How size-inclusive is the resortwear industry in India?

Plus-sized shoppers might be accustomed to a glaring gap in the resortwear aisle for trendy styles, but a new generation of designers isn’t waiting for the industry to play catch-up

Resortwear has long served as the land of eternal sunshine in everyone’s wardrobes, replete with punchy colours and wispy florals. However, trend-friendly options appear increasingly scarce as the needle on the size spectrum ventures beyond the average XL—the cheeky high-cut bikinis and peekaboo cover-ups of fore replaced by a sombre invasion of tent dresses and undefined silhouettes.

“Resort-dressing has always evoked joy amongst audiences, which is why we feel the need to offer that emotion democratically across sizes,” comments Shivan Bhatiya. As one half of the label Shivan & Narresh, he is counted among the pioneers of luxury resortwear in India, and has been observing the conversation around inclusive sizing since it had little focus in mainstream parlance. The tipping point would come in 2011 when a plus-sized client requested the designers to create a custom bikini sari for her. “We remember how she wanted to break free from her traditional wardrobe while on holidays and indulge in the joys of resortwear. As designers, our focus remains on offering different styles for women and men who take pride in their bodies, and in celebrating and loving it the way it is,” adds Narresh Kukreja. 

Going beyond baggy fits

The mantle, however, doesn’t rest upon their shoulders alone. A new crop of homegrown labels is reimagining the possibilities of resortwear for every size. At celebrity-loved label Guapa Resortwear, a pleated metallic toga has found a fan in women across 16 diverse sizes in the United States. Elsewhere, on the colour-happy shores of the eco-conscious label Maarteeni, body-positivity advocate Anindita Roy reclaims the narrative around Kareena Kapoor Khan’s iconic size-zero beach bod in Tashan (2008) by having her own bikini moment in the label’s highlighter-hued fare. With stretch marks snaking across thighs and bulges refusing to be Photoshopped into submission, a new day appears to be dawning for inclusivity in resortwear.

Topping the priority list for this new era is countering the ‘boring, beige dresses’ refrain often lobbed at size-inclusive labels by ensuring that plus-sized shoppers’ options aren’t limited to blanket-like kaftans. Tania Abrol, founder of Maarteeni, says, “We consider the realness of women in the designing process—they can be tall, short, have a few tummy rolls or absolutely nothing at all. Just as no two small-sized people have the same measurements, we believe the same applies for all other sizes as well. Indian women have real bodies and we need to normalise the curves, the textures, and [be mindful of] how the fashion industry can serve as a breeding ground for self-doubt and body-image issues.”

Fat tax serves as another link that needs to be severed from this multi-headed monster, as plus-sized shoppers continue to bear the brunt of an additional surcharge for sizes that extend beyond the conventional spectrum. “If you wouldn’t charge less for an XXS size, it does not make rational sense to levy a surcharge for an XXL. The day we let go of such limiting beliefs, the industry can truly move forward,” signs off Kumar. 

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