The fact that three successful plus-size fashion brands have recently closed after several years of operation shines a spotlight on the dissonance that exists in the field of plus size in our districts. Potential customers claim that there is no fashion in the country in style for sizes 46 and up, but in practice they prefer to buy in Shane. We went out to check
07/01/2022
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What actually falls here between the chairs, or between the hangers to be exact? After all, there is a large female audience in the country that needs quality local fashion in sizes known as “standard” and willing to pay quite a bit for the clothes, so why is the situation so different in the field of plus size fashion? We turned to small and medium-sized fashion businesses for large sizes, opinion leaders and customers themselves to try to understand the source of the gap. It should be noted that there are brands that did not want to be exposed and react to the issue, perhaps for fear of angering customers if they criticize their consumer behavior, in an arena that is as difficult as it seems to retain them as loyal and repeat customers.
“Fashion brands in large sizes in the country have been declining in the last two years and it’s not just the fault of the corona as many of us tend to think,” says Roni. Cohen, CEO of the Queen Size brand, which has been operating since 2016. “Along with the fact that the percentage of weight gain is increasing around the world, so are international companies such as Ali Express, Next, Asus and Shein, which offer significantly cheaper alternatives in large quantities. I have zero judgment, which each one will buy according to pocket and ability. I always say that food also has Rami Levy and there is a taste, each based on its ability or at all its free choice, really. It is better to purchase 2-3 good items a year than 15 items that will not survive a season or be thrown in the trash even before they are worn. As a client once told me, ‘I realized that Shane comes out to me in the end much more expensive than Queen Size’.
It turns out that the situation is quite similar in the religious sector as well, “the noise they make around the large sizes In Israel, it does not match the actual shopping, “says Orit Shoham, head of the one-and-a-half-year-old Blash brand, which caters to the ultra-Orthodox and religious sectors. “I mean, there is indeed a demand but since for women in larger sizes it is important how the dress will sit and tend to stay in certain patterns, such as only a certain dress or black will suit them, so the buying process is more difficult. We make a lot of efforts to meet their need and understand what they want but it is definitely challenging. We have a supply from size 34 to 54, which means we actually make two collections and work very hard. I insisted that on our site we take the same prices for all sizes but it is not easy “The factory demands more money from me for sewing a large size as well as for a quality fabric that is stretched enough and durable, than it demands for the same garment to a small extent, and the customers are not aware of that at all.”
- In an industry that until then has dedicated one beauty model And contributed (indirectly or directly) to social harm, it is evident that we are in a much more authentic and correct place. Plus-size models and diverse women have become in demand and there is hardly a network or brand, even in Israel, that ignores the trend. On the contrary, they listen to the demand from the field and work to produce and offer clothes that will serve women of all sizes and styles. But still it seems that there is no match, yet, between what women in large sizes are probably really looking for and what plus size fashion in the country offers. What is certain is that customers are not willing to compromise – neither on style nor on a favorable price.