Acclaimed designer says adding plus sizes tripled his business

“What is going on here?”

While fashion seems to be heading in the right direction in terms of ethics and sustainability, when it comes to diversity, the industry’s ability to embrace change is much slower.

With brands like Boohoo and, more recently, New Look called out for charging more for larger sizes, many have discussed whether the increased amount of fabric used in garments above a size 16 can justify the price hike.

Contrary to those claims, American designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers America, Christian Siriano, has spoken out about the positive impact increasing his size offering has had on his business.

In a panel at the 92nd Street Y in New York, Siriano said that adding plus sizes to his range has tripled his business.

“Why wouldn’t you do that?! Do we not want to triple the business? Do we not think these women should wear our clothes? Do we not want these women to have beautiful things because we’re afraid they’re not beautiful? What is going on here?” he said.

The designer did acknowledge that designing for larger sizes had different considerations, however, it was clearly worth the reward.

“We got Moda Operandi to change their whole website—now they go up to our sizes. Knowing we have a part in change like that, it’s amazing…but it’s still crazy to me that it’s not the norm.”

christiansiriano.com