"I'm 1.62 meters tall, weigh 140 pounds, have a belly, 'elephant legs' and thick shoulders. I'm a serious 'plus-size girl', but I've always been wearing non-standard 'plus-size women's clothing'." Song Ningning said that her imperfect body cannot prevent herself from being a "hot girl". She seldom chooses a fat T-shirt that covers the flesh.

　　In recent years, the status of "plus size" in the fashion circle has gradually risen, and more and more brands have begun to use plus size models, showing the definition of "better beauty".

A reporter from Shell Finance from the Beijing News searched Taobao for the keyword "large size" and found that nearly 500,000 stores have marked products with such labels.

It is not difficult to see that in the era of aesthetic freedom, "plus size" has quietly become a new fashion outlet.

Plus size is not "add fat and increase"

　　"Fat, but can dress up" is what many people say about Song Ningning. Even if she can dress up like a blogger, she has the same troubles as other fat girls when shopping for clothes.

"When you see beautiful clothes when shopping online, you will be tempted to order. After buying them, you will find that some buttons can't be buttoned at all. Even if you can wear them, they will not have the effect of a model's upper body." Song Ningning bluntly said that she used to be very resistant to shopping for clothes online. , "Obviously confirmed the size with the customer service, but the result is still unsatisfactory, this feeling is too desperate."

　　In Song Ningning's view, most of the clothing with the label of "plus size" on the market is just the "fat and enlarged" version of normal clothing. "Large size does not equal XXL, it should be a separate system in the clothing field."

　　Zhou Zhiyi's favorite fashion item, who is also a "plus-size girl", is a dress with a waist. "I have a pear-shaped body. After wearing a long skirt, it is difficult to see that I weigh 150 pounds." According to memories, Zhou Zhiyi My weight has barely changed since the third year of high school, and I have also tried to shape and lose fat, but it is difficult to lose weight because of the underlying thyroid disease.

"I once felt inferior because of being overweight, until I found a dressing style that suits me when I was studying abroad and gradually reconciled with my figure."

　　Zhou Zhiyi said that although there are many choices for plus-size women's clothing on domestic e-commerce platforms, more often she prefers overseas shopping.

"Although the price of plus-size women's clothing on Taobao is low, the quality is indescribable. Compared with women's clothing of normal size, many plus-size women's clothing lacks ingenious designs."

　　As positive and optimistic as Song Ningning and Zhou Zhiyi, there are not a few "plus-size girls" who have their own dressing ideas, but they also have the same troubles.

The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter noticed that under the unpacking videos of some "plus-size internet celebrities" on platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, many complained about the "poor quality", "few styles" and "detailed design" of plus-size clothing. Not in place", which indirectly reflects the immaturity of plus-size clothing in the domestic market.

For this group of young plus-size women's clothing consumers, they want more personalized and high-quality choices.

Demand continues to expand, and the market needs "high-quality players"

　　Due to the high obesity rate and other reasons, European and American designers and brands have explored plus-size women's clothing earlier.

Italian high-end women's clothing brand Max Mara launched Marina Rinaldi, a sub-line brand designed for plus-size women in 1980, becoming the first senior plus-size women's clothing brand.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Lane Bryant, which was a mother and baby products brand, moved to the plus-size women's clothing field, and has since become a fast fashion brand focusing on plus-size women's clothing.

　　In contrast, the domestic plus-size women's clothing started late. It was not until 2007 that the market ushered in the first real plus-size women's clothing brand "Ten X". Its parent company is similar to Lane Bryant, relying on mothers and babies. Supplies start.

It's a pity that the "Top Ten X" did not continue to cultivate like Lane Bryant, and hurriedly withdrew from the plus-size women's clothing market.

In the next ten years, the market demand for plus-size women's clothing has gradually expanded. It seems that many merchants have emerged on the e-commerce platform, but the quality is relatively limited.

