Plus-size clothing in luxury designer fashion can be a touchy and sensitive topic, especially in this day and age where beauty standards have become so diverse.
During fashion shows, you would mostly see stereotypical models donning designer clothing as they walk on the runway, which makes you wonder if these brands ever make plus-size clothes. In the fashion industry, plus-size is identified as sizes 14 and up in the US sizing, or XL and up.
So does Prada offer these sizes for their clothes? Let’s find out in this article.
Does Prada Offer Plus-Size Clothing?
Prada CEO Miuccia Prada is very open about her opinions on plus-size clothing. She does respect the concept of diversity in fashion, but she prefers not to do it in her fashion shows. However, the brand does offer a few clothes sizes that they can count as plus-size.
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What Are The Biggest Sizes Of Prada Clothes?
The topic of plus-size clothing has become abuzz for the past few years now in the fashion industry. As beauty standards have become more diverse, many brands have started offering plus-size clothes.
As for Prada, they do carry a couple of sizes that can be considered plus-size. The biggest Prada clothes available are US size 16 or XXL.
According to an interview with Miuccia Prada in 2019, the subject of plus-size on the runway is becoming “trendy,” which is why she doesn’t like doing it. Since Prada stands out, it doesn’t necessarily follow trends.
She also said that most designers do it by casting only one plus-sized model to appear good, but it seems very pretentious.
For luxury fashion brands, it is important to note that bigger sizes are often considered outliers, which explains why they have very limited availability in Prada and other luxury brands.
In general, smaller sizes tend to sell out faster, so these big brands normally manufacture clothes in these sizes for more profitability.
If you want to know all the clothes sizes that Prada offers, you may view the size chart on their website.
Does Prada Offer More Plus-Size Clothes Online?
Some people check online if they can’t find more sizes in physical stores.
As for Prada, it does not sell clothes online. Yes, you may view the current clothing pieces available for the season on the Prada website, but there is no option to order them online.
If you check the Prada website, you will see that the sizes available are pretty much the same as in the physical stores. All clothes stop at XXL or US size 16, although some pieces are only available in smaller sizes.
What Other Luxury Brands Offer Plus-Size Clothes?
Just like Prada, most luxury fashion brands have limited availability when it comes to plus-size clothes. Of course, the sizes still vary from one brand to another.
Other luxury brands claim that they have XL and XXL items, but if you check their websites, very few items are available.
Here are the biggest sizes available for other luxury brands:
Louis Vuitton
For Louis Vuitton, the biggest size available, according to the brand’s sizing chart on the website, is US size 14 or XL.
However, the online store does not offer many clothing items in this size. Most of the clothes in the Louis Vuitton online store are still under US size 10.
Gucci
Compared to other brands, Gucci has more sizing options for its clothes.
According to the website, the biggest size available is XXL or US size 16.
While Gucci offers bigger sizes, the choices are still quite limited. Upon sorting the clothes by size on the online store, we found that the only results that come up are a pair of black stretchy viscose paints and a selection of t-shirts and sweatshirts.
Dior
According to Dior’s size chart on its website, the biggest size available is US size 14 or XL.
However, upon further checking, the Dior clothing items available in this size are limited to t-shirts and outerwear.
Yves Saint Laurent
The Yves Saint Laurent website shows the biggest clothes size available based on the size chart is US size 16 or XXL.
Upon checking the items, many items come in their biggest size, but they are mostly comprised of t-shirts, blazers, coats, and outerwear. However, there are a lot of items that come in XL or US size 14.
Dolce & Gabbana
Upon checking the brand’s sizing chart on the website, the biggest size available at Dolce & Gabbana is US size 14 or XL.
Even though Dolce & Gabbana has a lot of clothing options in US size 12 or L, there is only one item in XL: a t-shirt that says “#Boycott Dolce & Gabbana,” which is an ironic statement for its shirt.
Burberry
One brand that offers a good variety of plus-size clothing items is Burberry. The largest size available is XXL or US size 16.
In this size, there are lots of clothing styles that you would find, including knitwear, sweaters, trench coats, and other outerwear pieces.
Balenciaga
For Balenciaga, the biggest size available according to its size chart online is US size 14 or XL.
While this brand does offer up to size XL, the items are limited to outerwear, such as oversized hoodies and denim jackets. Most Balenciaga runway pieces run small up to US size 6 only.
Valentino
According to the size chart on Valentino’s website, the biggest size available is XL or US size 14.
However, we found by sorting the items that only one Valentino item in this size: a mini skirt. Most items come in US size 8 or US size 10, the biggest size available.
Balmain
The brand’s website shows the biggest size available is US size 14 or XL.
While going through the items at Balmain’s online store, you would find that most of the items that come in this size are the popular blazers and jackets. The more fitted items are only available in US size 6 as the biggest option.
Givenchy
When checking Givenchy’s size chart on the website, the biggest size is US size 16 or XXL.
And true enough, upon further checking, you would discover a good variety of Givenchy clothing items available in that size.
Will Prada Offer More Plus Sizes In The Future?
If there is something that the luxury fashion industry is notorious for, it tends to be so exclusive.
In general, luxury fashion lacks representation of different body types, which raises eyebrows everywhere. It’s a controversial topic in the fashion world.
This leaves people with other body types with very few options when shopping for luxury clothing pieces. Yes, they can purchase designer bags and shoes, but they don’t have a lot of options for designer clothes.
You can indeed buy plus-sized jackets and coats, but it is always good to have more options.
Ultimately, there is no sure way of telling or predicting if Prada will offer more plus sizes in the future.
As a brand, Prada tends to be very exclusive as it caters to a certain demographic of customers with no intention of expanding it. This has been evident, especially when Prada announced that it would limit the markdowns for its products.
Exclusivity is something that a lot of designer brands aim for. And Prada is no different.
Essentially, despite the lack of options for plus-size clothing, Prada still gets a lot of volume and revenue. But it is always good to expand the representation of other sizes so that more people can enjoy these luxury fashion items.
Some brands have done it, and hopefully, Prada and the others will follow suit because everyone deserves to be able to enjoy designer clothes.
Sources:
What Is Plus Size, Anyway? We Ruminate On This Divisive Term
Luxury Fashion Has A Plus Size Problem
Fashion’s Plus-Size Problem: Here’s Why Size Diversity In Luxury Brands Matters