Outdoor enthusiasts in bigger bodies want to buy clothes for their activities. Outdoor retailers want to help folks get outside, providing them with the gear they need to be safe and comfortable. And yet despite the fact that 68% of American women wear sizes 14+, less than 20% of outdoor apparel is made in plus sizes. What’s up with that?
Even when brands do make apparel for bigger bodies, there appears to be a disconnect between the customer and the retailer: customers want to try clothes in store, but retailers have the idea that plus size clothes don’t sell well. And while we have an AMAZING line up of partner retailers carrying our products (check them out!), we want to go bigger and make this experience better.
Customers and retailers clearly want to be connected. To get to the bottom of this chicken or the egg problem, we've deemed July "Retail Month," as an opportunity to get deeper and identify solutions to close this gap.
What does that mean in practice? Well, we started with a survey (thank you to everyone who participated!), have been hosting some excellent roundtable discussions, and will be finishing with actionable recommendations for retailers, brands, and customers (!!) that will inch the outdoor industry closer to making a more equitable experience for every body that wants to go outside.
We’re learning that our personal experiences in bigger bodies are not individual, but rather quite universal: it’s uncomfortable to walk into retail stores, not knowing if they carry our sizes. And with the opportunity to really talk about it, we’re finding opportunities to make small (and big) changes that will have a genuine impact.
If you’re a retailer or a brand that is interested in working to make your space feel more welcoming to all, please reach out to us at hello@alpineparrot.com. Together we can build a better outdoor industry, one that celebrates everybody and every body in nature 🙌🏽
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