Before beginning our quest for size inclusivity in sustainable fashion, we must first understand what size inclusivity really means. Size Inclusivity can be essentially described as a practice where all clothing sizes are included and represented in contemporary fashion. Normal fashion brands that offer a wide variety of clothing sizes are still sparse, so it is almost unwarrantable to expect this practice is widespread from sustainable fashion.
A pothole that frequently appears in the road to sustainability but is absent in the detrimental alternatives is the ease of accessibility. Think about it, everyone enjoys fast food: It is cheap and delicious but how many fast food joints offer paper straws? Or reusable cups? Or bio-degradable take-out boxes? The answer is dishearteningly low. So, what must a plus-sized person do, if they enjoy curating their outfits in a fashionable way while simultaneously caring about saving the environment?
While regular clothing stores often don’t cater to the requirements of diverse body types and are often seen to be only having the signature three sizes (S, M and L) the others are left with fewer options to choose from and lesser pieces to work with. The same problem is now seen within the thrift stores that have risen to popularity over the years while trying to popularize the concept of sustainability. Ranging from a wide variety of thrift stores from the physical stores to the ones online, we notice a trend of availability. The trend of availability only includes a constricted number of sizes and doesn’t include options for other body types. The mainstream body type is mainly what these stores cater to and this, in turn, can cause several issues. The lack of sustainable clothing options among plus-sized body types will lead them to resort to regular fast fashion and as a chain reaction system, this again increases environmental hazards.
Despite having about 30% of Indian consumers shopping for plus-sized clothing, Indian brands have failed to cater to the needs of these buyers. In the past few years, plus-sized women have increased their spendings on fashion more than their straight-sized counterparts; it’s clear that the market exists but multiple brands have decidedly not made clothes for them. The struggle for sustainable and size-inclusive clothing is real and extremely prevalent in India, so here are a few brands that do apply their imagination and creativity to people of different shapes and sizes; Sassy Soda, Tailorman (For menswear), aLL, Zivame and Mustard. There are even some thrift stores online that have included clothing for all shapes and sizes and don’t believe in the custom three sizes to cater to the people’s clothing needs.
Links to these stores
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