From vintage pieces to the latest trends, most small to midsize bodies have access to any style of clothing they want. But for plus size people, or those who typically wear size 18 and above, a much smaller cut of the market is available.

The clothing and retail industry racks in billions of dollars every year. In 2023, the exact figure in Australia was 23.9 billion dollars. But most stores in Australia typically only stock up to a size 16 in store, although some extend their ranges up to size 20 or 22 online, and only very few feature fully inclusive ranges.

This is not a good fit with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing that the average waist circumference of females in Australia is 91 centimetres, which, according to size charts, is typically a size 16 to 18.

So why isn’t a multi billion dollar industry making more of the demand for a wider range of sizes?

Emma Bergmeier-Varian has dabbled in all spheres of the fashion world. She is the former fashion editor of Express Magazine, and for a decade she worked as a stylist. Today, Emma juggles monitoring influencer engagement for a PR firm and teaching fashion at Curtin University.

Bergmeier-Varian makes an effort to only shop from brands that stock a wide range of sizes, not only online but in store as well. She feels it is exclusionary for brands to deny customers the right to try on clothes before they purchase.

Bergmeier-Varian explains how clothes are made, from sketch to product. Almost always, she says designers base measurements on the sample size eight, and from there, in set increments, they increase or decrease in centimetres the width, arm length, waist size, bust and so on for the next size up.

But that’s not how bodies work. We do not simply grow equally in all directions: Some bodies are tall and slender, with big hips and broad shoulders. Some are short and curvy.

Bergmeier-Varian says this method of creating textiles is why it is so hard for plus size people to find clothes that fit them well. But she also understands that there is a technical complexity when it comes to creating clothes for all kinds of bodies.

Because of this ‘technical complexity,’ unfortunately many plus size people are forced into styles they don’t necessarily feel the most comfortable in. Styles that are specifically created for plus size bodies that don’t give way to new trends or personal expression. These pieces are often outdated, made with thin material, and speckled with loud patterns. They aren’t what you’d call ‘trendy.’

Personal stylist and Empire Fashion business owner Megan Pawsey says she sees a lot of young girls dressed like their grandmothers because they are finding it hard to walk into stores for fear the clothes won’t fit them.

This is why both Bergmeier-Varian and Pawsey believe that despite the financial risk for brands, there is a market for all retailers to diversify their collections’ size range.

“When it comes down to dollars and cents and business acumen, what are these retailers doing? They can see the dollar value of putting in their stores a representation of clothing that is more inclusive, but they are too scared to make the change,” says Pawsey.

Working as a stylist, Bergmeier-Varian was acutely aware of the ever changing beauty standards within the fashion world, and as a plus size woman, she felt alienated.

While sourcing garments for a collection in boutiques that didn’t stock her size, Bergmeier-Varian often felt judged by retailers.

“I was embedded in an industry that didn’t necessarily have a place for me. I felt like an outsider.”

Pawsey says most of her clients have had similar experiences prior to working with her.

One of her clients, a 60 year old woman, shared an alienating experience that prevented her from revisiting a store.

Pawsey recounts the client went into, in her words, a ‘skinny store’, and said to the retail assistant, “oh, do you have this in another colour?” To which the girl replied, “oh, we do, but we don’t have that in your size.”

The woman, who was actually shopping for her daughter on that occasion, felt incredibly judged, excluded, and forevermore uninvited from shopping at that store or any similar retailers.

Another client, Pawsey says, froze up out the front of a store and said, “there is nothing in there for me, I can’t go in there. Look at the mannequins.”

Bergmeier took her into the store and showed her the way the staff had pinned and altered the clothes to fit and flatter the mannequins. In a heartwarming twist, the woman is now a regular at that store and has fostered a lovely relationship with the staff – an example of the difference, Pawsey says, an inclusive and respectful sales assistance can make.

Instances like these reveal the damage fatphobic messaging has on individual consumers.

Pawsey spoke of the way many retailers separate plus sizes from the rest of their store. She says stores that have things like “curve ranges” are actually contributing to the problem. She says it would be much more effective to have all sizes on one rack.

“Size 4 to 24, all in one place. Hallelujah. It’s not rocket science!”

Pawsey has found pre-shopping before seeing clients helps them leave the emotional aspect of shopping behind, and find the joy in clothes.

“For a lot of girls, trawling through the racks is enough to send them into an anxiety spin. It’s a very emotional thing for a lot of women.”

But having a stylist who can pre-shop is not the reality for a lot of people. Sometimes you need an outfit for an event, and the cheapest and hypothetically easiest thing to do is to hit the shops. Part of Pawsey’s certification in styling taught her the psychological aspect of shopping. She says learning to feel confident in yourself eliminates a lot of the internal battle that clogs the brain’s inability to make decisions. She says it is why a lot of women leave stores with clothes they will never wear.

Pawsey explained how there is this piling effect on women when shopping. When an already negative mindset, full of thoughts like, “this isn’t going to fit me,” and, “I hate how I look today,” is paired with a store’s lack of diverse sizing, women will find the whole experience even more challenging.

“If you have that confidence in your body shape and you feel empowered to love your body, you have a head start with tackling clothes shopping,” she says.

So what is next for size inclusivity in fashion? Emma Bergmeier-Varian says as a consumer it is important to look into brands that offer a diverse range of sizes for their clothing, even if you personally fit into styles they sell. She says continued support of plus size women in the industry: models, designers, stylists and so on will generate change from the runway to retail for plus size people.

Pawsey would love to see more education for those working in retail stores in how to help plus size people shop and feel safe and even confident to do so.

She assures, things are changing. With an increase in female designers, there is a lot more awareness around having sizing that looks out for things like period bloating, motherhood and menopause, and that is something to be optimistic about.