Hard times for plus size fashion

Plus size fashion lovers are going to have a harder time finding clothing that fits as plus-size clothing companies are being hit as hard by the recession as high-end designers and department stores.

Many stores have decreased the amount of plus-size clothing they carry or have eliminated the department altogether. Plus-size clothing costs 10 percent more to manufacture, and the demand for it isn’t as high as smaller-sized garments. The economic recession has affected well-known American brands including Ellen Tracy and Ann Taylor who have eliminated or downsized production. Department stores like Bloomingdale’s have decreased space for the collections or even dropped them.

“It’s almost as if certain retailers have said, ‘I’ll worry about losing these customers later on,’” says Andrew Jassin, managing director of retail consultancy Jassin-O’Rourke Group.

Like many other consumers, the plus-size customers don’t buy as much now. And sales of big sizes (generally 16 and over) has fallen 8% in the last 12 months, when the drop was about 4% the year before. (Trend Tracker NPD Group Inc.) To compare, sales of regular women’s sizes fell only 2% for the last year, while the petite sector had just a slight decline.

“They’re really bargain shoppers,” says Catherine Schuller, a plus-size expert and former editor at Mode, a magazine for larger women. “Many are homemakers who can’t spend considerable amounts on clothes and are willing to sacrifice their own spending for their families, especially now.”

But we cannot say that there is no future for plus-size industry at all. As a matter of fact many bigger people prefer to do shopping online and this allows retailers to develop business in a virtual way.

Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Old Navy have moved their larger sizes to e-commerce. Saks still offers six plus-size brands in its stores but suggests more than 20 on its Web site. And there are still designers who create for the market. For example, Eileen Fisher and Isaac Mizrahi for Liz Claiborne.

Moreover, fast-fashion retailers Forever 21and Target recently began testing plus size divisions which would be aimed at teens and women in their 20s or early 30s.

“There’s nothing around that has a hip, cool feel to it,” says model and spokesperson Emme. “There’s a size category that’s not being satisfied, and that’s the [plus size].”

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