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The introduction of plus-size models in high fashion has been a highly discussed topic in recent years. Plus-size female models are slowly breaking their way through the boundaries of fashion’s standard for thinness and this can be observed through their visibility within major runway shows. However, this change does not seem as prevalent within high fashion menswear shows since plus-size men are barely being included. Nevertheless, plus-size men exist and fashion can no longer choose to ignore them as they deserve to be acknowledged and represented. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to include the plus-size male body within the scope of fashion. A multimethodological approach, combining critical visual analysis, semi-structured interviews and critical theory by Susan Bordo, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu are used as a way to examine to what extent plus-size men are being included in high fashion, and how this influences the field of fashion. The outcome of the visual analysis reveals that there is still a large lack of inclusion of plus-size men. Furthermore, the field analysis reveals that there is an imbalance within the current field of fashion, and this is one of the main reasons why there is a lack of inclusion of plus-size men within (high) fashion.

The purpose of this article is to investigate whether women’s relatively positive response to obese models is the result of social desirability bias on the part of women rather than deep seated attitudes. 60 university students in Sweden underwent an Implicit Associations Test (IAT) to reveal attitudes towards obese models that the participants were not able or willing to openly express. The study shows that even though women express significantly more positive attitudes towards obese models than men do, women and men display similar implicit negativity towards obese models. The study replicates a previously shown explicit gender effect, but also extends theory on gender preferences towards models of different sizes and body types by introducing measurements of implicit attitudes. Finally, the paper provides a possible explanation for why the fashion industry largely refrains from using obese models even though women express relatively positive attitudes towards them. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Denna studie görs i samarbete med ett svenskt modeföretag som har upplevt problem med passformen av deras sport-bh:ar i storlekarna L-XL. Problemet som uppstår är att de större storlekarna inte ger tillräckligt med täckning över bysten. Graderingen på sport-bh:arna behövs därför studeras och en fungerande gradering tas fram för att uppnå önskad passform på sport-bh:arna över bysten. Två graderingsmetoder granskas och appliceras på ett mönster från företaget. Prototyper i storlek L och XL sys upp enligt dessa metoder för avprovning och de två resultaten jämförs sedan. Metoden som uppnådde bäst passform utvecklas därefter vidare och en plaggmåttlista med de olika skillnadsmåtten tas därefter fram. Resultatet visade att Johnsons metod uppnådde en bättre passform men att en justering vid axelbanden behövdes göras innan måttlistan kunde sammanställas., This study was done in collaboration with a Swedish fashion company that has experienced problems with the fit of their sports bra in the sizes L-XL. The problem that arises is that the larger sizes do not provide enough coverage over the bust. The grading on the sports bra is therefore needed to be studied and a functional grading system needs to be produced to achieve the desired fit on the sports bra over the bust. Two grading methods are reviewed and applied to a pattern from the company. Prototypes in size L and XL are sewn according to these methods for fitting and the two results are then compared. The method that achieved the best fit is then developed further and a garment measurement list with the difference measurements is then manufactured. The result showed that Johnson's method achieved a better fit but that an adjustment to the shoulder straps was needed before the measurement list could be compiled.

In Western society, having the “ideal” body image and size is a societal issue. It is advertised throughout media outlets that the “ideal” body is what should be desired, and any other body type is “abnormal”. This capstone thesis focused on the effectiveness of dance as therapy and changing the perspectives of all body types, to support and empower all bodies including plus-sized bodies. The use of individual interviews, in an open dialogue model, with a select few members (3) of Soul thru Sole, including the CEO of the dance company; which focuses on empowering women no matter their age, race, or size was incorporated in this thesis. Observations were noted and discussed after every rehearsal for the showcase. Individual interviews with the participants highlighted increased body satisfaction, improved outlook on personal body image, increased confidence, and improved overall well-being. The author of this capstone thesis noted gaps in the literature pertaining to the exploration into the lasting effects of increased representation of all body types, including “plus sized”, in dance. Limited resources are available regarding empowering and embracing other sizes outside the “ideal” thin body type. There is an urgent need for more research on the lasting effects of being inclusive about size and showing more representations on all body types.

