Thesis
An exploration of plus-size women's sizing with athletic apparel
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
08/2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004147
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/125080
Abstract
Athletic wear and plus-size are two terms not typically used in tandem due to the stigmatization of plus-size consumers. As more and more plus-size consumers advocate for athletic wear, there is a need for adequate fitting clothing. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore sizing standards in women's plus-size athletic wear by examining current sizing practices in the apparel industry. The following three objectives are as follows: 1) Examine female size charts/tools readily available, 2) Examine consumer feedback on the apparel sizing through online reviews, forums, and blogs; and 3) Examine ways retailers can use size charts/size tools to benefit their consumers. The retailers chosen for this study are based on a market research that was conducting and the frequency of how often they were recommend to plus-size consumers. An interpretive netnography research design was used and both secondary data from the retailers and primary data from the consumers were analyzed and coded by the researchers using open, axial, and selective coding based on the grounded theory approach. The results of this study concluded that plus-size consumers continue to struggle with finding the correct fit especially with athletic bottoms being too loose in certain areas while also being too tight/snug in other areas, the waist being restricting causing discomfort, size charts and fit tools were shown to be predominantly negative giving consumers incorrect sizes as current sizing charts/tools available in the web platforms may be more confusing to the consumer than helpful. The results of this study contribute to the development of plus-size women' sizing system in the industry revealing that sizing charts and tools are not the answer to solving the fit issue. There is not a single answer to this problem, but changes need to be made through the fashion industry as a whole in order to combat this issue from a holistic perspective.
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Details
- Title
- An exploration of plus-size women's sizing with athletic apparel
- Creators
- Lauren Ann Summers
- Contributors
- CHAN MI HWANG (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890779401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis