H&M Expands Its Range Of Sizes With Help From Tess Holliday
Fast-fashion retailer H&M is expanding its plus-size clothing options in the national market. With model Tess Holliday as a consultant, the brand’s site will now offer up to a size 4XL in women’s and 3XL in men’s, and up to 2XL in-stores.
H&M and Tess Holliday
Holliday, who wears a size 24, did not approve of H&M’s previous sizing options, she tells Vogue. She drew the line when she was approached to work with the brand on a 2021 clothing campaign that only ran up to a size XL. Soon after, she would become the face of H&M’s efforts to reach a wider market of consumers.
Yesterday, the model expressed her excitement about the partnership on her Instagram, stating “Today we created a runway for change for the rest of the fashion industry.”
For about a year now, Holliday has been working closely with H&M on their plus-size market. In December 2022, she posed in a hot pink gathered bodycon on Instagram, where she also announced the brand’s introduction of larger sizes. It was only recently, though, that her role as a consultant became public.
Holliday is a known advocate for inclusivity, especially when it comes to campaigning for larger bodies on the runway. In September 2019, she walked New York Fashion Week in a statement dress with the words “sample-size” stamped all over it.
Industry Shift
This change is coming at a time when the presence of plus-size models is beginning to decline. Business of Fashion cited possible reasons for the decline; including a resurgence of Y2K era fashion, prescription drugs, and casting directors’ preferences for “mid-size” models. Despite this, H&M continues to embrace inclusivity as “a business imperative,” according to Donna Dozier Gordon, the company’s head of inclusion and diversity.
H&M’s site includes a separate category for plus-size garments, making it easier for buyers to navigate to the clothing. Currently, over 600 items in sizes xS to 4XL are available for purchase online.
Featured image credit: H&M