Are sustainable brands in India size-inclusive?

While more and more homegrown labels make sustainable clothing, the options for plus-size bodies are few and far between

India's plus-sized clothing market is evolving rapidly. Only a few years ago, finding clothes for curvy women was tedious, with little to no labels to shop from domestically. However, with the emergence of homegrown brands like Sassy Soda, The Rebel In Me and Fable Street, there has been a tremendous improvement in accessing plus-sized clothing in India. Last year, Fable Street enlisted actors Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha as their brand ambassadors. Additionally, their #FitsLikeNothingElse campaign was launched to highlight their efforts towards size-inclusivity. Simultaneously, sustainable fashion in the country has gained momentum . With many veteran and emerging labels, including Eka, Doodlage and 11:11, promoting slow fashion, eco-conscious consumers have a large variety to choose from.

However, the options are limited when it comes to finding environment-friendly labels that are size-inclusive. "If people are boycotting fast fashion brands to promote sustainability, then they should also call out sustainable brands that refuse to supply to a full range of customers," says model Varshita Thatavarthi. In reality, most sustainable brands in India have been slow in embracing the plus-sized consumer. The Established investigates why.

Lack of options

Kaftans, billowy dresses, loose pants and boxy shirts comprise the standard inventory at most sustainable brands. "A lot of these labels do not design specifically for the plus-size body–they just offer something that they already have in a bigger size–which is not always the most flattering," says model, architect and digital creator Sobia Ameen.

On the flip side, if you log on to TataCliq and filter womenswear by size 3XL, 5489 options pop up, ranging from miniskirts to cropped tops and party dresses, while on NYKAA Fashion, the 5XL category brings up 3241 results. So it's not surprising why plus-size shoppers gravitate towards fast fashion. Thatavarthi agrees with this lack of variety in silhouettes among sustainable labels. "The clothes are all very loose and baggy–we want to be in tight-fitting clothes that flatter our curves," she says.

The dilemma here lies in the kind of fabrics used. Figure-hugging silhouettes require elastane–a petroleum-based synthetic fibre used to make stretchable clothing. Rina Singh, designer, and founder of the label Eka, says that sustainable textiles aren't engineered to include a two-inch allowance as ease that can make garments more standardised, making it impossible to create close-to-body silhouettes as it would rip open at the seams.

This explains why most responsible brands in India make looser clothes. On the contrary, sustainable plus-sized brands in the United States use a small quantity of elastane in their garments for some stretchiness. According to the Global Organic Textile Standard, a garment can still be certified as organic if it uses a maximum of 10 per cent elastane. Sarah Ahmed, founder of New York-based sustainable denim labels, DL 1961 and Warp + Weft explains that new blends, especially those using post-consumer waste stretch fibres mixed with eco-fibres like Tencel and recycled cotton give denim an unparalleled fit. Their skinny jeans use between 1-2 per cent elastane. For brands who want to completely eliminate synthetic fibres for environmental reasons, this can become a catch-22 situation. Having said that, globally, through extensive research and development, alternative solutions like Dupont™ Sorona® and Rencycle are available, should local brands find it a viable option. 

For the sake of business 

Silhouettes are only one part of the problem. Certain labels don't even have the option of going above a size XL on their websites. Larger sizes should be readily available unless the brand philosophy is made-to-order across all sizes. According to Sanyukta Singh, founder of Tokree Jaipur, this is often a business decision. She adds that many brands feel that larger sizes are slow-moving, so they choose not to stock them. "I think since smaller sustainable brands are really looking at numbers–they don't want to make an effort to make that one sale. So standard sizes make sales more fuss-free," she elaborates. As someone who refers to herself as a plus-sized woman, Singh has found it difficult in the past to shop off the rack. She believes that by not offering bigger sizes, brands openly leave a message that they don't care about size inclusivity.

Labels that outsource to bigger production houses face their own challenges with minimum order quantities on each size. "If you are a growing brand, your priority is to offer many styles instead of exhausting your budgets on offering a large variety of sizes in most cases. For our brand, we chose to offer a larger size range by keeping some of our production in-house," adds Kriti Tula, founder of Doodlage, a sustainable label that offers sizes up to 6XL.

Costing, too, comes into consideration with larger sizes,  as fabric usage and workmanship (in the case of embroidery) go up. Previously, customers were to bear the "fat tax"–an extra price for larger sizes. Thankfully, with growing awareness on social media, many designers have kept prices consistent across sizes. While there is still a long way to go, sustainable brands are attempting, albeit slowly, to become more size-inclusive. With many offering made-to-measure options, customers can now shop locally and responsibly. "Sustainable brands opting to make custom sizes should be applauded for trying to be size-inclusive because there are brands that still refuse to bring about the change," says Ameen.

Lastly, there needs to be more communication between brands and consumers. Most sustainable labels don't necessarily market themselves as plus-sized brands. For example, Faballey has a dedicated "curve" section on their website, as does Myntra, making it instantly known to a potential customer that there's something for them. Meanwhile, sustainable labels posting photos of curvy women wearing their designs is only just gaining momentum. Using plus-sized models in product shots makes it easier for consumers to visualise how the outfit may look on their bodies–an essential tool in showing you're a size-inclusive brand.

Size-inclusivity as an industry goal

Mahima Gujral, founder and designer at SUI, a homegrown eco-friendly label, shares her limitations as a young designer. "It is often harder to find plus-size models/ faces to showcase your garment. Sometimes as small brands, it's also difficult to afford 2-3 models in different body types for the same garment. Hence the lag in communication," she says. Her brand offers sizes 3XL–5XL depending on the design, and Gujral is continuously working towards being a fully inclusive brand. Elsewhere, Ikkivi, a curated online marketplace dedicated to sustainable labels, is a welcoming shopping platform for the curvier customer. The banner on their website reads "Size-Inclusivity Pact: 16 size inclusive designer collections. 2XS to 5XL sizing at no added cost," immediately telling the customer that this is a safe place to shop. Ameen recently collaborated with Ikkivi and said she finds it easy to shop through them. 

According to Statista, 50 per cent of the Indian population wears above a UK size 12. There is plenty of room for growth within sustainable brands should they choose a more size-inclusive approach. Gujral believes sustainable labels should have open-ended conversations with their plus-size community and understand their pain points. Additionally, she thinks brands can communicate with each other to share their experiences, wins and failures. Sustainable fashion shouldn't be limited to standard industry sizes–that itself goes against the ethos of being a responsible brand. Ultimately, a real change can come about only by making size-inclusivity a collective industry goal. 

Opening image credit: Gourab Ganguly for Tokree / creative by Sree Vardhan

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