Redefining the Term "Beautiful" in Fashion: The Rise of Plus Size Fashion

By Sabrina Kennelly on December 12, 2014

In 2006, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Mike Jeffries commented that his brand was not intended for “fat” clients.

“A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely,” Jeffries said  to Salon news.

This week, according to Forbes.com, Jeffries has decided to retire. “Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody,” Jeffries said to Salon in 2006. “Young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either,” he said.

Since 2006, finding a target audience for retailers has been questioned since the economic depression in 2008. One audience that seems to be forgotten in retail are those, as Jeffries describes, as the “fat” clients.

Image from Forever 21 of several plus size options

The amount of available Plus Size clothing is scarce today. Only several stores such as Torrid, Maurices and Lane Bryant are dedicated to plus size clothing. Large chain stores such as Forever 21 contain plus size clothes which are typically tucked away in a corner of the store, are unstylish, or have to be ordered online.

Actress Melissa McCarthy and singer/actress Sophie Tweed-Simmons have decided to break the barriers and create fashion lines to help women embrace their bodies, no matter what size they are.

Tweed-Simmons in an outfit from The Style Club

Tweed-Simmons in a design from The Style Club

“When you go above a size 12, you don’t lose your love of fashion,” McCarthy said in an interview with wwd.com. McCarthy will be partnering with Gerard Guez’s Sunrise Brands to create a clothing and beauty line that can cater to all women.

“It’s a strange thing to stop at a certain size,” McCarthy said to wwd.com. “Women don’t, so why should clothes?”

For Sophie Tweed-Simmons, having a curvy body can be hard to dress. The entrepreneur has created an online store called The Style Club which will cater specifically for women with curves.

“A lot of designers that I love don’t fit me. I wanted to do cuts that would be flattering to girls who have some shape,” Tweed-Simmons said to Yahoo Style. Her designs go up to a size 18.

Tweed-Simmons in a design from The Style Club

While Tweed-Simmons’ line is already available for purchase, McCarthy’s line is still in the process of being created. Her line is set to premier Fall of 2015. Both Tweed-Simmons and McCarthy prove that size shouldn’t affect how stylish you are.

And from the looks of it, the fashion world has now begun to embrace this too. In September, retailer Evans held the first ever plus size show during London Fashion week.

“This is a big and important part of the market, and we need to be seen to embrace it,” CEO Sir Philip Green said to WWD. “You cannot ignore the market place,” Evans said.

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