In the world of fashion, a movement is gaining ground: that of the inclusive fashion. Fashion shows and editorial campaigns increasingly push for inclusivity, expanding the representation of different sizes, but the?purchase of plus size garments often remains a obstacle course.
In this article, we will focus on how successfully launching a fashion brand dedicated to curvy sizesa market segment in which you can make a real difference and be an inspiration!
I am Corrado Manenti and I will be your guide through the crucial steps to develop a brand that not only reflects the values of inclusiveness, but is also desired by a wide audience.
We will explore together the dynamics of this growing industry, the key figures and how to create pieces that are both fashionable, functional and representative.
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We are a creative team specialising in the creation of new product lines and what will effectively become your fashion brand!
In recent years, I have worked on many different types of products: each market segment has unique peculiarities which partly define both the type of product to be produced and the shape and timing of our business.
Fashion for curvy women: the unobtainable plus sizes
As fashion transforms, new trends follow and impose themselves every day, and keeping up with them is increasingly a daily challenge.
But while it is true that several clothing brands espouse the trend of body positivitytoo often their commitment is limited to marketing campaigns without translating into a real increase in the accessibility and variety of garments available for all sizes.
Curvy fit: challenges and opportunities
Images of the e-commerceespecially those of luxury brands and top retailers, tell a completely different story than advertising campaigns and fashion shows.
It is rare to see bodies deviating from traditional standards in photos against a white background, with the model's face cropped and macro details on garments.
The reason is simple: in major brandscreative teams focus on the more strategic communication operationssuch as fashion shows and campaigns, while images for e-commerce are handled by a technical team, focused on the optimal rendering of garments through lighting and posing.
In addition, the garments photographed belong to the sample collection, a collection created for internal uses such as photo shoots, red carpets and editorial shoots. This sample collection is made in a standard size (usually a 40), and the models selected must fit these measurements.
Producing extra garments to represent different physicalities would entail an additional cost that, although minimal for the big brands, only a few have so far decided to take on.
Paradoxically, it is the brands of the fast fashion to be further ahead on the representation front. The best known OVS, H&M, Mango and ASOS have adopted a seemingly inclusiveness-conscious image, accompanying their extensive collections with dedicated lines in the wake of the kidswear e maternity.
The result? Products that very often do not enhance curvy bodies because they are originally designed for 'standard' sizes.
The segment of mid-brands remains anchored to a traditional aesthetic and a predominantly lean representation, leaving a gap in the market waiting to be filled.
But right here a concrete opportunity for your brand! 2025 is the perfect year to redefine curvy fashion, transforming it from a simple trend to the founding pillar of a brand capable of offering an authentic and inclusive representation.
Those who choose to invest in a design that truly enhances the diversity of bodies not only respond to an increasingly strong market demand, but also have the opportunity to stand out with a unique and revolutionary identity.
If you have thought about creating a fashion brands for curvy women that is not only inclusive but also iconic, cool and fresh you have come to the right place.
Our adventure starts here, ready to make a difference?
What is inclusive fashion?
Designed for all bodies, inclusive fashion responds to a real need: nt is not just about making clothes, but about rethinking the way fashion welcomes and values all people, regardless of gender, size, physical ability or cultural background.
Inclusive fashion, in fact, is un movement towards a fairer and more truthful representation of society in its complexity. It is as if fashion were saying, "Hey, you look great just the way you are!"
In recent years, the concept of inclusive fashion has become increasingly relevant in the fashion design sector. Integrating the value of inclusivity into one's own collections means opening the door to a wider market and to more ethical and responsible design.
But where did this need come from? And how has it evolved over time?
Inclusive fashion: its origin and evolution
Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have given visibility to models and influencers with bodies different from the classic industry standards. This has forced brands to rethink their strategies, introducing curvy models, inclusive campaigns and collaborations with industry activists.
But the inclusive fashion has deeper roots than people think: born as a response to an industry that for decades imposed rigid and unrepresentative aesthetic canons. In the past, curvy women were relegated to unkempt collections, with oversized garments lacking structure and style.
It is therefore worth having in mind the different stages and battles of body inclusivity, in order to make a revolution that is not just a marketing operation:
- 1960s-1980s: the first demands for inclusiveness
In the 1960s, with the spread of the civil rights movement in the United States and the rise of second-wave feminism, fashion began to be seen as a political tool. Women began to reject constricting garments such as corsets and demanded more functional and free clothing.
- 1990s-2000s: the debate on body positivity and adaptive fashion
During the 1990s, the debate on the representation of bodies intensified. Plus-size fashion started to find a small space in the market, although often relegated to separate collections. At the same time, adaptive design, i.e. clothing designed for people with disabilities, began to emerge as a niche sector.In the 2000sgrowing sensitivity to gender and disability issues has led some brands to experiment with more accessible garments, but inclusiveness was still a concept far from being mainstream.
