Posts Tagged ‘extended sizes’

According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 17% of children aged 6 to 11 years old are now overweight.  Yet, apparel industry researchers have found that children who need extended clothing sizes often have limited options and styles available to them.  Parents are often forced to buy junior or adult-sized clothing that may not be age appropriate, that fits but isn’t fashionable or flattering, or that doesn’t fit well because it is just a larger cut of a regular size (rather than cut to match larger children’s unique proportions).

According to a 2006 National Textile Center Annual Report article on Apparel Product Development for Plus-sized Tween and Teen Boys:

“Lack of conformity singles them out and is damaging to self-concept. Health care professionals welcome having a greater selection of apparel for larger children.”

So what’s a parent to do in order to find truly appropriate fit and fashion for their child?

Meeting the Need

Since 2006, several companies have tried to address the lack of plus-sized clothing options.  Recently, I profiled the Happy Panda and RealKidz brands that were started specifically to address the need for plus-sized children’s clothes.

Like these brands, other small clothing manufacturers focus on kid’s extended clothing sizes by tailoring styles and sizes to these children’s body shapes, the latest fashions, and to parents’ budget constraints.  Many of these companies, like the Daniel Jacob Collection which designs boys’ husky size clothes and JeenyBeans which offers girls and teens plus size clothing, choose to sell their products online, directly to parents, in order to also provide their customers with sensitivity and expertise.

Where to Shop

In addition to small, emerging companies like the ones mentioned above, many parents shop at major retailers that have long offered husky and plus sized kids clothing, like Sears, JC Penney, and Walmart.com.

But, there are other options, as well. SizeTracker is introducing a Quick Fit Finder tool that was designed to help you find clothing brands that offer sizes suited to your little girl’s or boy’s unique body shape.  You can also calculate the correct size for your child and shop for some of these products directly from the SizeTracker web site.  See more children’s plus and husky clothing companies here.

I’d love to hear from parents out there:

If you have a plus-sized child what are the biggest challenges you face when shopping for your child? Can you recommend any stores or brands that cater to plus sized children?

Resources

• Childhood Overweight and Obesity, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Plus-size children apparel’s forgotten customer
• Apparel Product Development for Plus-sized Tween and Teen Boys, NTC Project: SO6-AC03, National Textile Center Annual Report: November 2006

Courtesy of Happy Panda Blog's Wordless Wednesday

So, what do you do if your baby is larger than average? According to Pamela Kramer, founder of Happy Panda, you will typically be on a quest to find the right clothing fit. This is especially the case when the ages on standard size charts do not match up with your baby’s age.

Trying to find the right fit for her little one (who was wearing a size 2T before his first birthday) led Kramer to develop a baby clothing design system that helps customers find a better fit for bigger babies when shopping by age. The Happy Panda baby clothing brand caters to plus size babies between 0 and 24 months of age. It’s also important to note, that Happy Panda clothing is made in the USA of environmentally safe fabrics, and there are no tags to irritate baby’s skin.

Kramer was kind enough to shed some light on how her sizes work, and on what parents of larger babies can do to find clothes that fit.

ST: What issues do parents of bigger babies typically face in terms of clothing a child?

PK: When a parent goes to the doctor they normally get the stats (weight and height) which help them when looking at the size charts. As a parent you know those stats and can typically shop without too much of an issue. In my experience, I always found myself buying the next size or two sizes up based on the average size charts that are printed on hang tags.

ST: How do your sizes differ from typical baby clothing sizes?

PK: Simply put, [Happy Panda sizes] are bigger sizes based on the weight and height of babies who fall into the higher percentile statistics. My system was based on my own children’s growth rate and they were my real life models. The larger sizes have been refined over time based the stages of a baby’s mobility.

ST: Do you have suggestions for parents transitioning out of your brand?

PK: They are going to buy the next size or two up. Our sizes end at 2T and then should transition right into the average size 4T depending on the growth rate of the child.

In larger chain stores, for example JCPenny, you will now see a new size “husky.” This isn’t for babies but you can see where the sizes are headed as children become preteens.

