There’s all this talk about Saks Fifth carrying a very limited stock of size 14 to 20* for some luxury designers such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Akris, Armani, Carolina Herrera, Escada, Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Roberto Cavalli.
That’s great news but I was wondering why it took them so long to expand into this segment. I found that some luxury and premium brands may be apprehensive about expansion into this area because of the additional costs incurred by making larger pieces of clothing (more fabric needed), more variances in body proportions for plus sizes as you progress on the size scale compared to those for smaller sizes (apparently this makes it more difficult for patternmakers to predict how and where a plus size woman will gain weight in order to modify patterns accordingly). Other factors are that the fabric cutting techniques and garment construction machinery are significantly different compared to those for smaller sized apparel. Limited retail space for the storage of plus size clothes are also an issue. Furthermore, some designers may feel that creating plus sizes might diminish their brands.
To deal with the storage constraints some retailers such as J Crew and Ann Taylor only sell their plus size clothes online – which can be frustrating for the customer who wants to try on her product before committing to buy it!
While I feel that the factors above might hinder profits margins for this segment, luxury and premium brands need to remember the obvious facts: 64 percent of the women in the U.S. fall within the “plus-size” range and “the plus size market increased 1.4 percent while overall women's apparel declined 0.8 percent in the 12 months leading up to April 2010 versus the same period a year earlier.” They can also evaluate high earned brands like Marina Rinaldi which has been successful worldwide. Currently, Marina Rinaldi sells 3 million clothing pieces per year in 93 countries (average retail price for each piece ~ $400).
The bottom line: A properly planned (and executed) and cautious expansion into the plus size market for luxury and premium brands is the way to go.
Plus sizes are definitely a necessity in America. Its interesting to know the constraints which make stores like Ann Taylor sell size size 14 and above online. They actually told me they get only one size 14 and one size 16 for each style ( this was in store in PA not sure what happens in other stores). I think this does not encourage plus size customers to buy from these stores since they can't asess what they are buying! Interesting blog post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, SB :) (My first comment --- BIG SMILE)!!!! The more I read about the topic the more interested I was in it too. Your experience at Ann Taylor definitely confirms the "storage challenge" retailers say they have with plus sizes.
ReplyDeleteI find it disturbing that some designers think that carrying plus sizes may "diminish" their brand. Are they serious? They honestly need 2 look around (& refer 2 ur stats ; )) & see the average size of women in America. I remember reading an interview last yr on the sartorialist blog & a designer (sorry, can't remember his name) said that plus size women can still wear designer brands in the form of accesories like scarves! I thot that was funny & not very consoling @ all
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