- The evolution of inclusive fashion to date
In the last 20 years, inclusive fashion has experienced a revolution. Thanks to the internet and social media, the voices of marginalised communities have found greater resonance, prompting brands to respond to new demands for representation and accessibility.
Inclusive fashion is not transient: market data and projections for the future
The plus-size segment is first and foremost an expanding market: the growing sensitivity to issues of inclusivity and representation has opened up an extraordinary opportunity for designers to making a tangible difference in the clothing industry.
The market data are promising: according to the latest research by Allied Market Research, the plus-size fashion will exceed the 700 billion by 2030.
For aspiring designers, 2025 is the ideal time to innovate and contribute to a more inclusive future.
(Sources: Allied Market Research)
Not only special and limited edition collections: many women dream of permanent curvy fashion that reflects the more refined and sophisticated.
Imagine creating collections that not only follow trends, but are also designed to enhance curvy shapes. It will be an incredible creative journey, where you can explore styles, fabrics and colours that enhance the figure.
With l'inclusiveness as a mantra, your brand could really make a difference. Don't be afraid to dare, to experiment and to bring freshness to the market.
Your talent can help changing the rules of the game and send a clear message to the industry: inclusiveness cannot be just a passing trend, but a concrete transformation on which to build the future of fashion.
BAD Method: An Innovative Approach to Building Your Brand
My method BAD stems from a key principle: a good design product must always tell a story.
This vision perfectly complements the inclusive fashionwhere each garment is not just a garment, but a symbol of identity, personal expression and celebration of diversity.
With BADI help designers to look beyond the product, pushing them to create authentic brands that embrace all people and speak directly to their hearts.
For those interested in entering this sector full of potential, we offer two main possibilities:
Do-it-yourself approach: Directly experience the creation of a curvy clothing line, immersing oneself in the design, production and marketing dynamics required to create and sell collections that speak to a wide and diverse audience.
CollaborationJoin forces with industry professionals to take your brand vision forward, transforming your ideas into collections that not only meet the needs of an expanding market but also lead the way in terms of style, quality and inclusiveness.
Our mission is to prove that fashion can and should be for everyone. By using our tool, the Fashion Business Designer, we aim to simplify this process, making the creation of a line for curvy sizes not only possible but also a rewarding and successful experience.
From idea to realisation: 5 steps to build your curvy line
- Do my garments offer comfort and support without sacrificing style?
- Is inclusive fashion more expensive to produce?
- How should we organise our business to sell and distribute our product?
These are just some of the questions we will explore to understand how we can create a fashion brand for curvy sizes.
The first step is to define a?clear brand identity: what is the message you want to convey? Elegance, streetwear, casual or activewear? Each choice will influence materials, fit and communication.
Once the objective is clear, we move on to the designwhere creativity meets functionality.
Colours, fabrics and patterns must not only be trendy, but also designed to ensure comfort and perfect fit. Experimenting is crucial, and feedback from curvy women is a valuable resource for improving every detail.
Essential is to deepen the research into the needs of the target audience. Curvy women do not all have the same body shape, so it is essential to design models that respect the diversity of silhouettes.
Studying the fit, choosing comfortable and structured fabrics, taking care of details such as strategic elastics, studied cuts and reinforced seams can make the difference between a garment that fits well and one that truly enhances the wearer.
Prototyping is a key moment: making samples on different body types helps to refine the models before large-scale production.
Finally, communication must be consistent with the brand's inclusive philosophy: from advertising campaigns to social media, it is important to represent beauty in all its forms, choosing authentic models and promoting an open dialogue with the community.
A curvy line successful is not just a collection of clothes, but an opportunity to rewrite the rules of fashion and give a voice to those who have hitherto been excluded.
The launch of the collection is the moment when all work finds its meaning. Seeing women wearing the garments and feeling confident and represented is the real satisfaction. From idea to realisation, it is a journey made up of study, passion and attention to detail, but worth every effort!
Inclusive fashion: curvy shopping
Thanks to the support of the style office of Be A Designeryour boldest dreams can take shape, turning into garments that not only set you apart in style, but could even give you that extra edge to gain a strategic advantage.
If fashion followed a single melody, it would be a guaranteed bore.. Our mission together with you is to break down the limits imposed by standard sizes and value diversity in all its forms.
Who said that curvy fashion cannot be stylish? For too long, brands have offered curvy women oversized garments lacking in shape and personality, as if wearing one size larger meant giving up style.
When creating your brand, you must distinguish between calibrated and conformed sizes.
