This week, fashion retailer Express announced the introduction of extended sizing in stores for both their men’s and women’s products. Beginning this week, you can visit stores in 44 U.S. cities to shop for clothes in sizes to 2XL shirts and 40 waist. The big question is, will this size range offering make a difference?
While the company previously offered extended sizes online, this is the first time you’ll be able to walk into a store and find them on the rack. This is a great thing, to be sure. People who need extended size clothing know, for the most part, they are going to be doing most of their shopping online. Seeing anything in stores in your size is a step forward.
The problem is in what Express considers to be extended sizes. According to the CDC, the average American man has a waist size of 40 inches. This is where their in-store offerings stop. At the Express website, you’ll find waist sizes to 42, as well as a smattering of XXXL shirts – all t-shirts, with one exception. Compared to retailers like ASOS (sizes to 6X) or Target’s Goodfellow & Co (sizes to 5X), it feels like the company could do more to offer extended sizes. That said, looking at the fit guide for men’s shirts, the XXL seems to be a pretty generous cut, fitting up to a 52 chest.
Maybe this new focus on extended sizes is just the beginning for Express. Could we see the addition of 3X, 4X or higher as we get close to the holidays? According to this article on Refinery29, the company’s goal is to get more people to go to the mall to buy their clothes. This is exactly what plus size people have been asking for for years. Offer the things we want to wear in the sizes we need in a store and we’ll visit.
As with any business, most of the decision about increasing size options will depend on sales numbers. If you like the product Express is offering and you can fit into their current sizing, you should give it a try.
See the new Express Your Rules campaign and the current Express men’s plus size options for yourself at the Express website, or of course, in stores now. What do you think? Are you happy with the new campaign and the sizing variety available? Share your thoughts in the comments or hit us up @Chubstr on your favorite social network.