Denna studie undersöker hur olika graderingssätt jämförs mot företagets graderade grundliv. Undersökningen görs på uppdrag från ett svenskt modeföretag. Tidigare hade företaget en avdelning för sig med de största storlekarna, vilket togs bort för att istället slå ihop hela graderingsintervallen av storlekar till ett. Företaget har jobbat med att hitta de rätta intervallerna kring de största storlekarna och tyckte därför det vore intressant att jämföra sin gradering mot andra graderingssätt med deras grundliv som utgångspunkt. Metoder som har använts i denna studie har varit gradering, jämförelse av mönster och 3D simulering i Lectras programvaror Modaris, 3D prototyping och KaledoStyle. Uppsydda prover har även provats av på docka, person och avatar i storlek 50 samt analyserats och utvärderats efter ett avprovningsprotokoll. Studiens resultat visar att graderingen från företagets grund är jämförbar med det andra graderingssättet i övervägande koordinater. Det som skiljer dem markant åt är axelns längdgradering i de största storlekarna. Där har företaget valt att stanna av sin gradering, vilket de andra graderingssätten inte gör. De andra graderingssätten följer den data som finns tillgänglig kring kroppsmått och axelns ökning i de olika storlekarna., This study examine how a grading system are compared to the company’s graded base pattern. The study is an assignment on a Swedish fashion company. The company used to have a section for plus-sizes in their clothing line, but decided to remove it. Instead, they merge the whole grading system into one. They have tried to find the right intervals of grading in the biggest sizes, which makes it interesting to compare their grading to other grading systems. The methods used in this study are grading, comparison of patterns and 3D prototyping in Lectra Softweares Modaris, 3D prototyping and KaledoStyle. Sewn samples have been fitted in size 50 and analyzed by a test protocol. The result of the study shows that the grading system from the company is comparable with the other grading system. The most distinct part that separates the grading systems is the shoulder length in the bigger sizes. The company has chosen to stop their grading, which the other grading system does not. The other grading system follows dada where body measurements are established.

Obesity is a growing issue in western societies with consequences for the field of human centered design. Most anthropometric data sources assume the data follow the Gaussian distribution, with population data symmetrically distributed above and below the mean value. This assumption is often true in length measurements like body heights, but may not be true for measurements more sensitive to body mass, like body weight, hip width, elbow-to-elbow width, and body depth. While length measurements have remained relatively stable over time in western societies, mass related measurements are increasing. The authors have experience in providing data via an interactive website DINED, which seeks to make anthropometry accessible without requiring expert knowledge about anatomy and statistics. Currently all DINED dimensions are assumed Gaussian, including those related to body mass. This might not work when designing for plus size people. Future additions in DINED will be about design for obesity and about how to implement 3D scanning into the design process in order to redress these defects., Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public., Applied Ergonomics and Design

Purpose: With increasing obesity rates and the change of beauty ideals within society, the plus-size fashion market currently enjoys a massive upturn and many established fashion retailers realise the opportunities within this ever more important segment. However, the integration of plus-size brands can be challenging as being plus-size is still connected to a stigma. Therefore, it is surprising that current literature, and even less brand management literature, has not sufficiently regarded this recent development even though the choice of brand strategy is one of the main drivers of brand equity and further influences the image and reputation among customers. Hence, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the phenomenon of plus-size branding in the fashion industry from a customer and company perspective. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyse different brand architecture strategies in the context of plus-size branding to guide brand managers in the choice of strategy when entering the new segment. Methodology: This study examined the viewpoints of companies and plus-size and straight-size customers, the former through four in-depth interviews with current or former employees of leading fashion retailers, namely Dressmann XL, Hugo Boss, Marc Cain and a German fashion retailer. Moreover, we conducted in-depth interviews with six plus-size customers and referred to the findings of four interviews with straight-size customers conducted during the course Qualitative Research Methods and supplemented the results with social media observations. Findings: Our results have shown that there is no ‘One Size Fits All’ plus-size branding strategy and that every strategy has benefits and drawbacks which mainly refer to three aspects and can guide brand managers in their decision. Firstly, brand managers need to consider the existing resources such as store space, the mother brand asset as well as business operations since certain brand strategies require enormo

