What is the Growth Potential for Plus Size Fashion?

A few days ago I received an email from a reader about plus size fashion in the US Virgin Islands and how it is almost non-existent.  The question was raised about giving concrete evidence of this niche’s growth potential.  I started to think about the number of merchants that have burst on the scene in the last 4 years and how the landscape of plus size fashion has been changed forever by simple giving plus size ladies the option to buy trendy stylish clothing at an affordable price.

A year ago I made this prediction:

1. Since there are more options to purchase trendy clothing especially for women then there is more of a likelihood people will spend more and more often.
2. Better quality from manufacturers translates into customer loyalty.
3. The plus size community is ready to spend money to support those merchants that actually have larger individuals best interests in mind.

Three merchants that come to mind to show the potential of growth of the plus size fashion industry are Rosalee Womansize Apparel, IGIGI, and MonifC Plus Sizes. All three merchants have a presence on the Web as well as a brick and mortar location operating in such a way that they have attracted a worldwide audience as well as having some celebrities wear their clothing.  I feel that if there was not a problem with buying plus size clothing in gerneral these merchants would not have seen the amazing success that they have.  The second prediction about better quality clothing is something that I have been seeing more and more of and hope that this trend continues.

The third prediction is the one I think will show that the estimated $100 billion dollars spent on plus size fashion by the year 2012 is actually a conservative number.  With more merchants finding it easier to break into the industry by debuting on the Internet it is only a matter of time before digital success translates back into brick and mortar locations and areas like the US Virgin Islands and other international locations will no longer be plus size fashion voids.

Looking into the future of plus size fashion I would like to think that blogs like Full Figure Plus will give potential customers the courage to seek out what they want no matter what.  If that doesn’s show growth potential I don’s know what will.  To give a simple answer to the question I feel that the growth potential for plus size fashion is unlimited and will grow well beyond the projected sales figures.