Abstract
Since the societal and industrial move away from tailored clothing to ready-made garments, it has been suggested that the need for an optimal sizing system has being a constant challenge for the mass-production fashion industry sector and for consumers to acquire well fitting garments Ashdown [1]. However, despite inconsistencies in garment sizing among retailers, which some say serves to confuse, and in some cases infuriate consumers Brown [2], and despite the current economic downturn, clothing remains a high priority for women. In theory, fit can also be considered a barrier to purchase decisions in the second-cycle retail sector though some vintage consumers are prepared to alter clothing or to pay to have it altered to fit Cassidy & Bennett [3]. As the online shopping habit increases for both first- and second-cycle products, for fashion retailers operating mail order and on-line shopping channels fit in particular is considered to be a challenge as consumers cannot take advantage of trying garments on before buying, which is believed to be a fundamental part of the purchase-decision process and contributes to reducing the risk of high levels of product returns Nellis [4]. This study examines garment fit from a sustainability perspective to conceptually re-think the fit paradigm and debate
Highlights
Garment fit is a complex issue that, as [5] proposes, is highly dependent upon the wearer’s taste
This practice has resulted in discrepancies in garment sizes across the retail sector [2] and while sizing standards should help consumers to quickly select garments that will give a good fit, in practice this does not happen Brown and Rice .Yet, Brown and Rice believe that with a standard sizing system fewer consumers would be catered for due to differences in individual body shapes, sizes and proportions. [9] strongly believe that it is unrealistic to expect the entire population to be catered for through mass production and that the extremes may require be spoke made-to-measure garments
From a logistics and financial perspective retailers would greatly benefit from fewer returns from online shoppers, many of which are due to fit discrepancies [8]
Summary
Garment fit is a complex issue that, as [5] proposes, is highly dependent upon the wearer’s taste. When regarding fit as a critical element of brand image [7], many fashion retailers prioritise on sizing for their target market [8]. This practice has resulted in discrepancies in garment sizes across the retail sector [2] and while sizing standards should help consumers to quickly select garments that will give a good fit, in practice this does not happen Brown and Rice .Yet, Brown and Rice believe that with a standard sizing system fewer consumers would be catered for due to differences in individual body shapes, sizes and proportions. This study considers fit from a fashion consumer perspective in order to rethink fit issues for the fashion retail sector
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