A Tightening Issue With Fashion

By Marah Morrison

Why is it that no matter how hard some people try, they can’t find the pair of jeans that fit the way they would like?

Taci Turel, an associate professor in the fashion merchandising program at Youngstown State University, said fitting is one of the biggest issues in the fashion industry today.

“This is a problem because we no longer have tailors that we go to who produce garments to fit exactly to our bodies,” Turel said. “We mass produce.”

With mass production on the rise, people who work in the fashion industry need to have some type of standardization of sizes, Turel said. The associate professor said these companies cannot just produce for one single person based on their sizes.

“You have to have an understanding that there are certain categories of sizes that the majority of people fall into,” Turel said. “And then you try to produce your garments or mass produce based on those standardized sizes.”

Turel said there is a lot of work put into the standardization of sizes in this industry and there are a lot of differences in size based on the masses that are trying to be customized.

“This has led to a lot of new technologies,” Turel said. “There is actually this body scanning technology that came up.”

The body scanner can determine anyone’s exact measurements, but Turel said not all companies can afford to do this. Companies are working hard to try and minimize this sizing issue, but there is no clear cut answer on how to solve this problem, she said.

On the other hand, Tiffany Anderson, a YSU assistant professor in the department of English and the director of Africana studies, has not had a lot of problems with fit.

“Consistently I’ve had really good experience with Stitch Fix,” Anderson said. “… which is a website where you go in and you put your preferences in and you put your size in.”

Anderson said she believes the reason why she’s always had great fit from this website is because of the specifics they ask about the clothes customers are purchasing.

“We don’t go into clothing stores and have people measure us,” Anderson said. “We go in with this idea of, ‘Oh this is my size,’ but oftentimes we’re wrong and we don’t know what our size is or we’re unwilling to admit what our size is.”

Stephanie Miranda, a YSU student majoring in communications with a focus on media track with journalism and minoring in theater, is a Miss Ohio Latina 2013 and a Miss Ohio U.S. International 2015 winner. Miranda thinks clothing should be made to fit all types and all stores should carry every size for customers.

“When it comes to finding the best fit, it does get a little hard,” Miranda said. “I always try my best to find a great seamstress so that way, the dress I fall in love with, I’m able to have.”

Reilly Johnson, a YSU student majoring in fashion merchandising and minoring in marketing, has noted that most consumers feel confused the most when shopping in department stores. Johnson said this may be due to department stores selling a large array of brands.

“I’ve definitely encountered sizing issues within my circle of brands and stores,” Johnson said. “I think companies should work with their product development teams as well as allocations to produce certain sizes for different regions and countries.”