Overweight Stigma?

With the plus size industry booming, why is it so hard to find clothes that work?

(PRWEB) December 8, 2004 -- Overweight Stigma: With the plus size industry booming, why is it so hard to find clothes that work?

With the recent news that the plus size market is poised to generate $60 billion in revenue, according to NPD Research, its a wonder that plus size frocks arent overflowing on the racks of retailers everywhere. In fact, even with this market going into overdrive, the two premier fashion publications in the country, Cosmopolitan and Lucky Magazine, decline to feature fashions suited for the larger percentage of their readership. Even with all this prejudice abound, there are a few designers willing to break out of the mold and design with passion and flare for the rubenesque woman of style.

One such designer, Abby Z, stands out the first empowered and fearlessly hip plus size collection for fashionable females sizes fourteen to twenty four. Larger size women can feel rest assured the new Contemporary/Designer collection is specifically designed for the independent, confident, plus size women whom demands attention and knows what she wants.

No longer do larger size fashion mavens, jetsetters, and go to girls need to fret over what to wear to their next, party, meeting or weekend because Abby Z has undoubtedly come to the rescue of the hipster set.

As one of the 40 million women over a size fourteen in America, Abby Zeichner is a young, hip Go to Gal", whose high profile fashion career and hectic social life demands that clothes are as intense, sophisticated and passionate as she is. Since only June of this year she has been sharing her designs, her philosophy and her exuberance about living large with this very special audience and has been doing phenomanal. Once in the minority, this audience is now the majority and their buying power alone should command attention from the industry. Yet, somehow, this segment gets lost in the fray -- clothing marketed towards plus size set is by and large relegated to basements or tucked into corners.

This blatant size discrimination has been swept under the rub until now. London designer Anna Scholz, who is a size 20 says in Fashion UK "I think it's going to take ages for things to change and for shops to stock larger sizes as a part of their fashion sections. There is racism, sexism and sizism and I have a non sizist philosophy." Brands such as Baby Phat, J.Lo and Girlfriends LA have also begun to adopt an this non-sizist stance, but theres still a long way to go.

The reality is that most companies do not make trend-setting, fashion forward clothing for the plus size woman. I am here to reinvent that reality," says Abby Z. Luckily, until the rest of the industry wakes up and acknowledges this reality, we have people like Abby Z leading the way.

For More Information Contact:

Gwen Wunderlich @ 646 319 8800 or         

Josie Zohny @GLAM PR 917 742 3777

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