J.Crew to tap on the U.S. 21.4 billion dollars plus-size opportunity with new label

J.Crew is all set to capitalize on the 21.4 billion dollars plus-size opportunity with the launch of a new, size-inclusive collection called Universal Standard for J.Crew. The new fashion line offers clothing in sizes ranging from XXS to 5X.

Deborah Weinswig from Coresight Research highlights at ‘Forbes’ that the women’s nonstandard-size clothing—plus-size and extra small apparel—has become a 21 billion dollars market “that has potential to reach 60 billion dollars by 2020.”

Commenting on the preppy fashion retailer’s new fashion range, Weinswig said: “In my view, J.Crew’s announcement last week will create a land grab mentality for retailers and brands that are clamoring to establish a position in the underserved inclusive fashion market.”

The latest available data from NPD reveals that U.S. retailers sold 21.4 billion dollars’ worth of women’s plus-size clothing in 2016, while Coresight Research estimates that plus-size sales represented around 17.5 percent of all women’s clothing sales that year.

Between 2012 and 2016, U.S. sales of women’s plus-size clothing grew by a total of 23 percent, according to NPD. By comparison, U.S. sales of all clothing grew by 9.9 percent over the same period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Looking ahead, NPD forecasts that the US women’s plus-size apparel market will grow at an average of 4 percent annually from 2015 to 2020, from 20 billion dollars to 24 billion dollars.

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