The fashion industry is finally getting serious about size inclusivity, and the broader range of sizes hitting both the runway and the rack is good news for many women.
In fact, 67 percent of American women wear size 14 and above (making them technically “plus size”) according to Refinery29, which recently launched the 67 Percent Project to highlight more diverse images of women.
It’s also a huge opportunity for brands that are just starting to see the potential in the $21.4 billion plus-size market. Increasingly, a diverse size of models are showing up in fashion campaigns, and brands are expanding sizes they offer and putting the larger side of the spectrum right alongside the smaller side (as opposed to segregating them in “plus size sections”).
This welcome focus on catering to real women in a range of sizes is nothing new at Levi Strauss & Co.
As Jill Guenza, global VP of women’s design, told Glamour in a recent article on size inclusivity in the denim world, Levi’s® has been making plus-size jeans for about 15 years. The brand carries jeans through size 26, and the rigorous design process “includes developing each pair of jeans on a plus-size model, then double and triple checking the final fit on several sizes and body shapes across the plus range,” she told the magazine.
Levi’s® also recently launched a line of plus-sized tops to appeal to curvier customers with a head-to-toe look.
“Meeting the needs of our consumer, women of all shapes and sizes, is our top priority,” said Kim Angle, merchant for Levi’s® women’s bottoms. “It’s disheartening to see how little choice is out there for this consumer when she represents the majority. It is important for us to recognize this and be advocates for change in the fashion industry.”
This year, the brand worked with photographer Kava Gorna (who published a book of photographs featuring women of all shapes wearing Levi®’s jeans) to keep the body positive messaging front and center in the 300 Shaping Series campaign. And in India, the brand is on the second season of its popular #ShapeMyWorld campaign, highlighting remarkable women with body positive messages.
Man or woman, thin or curvy, tall or petite, Levi’s® has you covered. Shop our broad range of sizes here.
