Sizing. Why is it always different?
What was taught and discussed this week at The Apparel Mentor Group Live Session taught by Mindy Martell?
Today we had a great meeting about how the apparel industry doesn't have standard sizing and what to do about that.
We discussed how, for instance, a size medium in one brand fits totally different than a size medium in another brand.
So, you as a brand owner, need to decide what YOUR size medium should fit like.
This can get a bit overwhelming for those not in the industry.
The best advice that I can give is to look to your biggest category competitor or category leader and use their size chart.
For instance, if you are making women's athletic wear then using Lululemon's size chart would make the most sense as they are the industry leader right now and therefore have kind of set the size standard.
Another way to look at it is to think about where else your future customers might shop from the most?
If you think they are shopping from Kohl's the most then look at their size charts and use them.
It can get very technical with a lot of math and data so I have found this way is the most simplistic and accurate way to choose a size standard that works for your brand and your customers.
The last thing we discussed was how choosing a very experienced and qualified partner in making those different sized patterns and tech packs is VERY important.
I know when I was fresh out of design school I was not qualified to accurately make different sized clothing (also known as grading). So be sure to do your research and use experienced people because when it comes down to repeat sales, a good fit is everything!
Apparel entrepreneurs, this is just a snippet of the knowledge that Mindy imparts to her students. Sign up for The Apparel Mentor program to join the conversation and download our FREE App.
I'm happy to answer any of your questions with a 15 min consultation call. I've been there before and love helping fellow entrepreneurs.
Keep creating,
xx
Alyssa - Fellow Apparel Entrepreneur and Designer
