Selling self assurance

Apparel retailers address the finer needs of the large size apparel consumer.

Shopping is my hobby, but unfortunately, I have limited access to fashion and clothing in my size," says Neeta Tripathi, who wears an XXL label. Ridhima Basu, who weighs close to 65 kg and stands 5 feet 4 inches, echoes her: "I usually resort to tailor-made clothing, even though they lack the latest cuts or styles."

Retailers, ever on the lookout for opportunity, have taken note and put word out: big is beautiful. Westside, Revolutions, Pantaloons and Shoppers'Stop have all introduced a wide range of readymade garments that suit the need and style of the large size consumer.

"Getting the right size in ready-to-wear garments makes it the fun part of shopping," says Nisha Somai, founder of Revolutions for plus size women.

The plus size consumer, ignored by everybody from ad filmmakers to fashion catalogues, is delighted by the attention. And is forking out the money. Though the large size category accounts for less than 1 per cent of an organised-sector apparel market placed at Rs 30,000 crore in India, it promises to grow fast.

Revolutions, which was launched in July 2001, has seen its sales grow from Rs 18 lakh in the first year to the current figure of Rs 9 crore. Pantaloon Retail India, which launched ALL for both men and women in September 2005, aims to take the business to Rs 25 crore by 2007.

Ready-to-wear plus size clothes are now available across a wide variety of western, casual, formal, Indo-western and evening wear in sizes starting from 16 to 24. These include medium size garments which goes up to 46 inches waistline.

Plus size retailing is not easy. People are not all large in quite the same way, and such consumers are often clothing-conscious in varied ways, all of which spells the need for vast stock item variety.

"The biggest challenge is to get the sizing right," says Hemang Savla, category head, Pantaloons Retail India, "Therefore, our constant aim is to provide customised fittings to suit the needs of our consumers."

Westside claims that glitter and embroidery works especially well in this segment. According to Neeti Sharma, head, marketing, Westside, the learning curve has been sharp. Upon launch, the business was addressing the unavailability of such readymade clothes per se. Now, however, it is turning into a finer game of need addressal, as the brand prepares to sell evening wear, a far bigger challenge.

In a way, it's a game of appealing to the consumer's sense of self-assurance, self-portrayal and self-expression, and all this is subject to myriad environmental factors. The range of influences has widened in recent years, as fitness imagery (and the associated notion of good looks) has come to pervade the public space.

Plus size retailing is about heightened sensitivity towards someone, for instance, who resists the very prospect of trying something on for the fear of finding it too tight. Such a person may not be very articulate about this problem, for understandable reasons. Selling clothes effectively, thus, requires subtle consumer engagement.

Pantaloons is playing on the "Happiness" theme, while Westside showcases its collection through season catalogues, and Revolutions has real women posing for its own calendar.

Says Govind Shrikhande, COO, Shoppers' Stop, "Communication and marketing to large consumers is tricky... it is important to offer depth." And beyond that, as Revlon's Charles Revson said, hope.