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2022-

2022-05-22 e
THE STATE OF THE DISUNION V

Some Animals Are Fatter Than Other Animals

Old Navy Going Broke Catering to
Ghettopotamus & Barriopotamus Plus Sizes

Old Navy Made Clothing Sizes for Everyone. It Backfired.

The clothing brand’s push for inclusivity left it with a shortage of middle sizes. ‘It’s super-frustrating.’

Old Navy set out to make clothes shopping more inclusive for women of all body types. It ended up with too many extra-small and extra-large items and too few of the rest, a mismatch that frustrated customers and contributed to falling sales and a management shake-up.

[...] Billed as one of the biggest launches in the brand’s history, Old Navy in August began offering all women’s clothing styles in size 0 to 30 and XS to 4X, making it one of the first retailers to place such a big bet on inclusive sizing. It did away with separate petite and plus-size departments and grouped all sizes of each style together. Mannequins in varying body shapes displayed the new wares. All sizes of a style were priced the same, a break with an industry practice in which retailers charge more for larger sizes.

[...] Soon after, however, Old Navy’s sales started to nosedive. Last month, Nancy Green, the chain’s president and chief executive, stepped down after less than two years running the brand. Gap warned that sales for the spring quarter would fall short of expectations in part due to troubles at Old Navy.

The extended sizes were the culprit, according to current and former employees.

Stores were selling out of the middle sizes and were stuck with piles of very small and very large sizes, the employees said….

At an Old Navy store in Queens, N.Y., racks of women’s clothes were recently selling for 50% off. Some women’s dresses were available in only XS and XXL. High-waisted canvas pants were sold out in sizes 4 through 10, but available in size 2 and in 12 to 28.

Shoppers said Old Navy’s message of inclusivity resonates with them. But it is sometimes outweighed by the frustration of not being able to find their size.

[...] Retailers from Victoria’s Secret to Target Corp. have embraced size inclusivity by adding more styles in small and large sizes to win over new customers and promote more positive body imagery.

Few chains have gone as far as Old Navy. “It was a big step for the industry,” said Liza Amlani, the founder of consulting firm Retail Strategy Group. “Old Navy really invested in equality around sizing, not just in the product but from the way the stores were laid out.”

Most retailers sell clothes in sizes that range from 0 to 14. Adding additional sizes comes with extra costs from developing new patterns to buying extra material, Ms. Amlani said. Retailers tend to buy more of a given item in midrange sizes and fewer in very small or very large sizes.

But they are often still short of the most popular sizes, while ending up with too many of the sizes that are less in demand. Offering a wider range of sizes can magnify that problem, she said.

The average American woman is a size 18 today, up from a size 14 five years ago, according to Don Howard, executive director of Alvanon, which works with brands and retailers on sizing and fit. (read more)

See also: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/state-of-size-inclusive-sustainable-fashion

See also: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-power-of-plus-gianluca-russo-shammara-lawrence-first-anniversary-interview

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