If you thought designers were finally catching a clue that curvy women want the same abundance of high-quality, trendy naked dresses that are available to women who wear straight sizes, well, this report from WWD is here to ruin your 2016.
The article goes deep into pondering the question of the century: Don’t designers realize they’re missing out on making big bucks by not extending their sizes to the majority of women?
To investigate, WWD talked to Jim Shea, chief commercial officer at predictive analytics firm First Insight Inc. Jim gave us this unfortunate piece of news:
“Stretchy athletic apparel may be filling some of the gap but not all of it. Retailers and brands use the First Insight solution to identify the right products for each of their target segments or ‘personas,’ so we have a six- to 12-month advance view of how brands are approaching the market. Based on our data, we don’t expect to see a lot of brands specifically targeting the plus-size segment over the coming months.”
AWESOME! So much for giving the people what they want. We know this isn’t your fault, Jim, but you really just pissed all over our parade.
Still digging through the depths of the internet for fashionable clothes you can pull over your hips? Well, the WWD article highlights the progress Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, and Sears are making to step up their offerings for curvy women, so there’s that. Excuse us while we HURL with joy. That’s great on these mega retailers, but come on. Where are the big-name, high fashion designers when you need them?
We know this report isn’t the end-all be-all for the year ahead in curvy fashion, but it’s still not the sunshiney news we hoped for today. On the flip side, some market analysts say that businesses are realizing their faults and are changing their ways. We’ve already seen ripples being made with River Island and Rachel Roy launching lines for curvy babes, so fingers crossed we see more of that sort of stuff in 2016.
Until then, thank god for retailers like Universal Standard and Addition Elle who continue to deliver stuff for all sizes that we’d actually touch with a 9-foot pole.
[WWD]
Related links:
Hey Rachel Roy, Curvier Women Want Wardrobe Staples Too
Dascha Polanco to Exclusionary Designers: ‘I Don’t Have to Dress With Your Clothing’
