H&M lost the $300 billion market, and Chinese sellers have gained a foothold

It is a consensus that changing seasons = buying clothes, and the editor is no exception.

After the editor opened the shopping app and typed in the words "large size makes you look thin", he was excited to start his shopping trip. However, this excitement lasted less than 10 minutes before he collapsed: "Can you be more friendly to plus-size girls?!!!" There were many clothes that were wearable but of a single style and dull colors, and even more so those that were too small and ill-fitting.

Maybe some people think this is a problem that only plus-size girls in China have? I can only say, naive.

Out of professional sensitivity, the editor went to the Internet to check, and then found that plus-size girls really live up to the saying "same world, same troubles": it is so difficult to buy a piece of clothing that fits and looks good!

The plus-size women's clothing market is expected to reach $300 billion this year

A survey released by data research company Precedence Research shows that the size of the global plus-size women's clothing market will be approximately US$290.04 billion in 2023, reaching US$306.66 billion in 2024; and is expected to exceed US$500 billion in 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.73% between 2024 and 2033.

A survey by social commerce platform Mys Tyler also showed:

In the United States , 54.4% of women wear "plus-sized" clothing, and the most common clothing size (worn by American women) is size 16 (the starting size for plus sizes).

In Australia , 52.1% of women are size 16 and above, 67% are size 14 and above; more than a third (36.9%) of women are plus-sized. Almost half of Australian women think they have a more pronounced waist and hip curves.

In the UK , 47.4% of women are plus-size, with the average size here being between 16 and 18.

However, such a market with huge demand has not been recognized by more brands . At New York Fashion Week AW24, the proportion of plus-size clothing displayed was only 0.8%; even in the UK, where the average size is larger, the proportion of plus-size models displayed at London Fashion Week was only 2.4%.

When browsing related products in various markets, we can find that the styles and colors of plus-size clothing are mostly monotonous, with almost no sense of fashion and beauty; and the sizes are not rich enough ; at the same time, many of the models showing these clothes are of normal body shape or not "plus-size". It can be said that the demand of plus-size women for clothing is far from being truly met .

Although many well-known magazines have led the way in plus-size fashion, and big brands such as H&M and Old Navy have also actively joined the market, the neglect of real user needs has led to the failure of many brands: H&M announced the suspension of its offline plus-size fashion business in 2016, and Old Navy only lasted for 13 months before its offline stores withdrew all plus-size product lines.

In addition, many brands believe that plus-size women's clothing lowers their style, which makes many brands more cautious when entering the market.

With a keen eye for identifying pearls, there are already big sellers in China with in-depth layout

Industry analysts believe that the reason for the failure of these traditional big brands is related to their target customer base: middle-class women who pursue a slim figure and healthy complexion and are well-educated.

However, from the perspective of overseas conditions, leaving aside pathological factors, people's weight, income and social status show an inverse trend. Therefore, these traditional big brands do not have an advantage in entering the plus-size women's clothing market.

At this time, many Chinese brands with vision and ideas seized the opportunity and established a firm foothold in the large-size market. BloomChic, Cider, LovelyWholesale, and Shapellx are among the leaders.

BloomChic, as a brand that has been rooted in the plus-size market since its inception, has won three rounds of financing in less than two years. It is reported that the brand is positioned in the market as a "proactive, sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion brand" and is committed to meeting the needs of plus-size women for fashionable clothing . Its size up to 6X makes it a differentiated selling point to attract local users, and coupled with the brand's low-price strategy and innovative design , it is deeply loved by local consumers .

Cider, which is aimed at Generation Z , has completed multiple rounds of financing in a short period of time since its establishment ; it is now a popular brand in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and other regions. After launching the plus-size women's clothing category, the number of fans and likes on the brand's social media accounts such as TikTok has increased rapidly, and the number of fans on its TikTok account has now exceeded 920,000 .

LovelyWholesale has gained a firm foothold in the fiercely competitive women's clothing market by focusing on the Latino housewives group in the United States (whose overall obesity rate is relatively high) . Starting from an independent website, its business has gradually expanded to mainstream platforms such as Amazon, TikTok Shop, Temu, and SHEIN. In the spring of 2023, its Basic series set a record of more than 20,000 pieces sold in a single day ; in the fourth quarter of 2023, the brand's GMV ranked first in the women's clothing category on TikTok Shop .

Shapellx has rapidly risen in the North American market with its innovative body-shaping products. The brand emphasizes providing comfortable and fashionable body-shaping products for women of different body shapes and needs, with sizes ranging from "S" to "6X", targeting a wide range of people. Its products cover multiple categories such as body-shaping clothes, shorts, and body-shaping dresses, and it is committed to sustainable development; on platforms such as Trustpilot, users have given high praise to Shapellx's products.

Are plus-size women's clothing just regular-size clothing enlarged in proportion?

Do many sellers think so? If so, you need to have a good understanding of the concept of "body shape".

Sellers who have done some research on body types know that people can be divided into many types of body types due to genetics. Plus-sized people are no exception. In fact, compared with consumers of ordinary body types, plus-sized people have more prominent body characteristics, which means that plus-sized women's clothing has higher design requirements: not only must the size fit and highlight the advantages of body shape, but also must be fashionable and comfortable. Although this is "both necessary and necessary", it is also the difficulty of plus-sized women's clothing going overseas.

In order to meet these needs, brands need to have a full grasp and understanding of consumers' ideas. Take BloomChic as an example. According to brand founder Hu Zhoubin, the company has a dedicated pattern research institute. Before new products are launched, in addition to market research, they will also invite dozens of plus-size users to try them on. After making modifications based on feedback, the samples will be sent to the United States for trial wear, and details will be adjusted through remote video communication.

BloomChic will also cooperate with local brands, regularly hold offline events to invite consumers to participate in research, and conduct surveys through video interviews, questionnaires and other research methods simultaneously. Brands will also hire plus-size users as brand employees in order to obtain more valuable advice.

After sufficient market research, marketing is equally important. After observation, the editor found that although the sub-tracks are different, these brands are all deploying social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and actively cooperating with plus-size KOLs for promotion. At the same time, the style of the brand accounts is also mainly relaxed, humorous, and colorful.

In addition, whether it is the product display on social platforms or in the product display in the listing, the models used by these brands are basically plus-size models, which allows the audience to understand the product effect more objectively and have a stronger sense of involvement. Don't underestimate this point, objective display of product effect = users are more likely to choose satisfactory products = low return rate.

Although the rising global obesity rate in recent years has made the plus-size market more and more promising, there are also many players entering and exiting the market. Therefore, it is crucial for sellers to have a deep understanding of the target customer group, provide high-quality products and precise marketing strategies. Only those sellers who can continue to innovate, respond quickly to market changes and truly meet consumer needs can gain a place in the plus-size market.

Hundred billion market

Chinese Sellers