March 2008

Size It Up

These days, plus-size T-shirts, cardigans and just about any apparel item you can think of are offered in the ad specialty market. It’s how you pitch and sell plus-size apparel that makes the difference.

By Elaine Wong

Do any of these questions sound familiar? “It’s way too tight at the waist. Why does it fit like this?” “Are you serious? You don’t have this polo in a 5XL?” “Excuse me. Are you trying to tell me I’m the next size up?”

If so, chances are you’ve sold at least one women’s plus-size apparel order in your sales life, and, as many of your fellow distributors will tell you, this is one heck of a tough market. For one, there are sizing inconsistencies and inventory limitations as you jump from supplier to supplier. But there is, as they say, light at the end of the tunnel. That’s because suppliers and distributors are finally embracing this challenging market.

Suppliers: ‘We’re doing our best’
“It wasn’t too many years ago that the biggest woman’s size you could find was an xtra large,” says Joy Ingram, an account executive with Classic Creations (asi/162707). She’s noticed that suppliers have certainly picked up on the

Features such as a top-stitched, ribbed, V-neck collar, a taped neck and double-needle hemmed sleeves and bottom create a soft shape and classic, feminine fit, for every size. Available from L.A.T. Sportswear (asi/65948), style 3587, 25 colors, S-3XL
Reader Service #153


The new Sierra Pacific full-zip fleece vest has a convertible collar and nylon-reinforced front pockets. It’s offered in a range of styles and colors, so if you’re looking for something that’ll fit the women of all sizes, try this on for size. Available from S&S Activewear (asi/84358), style 3010, 11 colors, S-6XL
Reader Service #154

industry’s need for more variety and style in plus-size clothing. “I’m seeing a lot more scoop necks than in the past. It used to be if you were a plus-size woman, all you had to wear was a golf shirt.”

She’s right. Companies such as Dunbrooke (asi/50930), for instance, have responded to the growing demand for plus-size clothing by accommodating a wider size range of end-users. For instance, 10 years ago, this outerwear, knits and wovens supplier only carried garments up to a 1XL. Over time, the size range expanded to include a 2XL, and, now any style introduced as of two years ago is available up to a 4XL.

“It all goes back to the customer. Our distributors were definitely asking for it,” Tom Flippo, Dunbrooke’s senioe vice president, says of the change. “We just responded by offering styles in sizes that were virtually across the board.”

Another reason for the trend, Flippo says, is the increase in the amount of females entering the workforce during the past decade. But the decision to implement such a huge inventory of sizes wasn’t exactly viewed as a smart business practice, from the supplier’s viewpoint, at least.

“If we looked at how many plus-size items we sell compared to overall sales, it would look terrible,” he says. “On the flip side, we don’t know how many orders we’d be missing if we didn’t carry that one size. It’s a crapshoot. There’s no way you can put your finger on it.”

Indeed. Just ask Norman Bishop, owner of Bishop Garment Co. (asi/40585), who says plus-size orders account for just 5% of most distributor purchases from his company. But, as any supplier can tell you, a salesperson’s primary objective is to please the customer, and if that means giving them five, 10 or 15 T-shirts in a 4XL, then so be it.

Other suppliers, such as L.A.T. Sportswear (asi/65948), focused on creating clothing that fits women’s bodies in the first place. “We made sure the garments were side seamed and shaped with a nice waist and sweep to give a flattering feminine fit,” says Mindy Anastos, marketing and merchandising manager. “We also used 5.5 oz. combed ringspun jersey fabric; by avoiding ribbed and sheer fabrics, we were able to construct garments that feature superb draping.” The supplier also made sure these sizes were available in the same color palette as its other styles.

With its contrast sleeves and Techno-Dri micromesh fabric, this women’s raglan short-sleeve round-neck tee makes treadmill workouts as glamorous as a Paris runway. Available from Bishop Garment Co. (asi/40585), style 259, XS-6XL
Reader Service #155


This women’s zip-front track jacket is made from a Techno-Dri heavyweight piqué material, and comes in colors that span the rainbow. Available from Bishop Garment Co. (asi/40585), style 2006, XS-6XL
Reader Service #155


This women’s zip-front track jacket is made from a Techno-Dri heavyweight piqué material, and comes in colors that span the rainbow. Available from Bishop Garment Co. (asi/40585), style 2006, XS-6XL
Reader Service #155

Danny Tsai, marketing manager at Tri-Mountain/Mountain Gear (asi/92125), says his company conducts a size run from XS all the way up to 4XL each time a new style is introduced, and the female employees in the office volunteer as models. “That way, our merchandising team can see how each size looks on actual women,” he says. “This sometimes can be a tedious process, with multiple size sets made and various adjustments, but in the long run, it definitely pays off. We also collect feedback from our customers, end-users and sales reps.”

Seven tips for success
While much has been done to solve distributors’ sizing dilemmas, suppliers still have their work cut out for them.

Here are seven tips for overcoming these and other common plus-size sales woes.

1. Know how sizing charts run. Different suppliers have different sizing charts, which accounts for the “is it XL, XXL or 3XL?” confusion. Distributors should familiarize themselves with how vendors’ sizes run relative to retail. “No two manufacturers are the same,” Flippo says. “There’s no such thing as universal sizing across the board, and there are reasons for it and reasons against it. But if someone knows how each supplier’s garments fit versus something in retail, they can still sell it.”

Failing to educate your clients on a supplier’s sizing chart can result in disastrous results, as Lezlie Kinney of CHK Enterprises/Bright Ideas Promotional Products Galore (asi/154850) learned. “We had a client last year who ordered about 500 garments for a whole company, and although our sizing sheets mentioned the retail sizing, many people signed up for the wrong size, so they received too-small-to-wear garments,” she says. “We didn’t realize the end-users didn’t understand the sizing chart and the client was very unhappy, though they understood the reason.”

2. Book a fitting with the supplier. “We get some measurements and work with the distributor to get them something that fits,” Bishop says. “If someone comes to me for 100 plus-size shirts, we’d provide them with sizing samples so that everyone is comfortable that what we’re calling plus size really is plus size. Then, we’ll get chest, waist and arm measurements to get a better feel for that person’s size to find something that fits.”

3. Ask the “big and tall” question. Diane Schreiner, an account executive with Added Incentives (asi/106725), says she always asks whether a client needs to outfit any plus-sized people or extremely tall people, because they won’t think to tell you unless you ask.

It’s also important to look at your end-user demographics to see if you should stock more plus-size styles. “A few years ago, I had one of my regular customers ask me why I mostly stock junior-size tees when plus-size older women are the ones who have money to buy our product,” says Tara Moynihan, wholesale manager at Regalia Rags. “Boy, that was a wake-up call, and she was right. I added plus-size and misses tees and our production increased by approximately 30%.”

4. Tell them to skip decorating until they’re 100% sure. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” Schreiner asked a client once who requested the employees’ names be embroidered on the shirts before they tried them on.

The customer went ahead with the order anyway. “Well, sure enough, we had two shirts that were a 2X that should have been a 3X and we couldn’t pull the stitching out of it,” Schreiner says. “It was the first and last time they requested that be done.”

5. Obtain customer feedback. “Just recently, we were surveying a large client and there was overwhelming demand for more plus sizes to be available in the catalog,” says Mark Ziskind, CEO of CSE (asi/155807). “We responded not only by adding additional women’s pieces with plus sizes, but also by expanding the size scale across the current offerings."

ELAINE WONG is a staff writer for Wearables. Contact: ewong@asicentral.com.