/ Double Digit Dressing

by Anokhi Admin

Double Digit Dressing

May 15, 2013

Having a full figure is no reason to hide behind a long cloak today; not when Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors designer wear is available in plus sizes that flatter your figure and enhance your curves. It’s quite a change from the time when all voluptuous clientele received from the fashion gurus was neglect. Now, those discriminating days are long past. With the availability of hundreds of e-sites that cater to the full-figured, it’s a liberating age for curvy girls the world over. But where does the Indian plus-size online market stand?

Plus-size fashion is already a specialized segment in North America. The fifth annual Full Figured Fashion Week taking place in New York this June, confirms this. While India has always had plus-size clientele, most brands have shied away from creating clothing for that segment. “As per the India Apparel Report 2008, plus-size apparel contributes approximately $18.8 billion to the $12,240 billion domestic apparel market,” says Ganesh Subramanian, chief merchandising offi cer at www.myntra.com. Not a regressive figure at all, considering the market is still in its infancy. And the online market has followed suit. “We have observed that in some of our key categories, like women’s dresses, the largest size [XXL] is selling beyond our planned sales mix and we foresee a growth rate of fi ve to 10 per cent,” Subramanian adds.

What excites women about online shopping? Doesn’t it cut down on precious “me” time, the added pleasure of bargaining and even eating out? “With umpteen designer options available within one e-site, it becomes really simple to pick what I like,” says Delhi-based Monica Tarwani, who shops for plus-size D&G, Ralph Lauren and Puma clothing from www.fashionandyou.com and www.theprivatesales.com. The deals available online are usually irresistible and cash on delivery coupled with the exchange option most e-sites provide, make it a win-win offer. But for most plus-sized Indian women the driving factor is the availability of stylish designer wear online which is practically non-existent in Indian markets. Brands like Mustard, Monsoon, St. Martins and Stanfi eld that are unheard of in most Indian cities can be purchased from shopping portals like www.jabong.com and can be delivered countrywide.

But it seems that Indian brands still need to understand plus size. Mumbai-based Priya Pathiyan, editor of India’s Mother & Baby magazine, routinely struggles with tops that are very loose on the shoulders. She’s had to make do with tops and bottoms that do not respect her size. “Even today, the few local brands that do stock larger sizes in western wear tend to veer towards loose, fl owing tops that make a woman look shapeless and even larger than she is,” says Pathiyan. “They use horrendous prints and do not even try to create attire that would flatter a plus-size figure,” she adds. But that’s not the worst part. “The trauma of entering a store and being told by the salesperson that nothing they sell could possibly fit you is a huge turn off,” says Pathiyan. And to top that, many retailers suggest that full-figured women should stick to fl owing salwar kameezes to cover up the grey areas.

Deepanjali Rao, director of DeePositive Intertainment, whose heavy arms have been an issue, has frequently ended up buying a size or two larger and then having her dresses altered. But ever since she discovered websites from the U.S. and U.K., she’s been hooked. “What’s satisfying about western websites is that you get what you see,” says Rao, who has bought plus-size clothing from web stores such as www.target.com, www.onestopplus.com and www.simplybe.com but has been unable to fi nd anything suitable on Indian portals. U.S.-based Varsha Sangam, who has shopped from both Indian and American web shops prefers the latter for the same reason.

Websites like www.jabong.com, www.myntra.com, www.zovi.com, www.mustard.co.in and www.junglee.com offer Indian and western wear in plus sizes. There are also a few stores that take orders via their Facebook pages. Tiramisu Clothing makes designer western clothing — including plus sizes — and Diksha Modi, the owner of Kisses, has crafted short dresses, asymmetrical hemlines, low backs, as well as straightcut tunics and suits for plus-size women.

Topping the popularity list of online stores are www.bloomingdales.com and www.asos.com. Arezu Sabreze, the designer and owner of www.uzera.com, claims to have a large Indian clientele — ladies with a U.K. size 16 who love her viscose jersey dresses in particular. Holly Xerri, the inventor of Camiband, also has a long list of Indian customers, mostly based out of the U.S., who love her Camibands to hide their cleavage, extend t-shirts and offer extra skirted coverage over a swimsuit bottom.

The options are innumerable but the Indian plus-size market still has a long way to go. For one, the Indian designers need to understand that having a large frame does not kill a woman’s aspirations to look and feel like a diva. Perhaps the real challenge is not in dressing the ideal figure, but in bringing to the forefront the beauty of curves. Indian designers, take note!

BY PRITI SALIAN / PUBLISHED IN THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE, JANUARY 2013