　　This "chaotic" situation was gradually broken two years ago.

　　With the rise of short video platforms, more and more women are calmly facing the "imperfection" of their bodies, and more plus-size women have begun to speak out.

Douyin data shows that since the second half of 2020, labels such as "large size" and "slightly fat" have experienced explosive growth.

　　In June 2020, Yang Tianzhen announced on Weibo that he would step down from all the brokerage business and turn to the live broadcast industry to develop Plusmall, a personal plus-size women's clothing brand; on July 25, Yang Tianzhen opened the first live show on Xiaohongshu.

That night, the total turnover of Yang Tianzhen's first delivery exceeded 7.36 million yuan, and the first pre-sale of personal plus-size women's clothing exceeded 3,000 pieces.

The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter noticed that the overall style of Plusmall has a strong personal touch to the founder Yang Tianzhen, mainly suits and skirts, which are different from the plus-size women's clothing that is only born to "cover the flesh". Code girls are more likely to choose a "trobe" that suits them here.

　　In addition, during Tmall 6.18 in 2021, the women's clothing brand Dushu has become the sales champion in the plus-size women's clothing category.

The brand sells clothing in sizes M to 4XL.

Among them, the most popular is the looser red floral dress.

A reporter from Shell Finance and Economics of the Beijing News noticed that almost all single-beamed clothing has an obvious waistline, but it does not fit the body too much. In the comments, descriptions such as "showing thinness" and "stretching the proportion of the body" are often seen.

The reporter observed that in the live broadcast room of the single beam, several anchors with different body types will try on and explain the clothes together to show the real upper body effect of the clothes.

The "dilemma" in the development of plus-size women's clothing, is the fabric the key?

　　Although under the operation of Plusmall, Dushu and other brands, people's recognition of plus-size women's clothing has improved, but at present, for many brands, there are still bottlenecks in expanding the field of plus-size women's clothing.

　　The Beijing News Shell Finance reporter noticed in Xiaohongshu that many users pointed out that some well-known plus-size women's clothing brands have poor quality products.

Song Ningning also said that she will repurchase the same style many times when she encounters clothes with a good fit, "Most plus-size women's clothes are very cheap, and some of them are very popular in design, but after wearing them a few times, there will be holes and scratches. Balls, etc., and some are even 'disposable' garments."

　　In response to this phenomenon, Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska, co-founder of Kedic Fashion Workshop, a clothing manufacturing solution organization, once said that compared with ordinary size clothing, it takes more resources and time to make plus size clothing.

"Large-size clothing that fits comfortably can't just be roughly upgraded by imitating ordinary-size clothing. Plus-size clothing tends to have a more three-dimensional effect, and plus-size girls have a greater difference in body shape." Some plus-size women's clothing brands regard low prices as Core competitiveness at the expense of quality.

　　Liu Qiuju, who is engaged in clothing production, told the Beijing News Shell Finance reporter that in the clothing design of plus-size women, most brands are trapped in materials.

She said: "Users of plus-size women's clothing are more picky about fabric requirements and are more sensitive to nuances, such as the degree of fabric wear, pilling, and breathability, which are all important considerations for brands and manufacturers. question."

　　Liu Qiuju believes that due to the high cost of fabric research and development, many plus-size women's clothing e-commerce brands use insufficient fabrics due to cost considerations, which affects the visual effect and wearing experience of plus-size women's clothing.

"Summer plus-size women's clothing has higher requirements on the moisture absorption and sweat wicking function of fabrics than ordinary clothing. Therefore, the research and development of fabrics will consume a lot of manpower and material resources of brands and factories."

　　With the emergence of head plus size women's clothing brands, the entry threshold for this market has become higher and higher, but there are fewer mature brands, the quality cannot be guaranteed, and the lack of offline brick-and-mortar stores are all part of this segment. problems facing the road.

In the future, will plus-size girls really usher in "freedom to dress"?

　　Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger