CURVE APPEAL
Lingerie brands expand their selection of plus-size styles, appealing to a traditionally under-represented market,
Ask any woman. Shopping for bras is a pain, sometimes literally. And if you’re what they call curvy? Good luck with that. But there’s fresh hope on the plussize horizon, with brands including Calvin Klein and specialty retailers such as Brayola introducing more brassieres in 40DD and beyond. It’s part of a new push by clothiers to appeal to full-figured women in the U.S., where the average dress size is between 16 and 18, according to trend-forecasting company WGSN. (For reference, Melania Trump is a 6 and Oprah Winfrey a 12, at least as far as some internet sleuths who track famous figures are concerned.)
The only surprise is that it has taken so long. Plus-size clothing is a women’s $21-billion ( U. S.) sector grow- ing at a rate that researcher NPD Group Inc. pegged at some 6 per cent last year — about three times the average for clothing in all sizes. And one of the fastest-expanding segments is lingerie, said IBISWorld analyst Madeline Hurley. “This area has been traditionally underserved.”
Just look at the statistics: about a third of American adults are classified as overweight, and they’re getting heavier at younger and younger ages. Still, many companies have been slow to catch on, even as Ashley Graham and other substantial models began making the covers of glossy magazines and actors including Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson launched their own lines.
Chastity Garner Valentine, a size-22 fashion blogger, still struggles to find attractive undergarments.
“It makes you feel like you don’t belong and don’t have a place,” said the 36-year-old, who launched a successful social-media campaign in 2014 to shame Target Corp. into adding larger sizes in its designer collections. Bras are a particular bone of contention. “We’re talking about something that you wear on a daily basis.”
Until recently, bras for larger women looked a lot like something greatgrandma would wear. But the range of offerings is exploding — more in hot pink and turquoise, more with sexy lace, more that are strapless.
“The customer wanted it, we just didn’t offer it,” said Cheryl AbelHodges, president of the underwear business at PVH Corp., which owns Calvin Klein. Now plus-size bras are “one of the biggest sales opportunities,” said spokesperson Dana Perlman, adding that underwear is a high-margin apparel category at more than 15 per cent.
Unlike pants or dresses, which can be scaled up using the same template, new bra sizes need to be specially designed and engineered, with special fabric, wires, hooks, straps and more. In fact, there are some 37 components in all, said Suzette Walters, J.C. Penney’s vice-president of intimate apparel and women’s accessories. It’s not easy to get it all right, especially f or f ullfigure variants that have to provide enough lift and also be comfortable. New bra types have a success rate of 50 per cent, Walters said, so the company’s being careful not to introduce too many too fast. It has started by stocking more colours and fashionable styles in bigger sizes in its lingerie label Ambrielle and launching Boutique +, a line for heavier millennial shoppers.
According to research by Hanesbrands, 35 per cent of women are plus size by age 25, and 44 per cent by age 33. That’s why it’s introducing a range of new products called Maidenform Curvy for younger Americans. Beyond that, the new Playtex Love My Curves bras come in cup sizes up to a G.
Valentine, who hosts a two-day event during fashion week in New York called theCurvyCon, sponsored this year by retailers including Target and Lane Bryant. Tickets always sell out. “We want to show that we exist,” she said. “We also want cute
and trendy clothes.”