Loft Abandons Inclusive Sizing

The retailer’s abrupt about-face ignores a market worth billions

Women’s retailer Loft is eliminating size-inclusive fashions just three years after embracing them.

The company didn’t make an announcement. Instead, the news was revealed in response to shoppers’ inquiries on social media. It was a shock — and a huge disappointment — for many customers.

“The vast majority of my clothes come from Loft, but based on this, I guess I’ll be looking for a new favorite store,” one woman responded on Twitter. Another commented, “This doesn’t make sense — and it sends an awful message. Please reconsider this decision!!”

Loft announced that it would expand its sizes in 2018 after “This Is Us” actress Chrissy Metz wore the company’s polka-dot midi wrap dress on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

Private equity firm Sycamore Partners bought the Loft, Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, and Lou & Grey brands from Ascena Retail Group for $540 million during a bankruptcy auction last year.

Loft’s move left many of the company’s customers feeling “disrespected by both the decision and the secretive way it announced the change,” wrote Fashionista.

“While it’s not financially feasible for every brand to be size-inclusive, it begs an important question: How can plus-size women, who make up a majority of the US population, not be profitable?” asked Gianluca Russo, fashion writer, and co-founder of Instagram’s The Power of Plus.

“The issue, as made clear by the thousands of unanswered and ignored comments left on Loft’s social media pages, is rooted far deeper than the plus customer not wanting to purchase yet another basic floral print sundress,” he wrote for InStyle.

The market for extended sizes is worth billions

The global market is valued at more than $178 billion, Vogue Business reported. Pointing to data from Acute Market Research, the magazine noted that it’s projected to grow 4.3 percent annually between 2020 and 2028. A growth rate of 4 percent is likely for the $24 billion US market, per the magazine.

Loft’s decision is especially puzzling as the popularity of inclusive sizing is rising, especially with socially conscious Gen Z consumers who wield $143 billion in buying power.

“Research shows younger generations tend to favor brands that offer inclusive and environmentally friendly products,” according to Adweek. “Retail analysts have said brands could face financial losses by not creating inclusive, diverse and genderless product design and marketing.”

A steadily increasing number of retailers are adopting extended sizing. Parade just featured a list of 25 that includes Anthropologie, ASOS, Christian Siriano, H&M, J. Crew, Dia and Co., Eloquii, and Old Navy.

Activewear companies like Nike, Puma, Adidas, and Fabletics offer size-inclusive leisurewear and workout clothes.

Customers care about a brand’s values

Over the past five years, the body positivity movement has become a powerful force in popular culture, the BBC reports.

But Ludovica Cesareo, an assistant professor of marketing at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University, says simply adding sizes doesn’t guarantee sales.

“Consumers really care about values, and so they want to buy from brands that reflect the values they believe in,” she told the BBC.

Even before its decision, some said Loft’s efforts at size inclusivity were lackluster.

“It is painfully clear that this decision is a major mistake, but unfortunately, it’s not the first mistake Loft has made with their plus sizes,” writes the Curvy Fashionista.

The company’s missteps, per the site, included scant selection, poor marketing, limited advertising, inconsistent sizing, and failure to supply stock to brick-and-mortar stores.

Those issues are in line with other complaints about the fashion industry, according to an analysis from Coresight Research. Shoppers said that the clothes on offer were unfashionable and that retailers gave them limited space, often relegating items to the back of their stores.

These problems are wide-spread because “the fashion industry is still skewed towards smaller sizes in products and advertising,” said retail data company Edited.

Among the issues highlighted by Edited: Most items stocked online are sizes 00 to 8, and the majority of products for sizes larger than that are priced higher.

In addition, product descriptions fail to use “body-neutral terminology.”

The company analyzed new products over a three-month period and found that the word “flattering” was used 22 percent more and “slimming” 19 percent more to describe sizes larger than so-called “straight sizes,” generally 00 to 12.

As Gen Z continues to gain influence and purchasing power, it’s “essential for retailers to underscore inclusivity,” per Edited. “Brands will need to rethink and evolve the terminology they use to describe products to remain relevant.”

Signs of progress and success

Nick Kaplan, president of retailer Fashion to Figure, told InStyle that although the pandemic has been financially challenging, the past year has been the brand’s best. Creating a community and making connections with customers grows revenue, he said.

But expanding sizes might not be a good fit for all clothiers, he cautioned.

“Know what you’re signing up for because this consumer is super smart,” Kaplan said. “She has options today that she didn’t have yesterday but still wants more, and she still needs more. But if it doesn’t fit and you can’t establish that fit, then don’t commit.”

One company that’s won acclaim is Universal Standard, which debuted in 2015. Its first eight-piece collection sold out in six days.

Founder and Chief Creative Officer Alexandra Waldman told Retail Dive that fashionable clothes should be accessible to all women.

“I feel very strongly that the time for plus-size clothing is over — that’s an imperative,” she said.

Universal Standard offers more than a dozen clothing categories, including jeans, dresses, skirts, pants, coats, athleisure, and loungewear, all in sizes ranging from 00 to 40.

A variety of models are featured on its site and customers who change sizes over the course of a year can replace gently used items for free with its Fit Liberty plan.

“This industry has been suffering because the prejudice against bigger bodies is so calcified that fashion companies have been leaving money on the table,” Waldman told Vogue Business. “Size inclusivity has moved away from what we ‘should’ do and is now what we must do.”