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Body shapes and apparel fit for overweight and obese women in the US: the implications of current sizing system

Eonyou Shin (Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA)
Elahe Saeidi (Adidas North America, Portland, Oregon, USA)

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management

ISSN: 1361-2026

Article publication date: 22 December 2021

Issue publication date: 9 December 2022

517

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to categorize the whole body shapes of overweight and obese females in the US and examine apparel fit based on the current ASTM sizing standards related to the body shapes categorized.

Design/methodology/approach

Body scan data from 2,672 subjects were used. To categorize their whole body shapes using 97 body measurements, principal component analysis with varimax rotation, a hierarchical cluster analysis and K-means cluster analysis were used. To compare the ASTM sizing standards for plus sizes (curvy and straight) and missy sizes (curvy and straight), five body parts (bust, under bust, waist, top hip, hip) using the formula for fit tolerance (measurement plus half of the interval) were compared with the ASTM sizing standards to determine the size appropriate for each body part.

Findings

Five whole body shapes among overweight and obese females in the US were categorized: Rectangle-curvy; parallelogram-moderately curvy; parallelogram-hip tilt; inverted trapezoid-moderately curvy and inverted trapezoid-hip tilt. When the body measurements in each body shape were compared with the current ASTM sizing systems for both misses and plus sizes, four-fifths or more of overweight and obese female adults in the US would find it difficult to obtain a perfect fit for both tops and bottoms.

Originality/value

Identifying whole body shapes among overweight and obese women in the US contributes significantly, as it will help apparel companies that target the markets of larger women develop a new sizing system. This study is the first attempt to analyze fit by comparing the ASTM sizing charts with body measurements in each body shape group. Further, the study contributes to the body-related literature by filling gaps in missing whole BS categories among overweight and obese females.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: The work was supported by the Incentive Grants (2018-2019) funded by College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech.

Citation

Shin, E. and Saeidi, E. (2022), "Body shapes and apparel fit for overweight and obese women in the US: the implications of current sizing system", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 759-775. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-09-2020-0213

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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