Forever 21’s tactfully titled “extended sizes” line, Faith 21, was apparently too discreet in its wording, and the company has decided to shed the name for the more explicit title “Forever 21+ Plus Sizes.” The store’s website assures us that while the line has a new name, there won’t be any changes to the merchandise, which currently reaches up to a size 20 or “3X” for some items.
Sure, the name change makes sense: “Faith 21” was sort of vague, and “extended sizes” called to mind expandable maternitywear. But is the switch to “plus” wording a step forward or back for plus-size clothing lines, which, considering they represent the average American woman’s size 14, maybe shouldn’t even have their own special names?
One would think that plus-size shoppers might be sick of seeing their sizes being represented by an addition sign and want to see more creative terms for the size range. As we’ve noted before, plus-size clothing makes up only 18 percent of the women’s-apparel industry’s total revenue, despite the fact that 64 percent of American women are overweight (and others are too tall, muscular, and/or big-boned for a size 10). The relatively puny number of plus-size shoppers could be because no one, big or small, wants to buy clothing that overtly calls attention to one’s size. It’ll be interesting to see if the name change at Forever 21 results in better sales for the line.
Faith 21 Changes to Forever 21+ [Fabsugar]
