring size 10 models in their campaigns. Katie Willcox, CEO of Natural Model Management and an activist behind Healthy is the New Skinny movement, pointed to a further problem when she stated: “I have seen influencers work for brands who don’t airbrush and tell girls to love themselves, yet on the influencer’s page, it is clear there is photo editing being done on images. That, to me, says the brand cares more about the number of followers over the authenticity of the influencer or the brand message they are marketing.”

It is therefore important to feature people of every size and shape on websites and marketing material. In this way, each customer will feel represented. A good example of this is the company Good American. They display all of their clothing pieces on three types of models. In sizes 0, 8 and 16. This is a smarter way to connect with their customers as they can have a realistic idea of how the product will look on them.