Each child is different, and eating habits and mobility need to be taken into account. If I were to choose which statistic weight or height to go with I would always go with the weight of the child.

ST: What is the most popular product you sell?

PK: The most popular product I sell are the diaper cakes that come equipped with clothing and other standard necessities (diapers, pacifiers, diaper rash cream, etc.). Perfect for gift giving a mom or dad to be. Most parents know their own child’s statistics. Our store also caters to those friends and family that know the age of the child and don’t have to worry about whether they got the size right. It’s less likely the item would be returned because it’s too small.

For more information on Happy Panda, visit their online store at happypandababy.com.

For years, the terms “Husky” and “Plus” have been the standard in childrens’ clothing sizes intended for kids who are larger than average. These terms are pretty much used by every clothing designer that offers extended sizes – though some brands, like RealKidz, are now offering an intermediate “above average” size.

Today, I ran across a recent editorial in the HeraldNet out of Washington State in which the writer admonished JCPenney for continuing to use the term “husky”, stating that it was outdated and insulting. She proposed using S, M, L, and XL. Unfortunately, those sizes are already in use and have their own meaning.

The Gap, for example, offers both regular size S, M, L, XL, and even XXL as well as husky size M, L, XL, and XXL for boys tops. The fits differ. If Gap were to remove Husky sizing, they’d be left with either changing the fit of their existing regular sizes (to acommodate a wider range of measurements perhaps) or increasing the range of regular sizes to include XXXL, etc. The alternative would be to leave the larger than average sizes in place, but change the term used to describe them.

The questions is, what contemporary term would accurately and sympathetically replace the word “husky” while still conveying that the clothing sizes are larger? This is not a question that I have an answer to, so I’d appreciate your insights.

77kids by american eagle announced the debut of its first back-to-school collection this week. What is most interesting about this debut to me, are the size and fit features that came with it. In addition to great new styles and an all-new kids’ denim line, 77kids has revamped its website to make finding the right size and fit of clothing for your child incredibly easy to do.

77kids goes above and beyond the basic size chart by offering a Size Wizard tool, a visual fit guide for kids’ denim, and international fit guidelines to help customers who use the metric system.

Of these features, the 77kids Size Wizard is my favorite. Simply type in your child’s gender, age, and 2 key measurements, and the wizard will automatically locate the size of clothing that is most likely to fit the child. Easy. The Size Wizard does have its drawbacks, though…here’s a quick assessment:

• Pros: All you need to know are your child’s height and weight. The tool recommends the larger size when your child’s measurements fall into two consecutive size ranges. The wizard allows you to enter either British or metric measurements.
• Cons: The wizard does not include other body measurements – like hip or chest – that are found on the official 77kids size chart. If your child’s height and weight measurements differ by more than one size, the wizard will not recommend a size.
• Overall: If your child’s measurements are relatively on track, this is a great tool for finding sizes quickly. If your child’s measurements are not typical, or if you want to know hip, chest, or sleeve length size guidelines, you’ll have to look at the full size chart and locate the best size yourself.

The 77kids Jeans Fit Guide is an interactive guide showing children wearing the different styles of jeans available on the site. The guide allow shoppers to zoom in on products and rotate the child to see the jeans from different perspectives. A video aspect of the guide shows the kids jumping up and down and turning in circles to show off the jeans and how they fit. If you prefer still images, the product pages now include photographic detailing typically found on higher-end, adult fashion sites. The photos give you different perspectives of the product and up close shots of stitching and styling details. If you can’t see the product in person, these tools help you visualize what your child might look like in them.

International fit guidelines are typically an afterthought for most brands. And, unfortunately, standard conversion charts aren’t very useful, because sizes vary by brand. 77kids took steps to better support international customers, though, by offering their specific size charts in cm and Kg, as well as by allowing shoppers to enter metric units into the Size Wizard.

I don’t typically rave about retail sites, but this is one that appeals to me because it helps take the guess-work out of finding children’s clothes that fit. What’s your take on these new tools?

Sources:

• http://www.ae.com/77kids/
• http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090728005242&newsLang=en