The fashion industry and media influences

For me personally I feel the fashion industry in the UK has failed both the plus size industry and the women that fall into this industry. This makes me question whether these designers, retailers and manufactures have done research on the changing demand for this industry.

According to Mintel 2010 “10.1 million women in the uk (equivalent to nearly 40% of the female population) are wearing clothes 16 and over, there is a growing demand as over, there is a growing demand for clothing representative of the overall population”

This research shows that retailers are not matching the demand. “Demand is high but supply is low”.

Compared to the U.S., the UK fashion market is not doing the marketing that is needed to prompt the plus size industry. The U.S retailers spent a large amount of money on marketing for the plus size industry. The marketing specialists helps the U.S. retailers to determine on how these products should be sold and determine what type of advertisement is needed for the plus size industry.

I truly believe that the UK fashion industry needs to look into the market and do some research and offer more for plus sizes. I believe that more retailers need to specialise in plus sizes and offer a wider range of sizes for women. There is more annoying than finding an item of clothes you love but the shop doesn’t have your size.

I am so tried of going into shops that say they cater for plus sizes but when you look at the clothes there is no shape and design, it’s just a big piece of cloth. “Are we supposed to be grateful for this? And also be expected to pay extremely high prices for the use of extra cloth.” I find this a joke.

The industry needs to wake and look around; the average size of a woman is no longer sizes 6/8 but is actually a size 16. “So why are manufactures only catering for smaller sizes? What does this portray to the younger buyers?”

 In my eyes it gives off the message that you can only be stylish if you’re a smaller size. No this is so wrong; we need to look at the bigger picture and what these images are doing to young society. I truly believe this is the reason for all of these fad diets, to fit into an image that nine times out ten is hard to achieve.

What I love about the American fashion industry is that they don’t discriminate against the plus size industry. For example, when Tyra Banks did Americas Next Top Model season 10 and Whitney Thompson won, a plus size model, I thought it changed the perceptive on how people look at plus size models.

WHITNEY THOMPSON