Le calibrated sizes maintain the same proportions as standard sizes, simply in larger sizes, while the conforming sizes are designed to fit the body shape, respecting its natural proportions and ensuring a more harmonious fit.
Designing clothes for curvy women in fact does not simply mean enlarging standard sizes, but create garments designed to enhance different body proportions. Le conforming sizes respond to this very need.
Too many times, plus-size collections have proposed unstructured or oversize models, without considering that every physique has unique peculiarities: those who have more pronounced hipssome a more marked life, some narrower shoulders.
Dinnovative design, perfect fit and attention to the diversity of silhouettes will be your guiding words for dressing curvy women in style.
What are the measurements of a curvy woman?
When we talk about curvy measurements, the first thought goes to those silhouettes that defy traditional beauty standards, but the world of curvy sizes is often shrouded in confusion. If you wear a 44 but you have a soft build and a not particularly tall stature, do you actually fit into the curvy fashion? In Italy, for example, curvy sizes generally start from 46 upwards.
This distinction depends on the availability of the garments in physical and online shops. A jeans or dress size 44 are easily found in standard collections, whereas finding a 48 or a 50 becomes more complex. This is precisely where the curvy fashionwith collections dedicated to softer physiques and specialised brands such as Elena Mirò or Gaia Life.
In brands plus-size, sizes are determined on the basis of anthropometric body measurements, i.e:
- Breast circumference
- Waistline
- Hips
- Shoulders
Finally, when buying clothes abroad, it is essential to consult a conversion table to navigate between the different measurement scales (American, French, Spanish or English) and find the perfect size for your body.
A tool that we can regard as objective, but bear in mind that measurements vary from person to person, so there is no magic formula for everything.
| Size | Cm Breast Circumference | Cm hip circumference |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | 120 - 124 | 120 - 130 |
| 48 | 124 - 128 | 125 - 135 |
| 50 | 128 - 132 | 130 - 140 |
| 52 | 132 - 138 | 135 - 145 |
(source https://donnacurvy.com/blog/guida-alle-taglie-chiariamo-un-po–b19.html)
This is why prototyping is a key moment: making samples on different body types helps to refine the models before large-scale production.
This involves the design of garments designed specifically to fitvalue and celebrate different bodies, breaking the stereotypes that have dominated the fashion industry for too long.
Here, magic comes to life! It is not enough to offer a few more sizes, but we need different fits, structured fabrics and technical details designed to enhance and support curves. If the fit is perfect, the shopping experience becomes more inclusive and satisfying. Every body is a canvas and fashion should be a tool for self-expression, not a limitation.
Foreign Size Conversion Guide
As already mentioned, when working in fashion design, knowing the differences between international sizes is essential, especially if you intend to create a curvy line for foreign markets.
The fit of American brands, for example, tends to be wider than in Italyand knowing how to convert measurements correctly can make all the difference in the design of your garments.
Here is a simple rule for the conversion of suits, coats and jackets: to obtain an American match for an Italian size, simply subtract 10. For example, a 46 Italian is equivalent to a 36 USAwhile one 48 Italian corresponds to a 38 USA and so on.
For all other garments, just follow these directions:
- Trousers: To obtain the American size, subtract 16 to the Italian size. For example, a 46 Italian corresponds to a 30 USAwhile one 48 Italian will be a 32 USA.
- Jerseys, tops and shirtsThe operation to be carried out is subtract 30. If you wear a 50 Italianyour American correspondent will be a 20 USA.
- English sizes: Here the formula changes: for dresses, coats, shirts, tops, sweaters and jackets, enough subtract 32. A 46 Italian becomes a 14 UK. For the trousersinstead, a 46 Italian is equivalent to a 32/33 UK, one 48 to a 34/35 UKand so on.
- Spanish and French sizes: In this case, the rule is very simple: subtract 4. So, if in Italy you wear a 46your Spanish or French size will be a 42.
- ? Pro Tip: Most brands and e-commerce provide official conversion tablesessential to avoid mistakes and ensure that your garments fit every customer perfectly, anywhere in the world. Studying these details will make all the difference in the design of your curvy collection!
Inclusive fashion: a cost or an investment in the future?
You may have wondered if inclusive fashion is more expensive to produce? The answer is yes, but with a completely different perspective. It is not just a question of costsbut of value.
Creating fashion for all means going beyond traditional standards, investing in sustainable materials, developing cuts and patterns to suit different physicalities and ensuring more careful and ethical production processes. Is it a challenge? Of course it is. But it is also a huge opportunity.
Every inclusive fashion item is not just fabric and stitching: is a declaration of changea symbol of representation for those who have been excluded for too long.
Yes, as we have seen, inclusive fashion may seem like a more challenging investment at first even for a high-fashion brand, but its impact goes far beyond the production price.