This dissertation examines how fashion media discourses created the conditions through which the fat, female body was both known and constructed within the context of the early large-size garment industry in the United States, or what between the years 1915 and 1930 was known as “stoutwear.” Drawing on a wide array of media sources, including women’s and fashion magazines, trade journals, catalogs and style guides, and employing Michel Foucault’s archaeological method, the dissertation examines the productive nature of fashion discourse in the construction and constitution of the fleshy body, or how the discourses of stoutwear brought order to the disorderly, fat, female body. While previous studies of the relationship between dress and the body have theorized how the body is fashioned, this dissertation builds upon these works through its focus on how discourse manifests fashion practices and thereby gives shape to the cultural body. The first chapter provides an overview of this premise, reviews the small body of extant literature on plus-size fashion and defines key terms used in the dissertation. As an extension of the introduction, the second chapter outlines key methodological and theoretical concerns, including the practice of studying a history of fashion “without fashion,” discourse analysis, visual analysis, technologies of the body, fashion media discourse and dress as a situated bodily practice. The ensuing analytical chapters are organized so that they proceed from “macro” practices (i.e. the construction and constitution of the industry, stoutwear design and advertising strategies) to the “micro” (i.e. embodied dress practices) so as to evidence how the discourses of stoutwear touched every level of fashion practice. Chapter three provides a broad historical foundation for the study by examining the origins of the stoutwear industry and identifying the key actors and firms who were instrumental in consecrating the idea of a stoutwear industry separat

Purpose: To investigate the effect of obese models vs. normal weight models on fashion brands’ attractiveness. Design/methodology/approach: An experiment was carried out in which 1,225 university students in Sweden and Brazil rated the attractiveness of a fashion brand worn by a normal weight model and an obese model. Findings: The overall effect of obese models’ effect on fashion brand attractiveness was insignificant. Further, neither culture, nor the consumer’s own weight had a significant effect. There was, however, a significant effect of the participant’s own gender; women rate fashion brands worn by obese models significantly higher on attractiveness than they did fashion brands worn by normal weight models. Men displayed the inverse response. Research limitations/implications: The effect of the model’s ethnicity was beyond the scope of the experiment, and the brand attractiveness scale captured only one aspect of brand character, leaving other potential brand effects for future studies. Practical implications: Companies can use obese models with no overall brand attractiveness penalty across markets and for marketing to women of all sizes. Given men’s negative reactions, such models might however be unsuitable for the male-to-female gift market. Social implications: The results support the use of obese models, which can lead to greater representation of larger women in the media, and consequently, reduced fat stigma. Originality/value: The study validates the theory of user imagery, and it extends the theory by examining how different target consumers react to user imagery traits and thus provides evidence for gender bias towards obese models. © Emerald Publishing Limited 2018

Between 1986 and 1988, American Vogue ran a series of advertorials entitled Fashion Plus. Documenting the mid-1980s explosion of designer-led plus-size fashion, the series offers a rare glimpse into an overlooked moment in the history of large-size dress; however, it also stands as a singular foray into plus-size fashion for Vogue-a periodical that marginalizes representations of non-normative bodies. While its mere inclusion within the pages of Vogue is historically significant, this article will shift its focus by examining the crucial role pose played in the advertorial's postmodern refashioning of the fat female body. While interrogating the concept of fashioning as a process that occurs at the intersection of text, image, body and garment, this article also considers how an embodied vernacular of fashion posing transformed the fat female body, making it fit for the pages of Vogue. Indeed, by striking identifiably modelesque poses, the models of Fashion Plus upset deeply entrenched norms of imaging the fat female body, while widening Vogue's notoriously narrow definition of beauty. Framing the plus-size body as a product of postmodern notions of identity construction, this article also reflects upon the relationship between dress, discourse and the fleshy body in the construction of identity.