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Last Updated: Nov 2nd, 2009 - 17:32:57 |
For decades, consumers have been led to believe "thin is in."
The trouble is, too many Americans aren't in or thin.
"It used to be that your clothing had to be age appropriate. That's no longer true," said Mercedes Gonzalez, director of Global Purchasing Group, a clothing buyer for 100 independent specialty stores nationwide. "Now it has to be size appropriate."
According to GPG's figuring, one in three Americans is overweight today, and, between the 1950s and 2003, the average dress size increased from a 6 to a 14.
Gonzalez said plus-size clothing for men, women, teens and children is now a $27 billion business. She also said it is the biggest untapped market in the fashion industry.
Despite those eye-popping numbers, Gonzalez said many designers remain unconvinced of the buying power of overweight Americans, and continue to focus on slimmer consumers.
"(Designer) Muccia Prada said she didn't want to make her clothing past a size 10 because it makes her clothing look hideous," Gonzalez said. "(Overweight consumers) are treated like a stepchild, with options limited to the very frumpy older customer. Meanwhile, they're saying we want color, we want prints. We want the same thing that everyone else has."
Shail Shah, owner of JNS Fashions, a Miami women's line of designer apparel, recognized the increasing demand for plus-size eight years ago. He developed a special line of plus-size shirts, capris and jeans as part of his Cherry Krave junior label.
It was a wise move: His plus-size clothes now account for 60 percent of his sales.
"We're getting orders left and right," he said. "People are coming up to me and hugging me, saying 'Oh my God, you have plus sizes. I've been looking for this.'"
The plus-size clothing in the Cherry Krave line goes up to a 6X -- the equivalent of a size 36 dress -- with the most popular piece being the baby-doll shirt, a loose, translucent top that resembles lingerie.
"It sounds odd," Jennifer Ruiz, a sales rep for JNS Fashions, said. "But it's exactly what they want. "Bigger girls want to show more, dress like a junior."
It's not just overweight teenagers who want to be fashionable.
As baby boomers grow older and, in many cases, bigger, they want to remain fashionable.
"They don't want something that looks like a tent," said Karen Skrasek, a sales rep for novelty sweater designer Berek. "They want the same products a size 2 wears."
Skrasek said Berek began making sweaters for plus-size women five years ago, often taking the same styles of sweaters and increasing the sizes up to a 3X.
Just as with JNS Fashions, the plus-size line has sold well for Berek, with sales nearly matching that of its regular-size line.
Making plus-size clothing isn't as simple as adding more fabric and increasing the size. A plus-size shirt, for example, requires bigger armholes, but not necessarily bigger shoulders or a bigger back.
"The skeleton doesn't grow," said Steve Barraza, owner of Los Angeles sportswear maker Tianello, which offers plus-size blouses, skirts and tops for women. "You still have the frame of a regular-size woman, just with extra weight."
The difficulties in creating plus-size apparel has made many fashion designers hesitant to develop extra-large sizes or, in some cases, to charge more for the clothes.
The limited selection among designer threads, along with higher prices, has forced many overweight women to shop at plus-size chains such as Lane Bryant and department stores such as J.C. Penney and Sears, which offer clothes in above-average sizes, Barraza said.
Ironically, fashionable plus-sizes in men's clothing aren't a problem. In fact, they're a trend.
"The little guy who wears a large shirt is wearing the XXL," said Theodore Heath, owner of Balla, a street wear clothing company.
Heath said he carries up to 6XL in shirts and a size 60 in pants. He even designed an 8XL leather jacket for rapper Big Punisher (who died a heart attack in February 2000).
The trend for going big in men's clothing has been going on for a few years, Heath said.
"Men want bigger," he said. "And women want tight and sexy."
While other men's designers such as Ralph Lauren have for years been making clothes in XXL sizes and larger, many women's designers are finally catching on as well.
Armani and Seven Jeans, among others, are now offering plus-size lines.
"It's better," Gonzalez said. "But I don't think it's keeping in pace with demand."
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