COVID-era Weight Changes Mean Clothes Shopping For A Whole New Size
COVID-era Weight Changes Mean Clothes Shopping For A Whole New Size
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When Allison Weiss Brady and Michael Ladin emerged from weeks of lockdown during
the pandemic, they needed new clothes in new sizes — for different reasons.
Brady, 49, a charity fundraiser from a Philadelphia suburb, had been pulling back on her
candy buying sprees during the lockdown and stepped up the cardio workouts at her
home gym out of boredom. She lost 20 pounds and went down two sizes. In contrast,
Ladin, 58, of Oak Park, Illinois, gained 10 pounds this past spring after sitting around
eating chips and dip.
“I'm not surprised. If I don't work out consistently, I gain weight," said Ladin, who works in
marketing.
Many Americans like Ladin and Brady are changing clothing sizes depending on how
they spent their time sheltering at home. And brands from Levi Strauss & Co. to lingerie
label Cosabella are taking note. So are body measuring technology companies, which
report that shoppers are changing their measurements on their online profiles.
“Anecdotally, we’re seeing shoppers come back into stores unsure of their size," said
Marc Rosen, executive vice president and president of Levi Strauss Americas, in a
statement to The Associated Press. “For most, it’s been a long time since they’ve tried
on a pair of jeans, and they may be up or down a size."
Some companies are even adding larger sizes in response to shoppers' gaining weight,
or what has been dubbed COVID-15.
Guido Campello, co-CEO of luxury lingerie brands Cosabella and Journelle, said that his
two brands have been adding more generous cuts of some of its most popular styles in
bras and sleepwear in recent weeks because of interest from its 2,100 store accounts.
Loyal customers at its store locations are also requesting new sizes while making more
exchanges.
Fit Match, a startup firm that’s rolling out 3D technology to scan customers bodies at
malls, found only one-third of the hundred women it surveyed in Texas where it piloted its
first program had no weight change during the lockdown, says founder and CEO Haniff
Brown. Of the remainder, 15% gained more than 5 pounds, while 20% lost more than
five pounds. Brown called this change “pronounced," noting two-thirds of customers
typically don't have any weight change during such a short time period.
Costly returns
Narvar Inc., a software company that powers returns for more than 200 brands, says
online returns have doubled from mid-March to early June, according to founder and
CEO Amit Sharma. Retailers face more than $800 million in expenses from the additional
returns in the second quarter, in part because of sizing issues but also because of
buyers' remorse and shipping delays.
Brady took advantage of sales and spent several thousand dollars in recent weeks on a
new wardrobe that included T-shirts, inexpensive summer dresses, and designer
sweatshirts. She also sent her new measurements to her personal shoppers at Neiman
Marcus and Saks.
“I feel great. My [old] clothes are huge," said Brady, who hadn't modeled in years but was
recently hired on by a local agency.
Still, weight fluctuations may be here to stay as surges in new cases around the country
force states like California to re-close businesses like gyms and encourage shoppers to
shelter at home again.
Lauren Wire a 32-year-old publicist who lives in Manhattan, says she worries that
another lockdown could keep her gym closed during the winter.
She gained back 12 of the 50 pounds she lost leading up to the pandemic because she
was ordering in a lot from restaurants and enjoying social distance cocktails with friends.
She says she bought new shorts and swimwear when she gained the weight but now
she's starting to shed pounds again by biking outside.
“This will be enough to get me through the summer," he said, trying on his new clothes in
the Kohl's parking lot because the store's fitting room was temporarily closed because of
safety concerns. “I am not buying any more clothes until I lose weight.”