Where is All the Designer Plus Size Men’s Clothing?

Designer Plus Size Men's Clothing from Brandon Kyle Menswear

Photo: Brandon Kyle Menswear

While it’s true that more brands are beginning to offer clothes in extended sizes for big gents, there’s still not much out there in terms of designer plus size men’s clothing. While it can be argued that we need affordable, fast fashion (think Gap, Zara, H&M) for big men, a surprising amount of you are looking for high end clothing from luxury brands in your size. The problem is, there aren’t many high end brands peddling their wares in sizes above XL, and the ones that are aren’t really advertising the fact. Have you seen any big men used as models in any luxury campaigns? The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Tony Sylvester for Burberry.

Does this mean there’s no progress at all? No. Brands like Oublier, Brandon Kyle Menswear, and Volare are creating their own fashion-forward offerings for big and tall men, some of the first to do so. There’s still room for a variety of styles and perspectives in men’s plus fashion, but where are they? I asked a few people in the community for their thoughts on the current state of things, which you’ll find below.

Troy Solomon

Troy Solomon – A Bear Named Troy

I think we might EVENTUALLY see higher end designers offer plus men’s sizing, but we are going to see more options coming from younger, trendier brands first. I see brands like ASOS and H&M and even American Eagle coming out with plus size men’s clothing in the near future. ASOS already had the women’s curve line, so in my eyes it’s only a matter of time before they create a men’s collection – they’re such an inclusive and fashion forward brand, they understand what the market wants and how to do it well and at the right time. I think seeing the success of these trendier, more budget friendly brands could eventually show high end designers that there IS a plus size men’s market that wants high end designer clothing.

The plus size men’s market is so fresh and so new that it’s really hard to say what could happen in the future – there’s no rule book or set of standards for this kind of fashion community and we are only becoming more and more recognized as valid members of the fashion world everyday, so really anything is possible.

Keys to the Denz

Photo: Denzel Alexander

Denzel Alexander – Keys to the Denz

I honestly believe it will be a while before we see a luxury fashion brand dedicated to brawn guys. The fashion world is starting to give attention to the plus community, but until we can go into stores like GAP, Banana Republic, J.Crew and see extended sizes offered for all styles, I don’t think so.

Darnel Ghramm

Darnel Ghramm – @dghramm

I feel like designer plus size men’s clothing will probably never be a thing. It’s hard enough to get into plus size modeling, let alone find fashionable clothes that fit correctly. For years, the fashion world has focused on what they think people should look like, rather than what they actually look like. Only recently has women’s plus size fashion been gaining a lot of attention. People are starting to open their eyes to the fact that women with “real” bodies or plus size/curvy bodies can be beautiful and fashionable. The same goes for the plus size men.

Marquis Neal

Marquis Neal – Marquimode

I feel like larger luxury brands don’t really cater to our demographic because they don’t feel like it is worth the time or effort. This is largely due to the influence of western beauty standards, especially for men. “Thin-ness” or “being in shape” has always been an easy way to categorize men by who’s “beautiful and healthy” vs. “unkempt and messy”…and high end fashion isn’t for the “unkept and messy.” Naturally, I believe that high fashion has always been that way for both genders, but I think that’s starting to change.

With the rise of social media and things like the body positive movement, we are now seeing these larger luxury brands listening and starting to cast larger models and make more clothing options for plus size men. The reason I feel it isn’t advertised is just for the simple fact that, currently, the high fashion world isn’t ready to see plus size men as beautiful.  But we’re going to force our way into it, just as plus size women have before us.

So, where’s all the designer plus size men’s clothing?

You might have noticed a recurring theme in the comments above: designer plus size men’s clothing isn’t here yet. Still, that doesn’t mean there’s been no progress at all. It is promising to see individual designers creating lines that focus exclusively on bigger men. You can expect this to continue in months and years ahead.

Do you care about luxury or designer plus size men’s clothing? Which brands do you wish sold clothes in your size that don’t? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Read More