“Sorry ma’am, that doesn’t come in your size.” Over the past few years, this has been the most common refrain I have heard every time I go shopping for clothes. The only response I can muster is to smile graciously, return that pretty blouse or kurta to the rack, and bolt out the store once the sales assistant is out of sight.
A penchant for French fries, a genetic predisposition for obesity, a job that involves sampling food on a regular basis and an irregular schedule that provides an easy excuse to refrain from exercising has ensured that I’m currently a UK size 16. That, apparently, puts me in the plus-sized category — an industry standard that applies to any woman above size 12, and to any man who wears over XL in shirts/size 36 in pants. I’m not alone: statistics show that over 150 million Indians fit into this category.
It’s a wonder then, why major retail brands aren’t cashing in on this segment, which contributes nearly Rs. 200 crores to the market. It seems like the clothing manufacturers have silently agreed with Mike Jeffries, former CEO of US-based Abercrombie & Fitch, who, in a 2006 interview, said that the brand wants only “cool and good-looking people” to wear their clothes. “A lot of people don’t belong (in our clothes), and they can’t belong,” he said, referring to those who wear XL or XXL, sizes that the international teen brand does not carry in its stores. While most mainstream stores here do stock these sizes, they seem to have misunderstood what the word ‘large’ means.
Pick up the same size of a basic T shirt, say XL, from five different brands, and the odds are that all of them vary vastly in the way they fit. Some brands increase only the width of the T shirt, which results in an unintentional crop top. Others increase the shoulder and bust and forget to leave enough space around the waist for the apple and pear-shaped women. When it comes to ethnic wear, tent chic is the way to go — the kurtas are simply shapeless. For men, good luck finding a shirt that isn’t ‘slim fit’ or a T shirt that isn’t ‘muscle fit’.
The same goes for jeans and pants. Clearly, Spring 2015 forgot to send stores here the memo that said skinny jeans are dead. But they were always an absolute nightmare for the plus-sized shopper, especially when the sales assistant insisted that size 36 will go past your chubby thighs. By some miracle, if it did, well, hello there muffin top. Decide to go in for the boyfriend jeans trend? Watch out for an unflattering pouch in the crotch region. There’s no sisterhood of pants here.
With no standardisation of sizes, it’s also quite confusing: you might wear an M in one brand, and in another, even the XXL won’t fit. With online shopping, it’s like playing the lottery: even going by the size chart, clothes purchased from the plus-sized section don’t fit like they claim they will. It’s also very annoying, and a little bit insulting, when the ‘suggested/similar to this’ section shows maternity wear. Trying to find a tailor who won’t charge an arm and a leg to stitch a good formal shirt or a dressy salwar is a story all by itself.
It takes courage to step into a store that brands itself as a place for ‘regular and plus-sized clothing’. Once you’re across that threshold, however, it’s a relief to find clothes that actually fit and are flattering, for the most part. Size 14 is size 0, and that does feel good! It’s calming to be in a store where you don’t feel like even the mannequins are ostracising you. But the question is, why should regular and plus-sized people go to a different store to get their clothes, especially when they are in the majority?
People come in all shapes and sizes, and while it’s understandable that brands can’t cater to every one of them, it’s appalling that they would leave out this section of the market. An unhealthy lifestyle does contribute to many being in this category, but there are also those whose health issues cause weight gain. That doesn’t mean they have to be any less stylish. Perhaps they are trying to inspire us plus-sized folk to hit the gym and be worthy of fitting into their clothes.
It’s about time that brands become more inclusive; by providing clothes made for the average Indian, they will only increase their customer base, not to mention garner loyalty. It’s the logical outcome, and it’s mind-boggling why it hasn’t occurred to them yet. With size 22 supermodel Tess Holliday having appeared on People magazine’s cover and most recently modelled for JCPenney (a US mid-range department store), and New York Fashion Week hosting a dad bod runway show, it should give them something to think about.