The production of curvy clothing requires a careful choice of materials, as fit and comfort are key elements in ensuring garments that enhance every physique. Popular fabrics include:
- stretch cotton
- the high-quality jersey
- fluid viscose
which offer softness, elasticity and excellent drape on the body. For more structured garments, we prefer the stretch denim and the lightweight neoprenewhich shape the silhouette without constricting it.
The use of stretch and performance fabricswhich are often certified for comfort and sustainability, involves a higher cost than traditional materials. In addition, the creation of models suitable for more body types requires more complex tailoring and more fabric for each garment.
Added to these factors is the need to develop more sample sizes and to optimise the fitting through tests on different physicalities, increasing prototyping and production costs.
It may seem like an onerous and far from simple job, but your customers will thank you: no one has ever dedicated a brand to the curvy sizes as you would, making inclusive fashion more than just a trend!
Where to start: creating an inclusive clothing brand for curvy women
Define your brand visionEvery successful brand is born from a clear vision. Ask yourself: what is the mission of my brand? What message do I want to convey?
Does your brand want to focus on sophisticated designs, on everyday garments perfect for every occasion or on sustainable fashion? Have a brand identity clear will help you make consistent decisions and stand out in the market.
Know your audienceUnderstanding who your customers are is essential. Curvy women look for clothes that enhance their physique without sacrificing style and comfort. But what are their real needs? What is missing in the current inclusive fashion offer? Analyse the market, do surveys and listen to the curvy community to find out what they really want. The more you know about your target audience, the more you will be able to create garments that meet their real needs.
Build a clear visual identityYour brand must communicate inclusiveness, beauty and confidence from the first glance. Logo, colours, fonts and storytelling should reflect your philosophy and create an emotional connection with your audience. A strong visual identity will help you be recognisable and position you as the benchmark in curvy fashion.
Choose and develop the right products: the selection of garments is the heart of your brand. Focus on quality materials, cuts designed to enhance every shape and details that make the wearer feel confident. Stretch fabrics, strategic lines and models adaptable to different body shapes are fundamental to guarantee an impeccable fit. Remember: curvy fashion is not just an enlarged version of standard sizes, but requires careful study to enhance every silhouette.
Build an engaging marketing strategy: Once you have created your brand and products, it is time to make yourself known. Use social media to tell your story, showcase your clothes on real women and create an authentic community around your brand. Collaborate with curvy influencers, leverage content marketing and focus on campaigns that celebrate diversity to connect with your audience in an authentic way.
Remember: creating an inclusive fashion brand is not just a business choice, but an opportunity to change the industry and give voice to a new idea of beauty. If you have the right passion and vision, now is the perfect time to start. Because fashion should never exclude, but celebrate every body.
FAQ
What are the most common mistakes in curvy clothing design?
One of the most frequent errors is simply enlarge standard sizeswithout considering that the proportions change with the body. It is essential work on strategic cutselastic and structured materials and study the curvy body morphologyto ensure garments that enhance the shape without sacrificing style.
What design strategies can I adopt to enhance curvy shapes?
To create garments that flatter the body without constricting it, use strategic stitching, draping, darts and play on volumes. Diagonal lines and empire cuts help to slim the figure, while shaped fabrics and elastic bands can shape without squeezing. The secret is the balance between comfort and style!
What are the best brands to study for inspiration?
Some of the most innovative brands in curvy and inclusive fashion are Elena Mirò, Marina Rinaldi, ASOS Curve, Fashion Nova Curve and Eloquii. Even luxury brands such as Gucci, Versace and Christian Siriano are expanding their offerings to embrace inclusivity. Analysing their work can give you valuable insights for your own collection.
How can I promote a curvy fashion line effectively?
In addition to traditional channels, it exploits the potential of TikTok and Instagramwhere the curvy and body-positive communities are very active. Collaborate with curvy and plus-size influencerscreate content that shows the fit of your garments on different body types and focus on authentic and inclusive communication.
What are the future trends in inclusive fashion?
The future of curvy fashion points to customisation and technology. The body scanning for made-to-measure garmentsgrowing attention to the sustainability and the use of artificial intelligence in fashion design are revolutionising the industry. Being up-to-date on these innovations will allow you to stand out in the market.
Good luck!
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If you have read this article it is because you are certainly a fashion enthusiast, but the real reason why you read these topics on my site and not in a fashion magazine
is because you have most likely had in your drawer for some time
the idea of creating your own fashion brand.
I am Corrado Manenti and now for more than 10 years I founded the first independent style office specialising in supporting emerging designers in the development of their collections and their path to self-entrepreneurship.
If you are a designer or simply a creative person and have always dreamed of building your own fashion collection and selling it, you are in the right place!
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