Character Art Exchange

LOFT ANNOUNCES IT WILL DROP EXTENDED SIZING

LOFT ANNOUNCES IT WILL DROP EXTENDED SIZING


once the lower-priced sister to Ann Taylor that eventually grew into its own brand — announced that it would be launching plus sizes, to much fanfare. After testing it through a partnership with subscription service Gwynnie Bee in late 2017, Loft teased the new category by dressing actor Chrissy Metz for a "Late Night With Seth Meyers" appearance. By the fall of 2018, the brand was touting that it would make the extended sizes available in stores, a major win for plus-size customers used to having to shop exclusively online. It sponsored a booth at The Curvy Con the following year.Get more news about cheap Plus Size Dresses for women,you can vist 5xsize.com!
On Sunday, March 14, customers had taken to Loft's Instagram comments to ask a simple question: Where are the plus-size clothes? Some noted that options had been steadily dwindling for sizes over 18, especially in the most recent spring drop, despite the fact that no announcement had been made about its plus line. The brand's Instagram handle responded to a handful of commenters, noting: "Due to continued business challenges from the last year, we have had to make some very difficult decisions, which has impacted our go-forward sizing." By the fall season, @loft added, sizes would stop at an 18/XXL. (Fashionista has reached out to Loft for comment.)

"I've been pushing for more and better options in plus size for years, so seeing major brands abandon plus entirely is disheartening. Loft is especially frustrating because they did not give plus a real chance," says Sarah Chiwaya, the blogger who started the #PlusSizePlease movement back in 2014. "Plus was still a relatively new offering for the brand, and there were only a handful of locations that carried it in-store, so they had plenty of untapped potential to develop their plus-size customer base."

There's no doubt that retailers have been hit hard over the course of the last year, even and sometimes especially plus-size brands. in November, Dia & Co CEO Nadia Boujarwah told Market Watch that apparel spending had "dropped to the lowest levels we've seen in 30 years of recorded history."
Because this market was smaller to begin with on the supply side, the same macro dynamics have had a disproportionate impact on the brick-and-mortar retailers," she added. "We estimate that, just since COVID arrived, 30% of the retail stores that cater to plus-size women have closed permanently."

And by the end of 2020, Loft parent company Ascena filed for Chapter 11 and was forced to sell off its assets, including Loft, Ann Taylor, Lou & Grey and Lane Bryant, to Premium Apparel, an affiliate of private equity firm Sycamore Partners. The firm is already proving somewhat controversial with regards to the sale: In February, major mall operator Simon Property Group filed objections against the takeover, citing concerns that Sycamore planned to close more stores — including profitable ones — than originally agreed upon. (In the past, Sycamore Group has acquired and bankrupted Nine West, shut down and sold Coldwater Creek and backed out of an agreement to buy Victoria's Secret.)
Chiwaya points out that, as was the case for their straight-size counterparts, a year-long quarantine in sweats has changed plus-size shoppers' habits. "When I heard the news that they were shuttering plus, I speculated (and my readers quickly confirmed) that many plus shoppers are only shopping Loft for office wear. So of course there’s going to be a downturn in sales when pretty much everyone who works in the office has been working at home for a year," she says. "To make the decision to chop plus without even giving it a fair post-pandemic chance speaks volumes about their priorities."

You must be logged in to comment.

Register
Log in
Username

Password:

forgot your password?

or OpenID:
or Log in with Google