Why The Fashion Industry Doesn’t Make Smaller Clothes
It is indicative of the fashion world view of short women, who choose to label us as ‘small’ rather than simply short. It is not a pejorative term, but perhaps the world of fashion sees us that way. We are the minority, we do not fit their ideal. So they don’t serve us properly. Most brands don’t make small sizes at all and many brands claim they do, but they are wrong.
It’s not just about shorter sleeves and hems, there are five vertical measurements on petite dresses that need to fit. And do not forget that other characteristics must also be reduced in proportion. Ruffles should be smaller and less, cuffs should be shorter, patterns smaller.
I have spoken with several brand designers to ask if they would design a small range. They weren’t interested because it meant reworking the design for a minority market. This is when fashion itself suffers. When it’s not about giving great fashion to women who want it, but about earning as much money as possible.
Of course, creating a full range of small clothing increases store / warehouse stock, and because it’s all about profit, down to the use of cheap buttons and zippers, companies don’t want to have those extra costs and financial outlays. .
I have spent many years looking for small items in fashion stores, they were always in the back, in a tiny section or on a rail. What it says is ‘we have a few small things so we can say that we cover all sizes, but we don’t give it any real importance’. And why are the small designs different? Why make a different range that suits much older women better, rather than wealthy, fashion-conscious shorts? Good thank you! And this is how we feel small, which are the words of the fashion industry, nothing more.
To be fair, more recently things have gotten better in some areas and, of course, gotten worse in others. We have seen a favorite small brand close down, only to be bought and completely traded by a chain of stores. They raised our hopes only to crush them! More brands are creating limited small ranges, but other brands are abandoning their small ranges. Win something, lose something.
Presumably, the fashion industry is not so concerned that people can wear clothes that are too big. I know, because I’ve spent my life doing it and hating it! But it is not good enough. We don’t want to look like a sack of potatoes and we don’t want everything to get upset. Not forgetting that not all garments can be altered.
The fact that there are dozens of small bloggers spending time searching for small clothes to help us find them tells me that there is still a real problem.
Where we see some larger brands creating a small range, it is generally quite limited and they also tend to be the brands targeting the younger customer and the casual market. So what are we supposed to wear to work? I wish I had a pound for everyone who said I could buy children’s clothes. Oh how we laugh at that!
We are all so desperate for decent little designs that the problem is being addressed mostly by small online startups. Petite women are starting their own petite clothing lines. It’s crazy that we have to do this. Thank goodness for the internet, it has allowed women with no fashion experience to get trendy at the deep end and then their small businesses can ship small products all over the world. Beware of the big brands! Little girls are doing it for themselves.
