FASHION
For All Heights, Shapes, and Sizes
By: Remy Bailard
It’s not a secret that the fashion industry lacks inclusivity. The majority of fashion brands embody and promote the “ideal standard of beauty” – having a small waist, shiny hair, and flawless skin – while most of us don’t fit within these harsh restrictions. Oftentimes, the length of pants are too long or too short for most girls, and they are rarely made for curvy body types. These issues arise because many large clothing brands want to mass-produce clothing at the lowest price possible in order to profit the most. In order to produce more diverse clothing fits and lengths, companies would have to utilize different manufacturing machines and techniques which raise production costs significantly. Both longer and plus-size pants require more material which further increases the cost per item and reduces brands’ profitability. Most brands stick to the “average” height and size range as it meets the most people. However, what many of these brands fail to realize is that by slightly raising production costs, they could reach a larger number of customers who would then pay money for their inclusively-sized clothing.
It’s time for companies to step-up and make their clothing inclusive for all… no matter the price tag.
Brands like Artizia and Aerie stand out as forerunners of what the fashion industry should be. Aritzia offers a fairly extended range of sizes – extending from size 00 to size 16 in most of their styles. Similarly, Aerie offers a size range of XXS to XXL. Perhaps more notably, the brands both offer pants in short, regular, and tall lengths, making them much more suitable for different body types. Aritzia wasn’t always a size-inclusive brand, but as the brand gained more popularity in 2020, they hoped to reach more customers with the release of their first size-inclusive Babalon collection in Spring 2020. Both brands have taken steps in the right direction, reflecting what many brands should be trying to accomplish – inclusivity for all.
Two of the most relevant and popular brands currently lacking in their size and length inclusivity are Good American and Zara. Although Good American centers its advertising around being plus-size friendly, their pant lengths are rather non-inclusive and are geared almost exclusively towards taller heights. The models shown wearing their different jean styles are all 5’9 and above. Similarly, the vast range of pant styles Zara offers are all displayed on women who meet the stereotypical beauty standards. For brands with such popularity today, their lack of inclusivity deters many potential customers that want to take part in the current trends that the brands offer.
While brands evade additional costs associated with inclusive sizing, the customer who cannot fit into their clothes suffers further expenses. Many short women end up having to buy pants too long for them and as a result, pay a tailor to have them shortened. Most tailor prices for pant hemming can range from $10 to $50 which drastically raises the price of a once inexpensive pant to one potentially out of many women’s price ranges.
“I’m 5’2 and have just come to the realization that when I buy pants I’m accepting the fact that I’m going to have to pay extra to get them tailored, freshman Lilah-Jane Challe says. “But that’s not what the fashion industry should be and I hope there’s one day where that will change.”
Although pant length can be altered to fit shorter heights, women that require plus-size pants or longer pants don’t have the same alternative and are limited to the brands that offer their sizings. In a growing fashion industry with ever changing trends, women of all body shapes and sizes should be able to participate, yet the lack of inclusivity in most brands prevents this.
May this article be a call for all brands to take notice of the fact that there is no “standard” size. Brands must stop looking at their size inclusivity in terms of initial extra costs, and instead look at it from a consumer point of view – recognizing how they will sell more by being suitable for more people. As a girl who falls below many brands’ standards for height in clothing, this is something I, and many people close to me, have always struggled with.
The fashion industry isn’t exempt from becoming more inclusive. As the world grows increasingly progressive, the fashion industry should too.