PRODUCT PROFILE
What is ‘normal’ anyway? [Normal; adjective: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected]
Companies are increasingly embracing size diversity – and we should too, writes Jayne Smerald
I have always had a genuine love/hate relationship with the word ‘normal’ when used in the context of people and life. Today, all of us are recognised as individuals with an almost unlimited variety of traits. Old-fashioned measurements are rapidly being replaced with common sense. ‘Normal’ is the common benchmark by which we all have been traditionally judged. If you were not near it, you were different. Does it matter if you are 4ft 10 or 6ft 10 inches, 80lbs or 250lbs? It should not matter but, of course, it does and has done forever. But changes are in the air. Who has not looked at the sales racks in M&S over the years and all that is there are sizes 12 or under and the occasional size 24? What happened to all those size 16 to 18s? All sold out. There lies the driving force behind the changes we are seeing today: financial pressure and recognition that companies are missing out on those sales.
SIZE DIVERSITY Market pressure has, and is, influencing all markets today to recognise size diversity and understanding changes that are happening to the world of size. It has been gradual but recently there seems to be a strong focus on size diversity for women. There are more stores carrying dedicated collections for plus sizes as well as XL for men. There are numerous websites solely for the plus sizes, and the disposable income of these customers is substantial. The apparel market has recognised that they have been losing out. Advertising campaigns now are starting to reflect this by using size diverse models throughout their campaigns. It is almost as if someone has finally decided to bring this market out into the open, and recognise it as a substantial one not being catered for. Vogue magazine recently featured younger plus size women in its advertising, celebrating larger sizes in a positive light. Even television advertising is not focusing
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Vision Now DECEMBER 2020
Customers come in all shapes and sizes
solely on models with perfect skin; perfect looks all wrapped up in a size six. Reality is the driving force behind these changes in all markets, and it seems they now recognise that the old ‘norm’ is not the ‘new norm’. Companies are embracing size diversity, as well as embracing diversity on many levels.
HOW IMPORTANT IS SIZE IN EYEWEAR? Based on both NHS and EC statistics, there are more women needing plus-size apparel than men – and the market is growing all over the world. Move that statistic into eyewear and it equates to one in six women who come into your practice who may need an extended fit frame. It is an exceptionally large number and up to now, no-one has created a dedicated collection that solely serves this market, focused on flattering shapes, styles, and colours. When it comes to style and trends, we women are more aware and influenced by them than most of our male counterparts. What we learned from our research for our Big & Tall (B&T) Eyewear collection for men was the need for a modern, fashionable, flattering, extended fit women’s collection for all of us. The detailed knowledge we gained from our B&T Eyewear research, helped us understand the challenges of designing extended fit. It’s not just about
adding millimetres here and there. Our objective right from the start was that our collection should be feminine, flattering and give the wearer confidence. We called our collection Made for You, because that’s how we wanted women to feel when they put on our frames: that they were ‘made for them’. We have used fabulous colours throughout the collection, with styles suited for casual to business wear. The collection features bold styling – driving this group of patients out of the fringes into mainstream, and mirroring the shift in apparel and High Street marketing.
B&T Eyewear has built up a strong customer base