Overview
The retail clothing sector has undergone many changes since the last century. Fashion and vogue change and evolve with time.
But the thing that remains constant and incessant is → the consumers struggle to find the precise and right size range of clothes that will fit them.
We grow weary of endeavoring to compromise and make do with the “standard fit” that are available, regardless of our height and various other measurements.
Well, it might come as pleasant tidings for all the shopping enthusiasts, as there can be a paradigm shift in the Indian cloth retailing sector to accommodate everyone’s requests.
Ministry of Textiles, in association with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), has unveiled an “anthropometric research study to develop a comprehensive body size chart for the Indian population.”
Reacting to this news, renowned designer Manish Malhotra said that he was happy about this “positive shift” as it will allow the couture consumers more flexibility in trying out creative ways to dress up and could, in a way, redefine the Indian fashion industry.
It will give the customers liberty and also help them embrace their body better, something that can reduce dysmorphia too.
Designers’ ViewsÂ
Malhotra elucidates that India has traditionally been a powerhouse of the textile industry and possess priceless cultures and traditions, and this new size chart tailor-made specifically for Indians would help in sustaining these cultures and traditions.
Not only this, it can eventually gain recognition and drive a new revolution globally, too, he added.
Leena Singh of Ashima-Leena also concurred with Malhotra’s views and went on to say that most of us have had to face challenges while trying to accommodate US and UK body chart sizes.
Every country and ethnicity have their own measurements and differences in bodies’ physiques, size etc. So, this will prove to be a beneficial step for us, she said, congratulating NIFT and the Ministry of Textiles.
Although this project had commenced in February 2019, it faced a setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic fiasco but was subsequently picked up after the cases started subsiding for a while.
Aniket Satam from Pink porcupines has opined that Indians are “anatomically different and diverse.” Late fashion maestro Wendell Rodricks had crafted a fashion chart inclusively long back and had shared it with his counterparts all over the world, which has traditionally been followed to design garments and apparel by following his particular size dimensions.
The new size chart will entail a unique size identification number based on the body’s shape & size; it has been said. This will be created by virtue of mapping and characterizing the body on its physical features.
At present, only 18 countries are said to have their own size charts.
Prachi Saraf, the founder of Vyusti, a grandiose handloom brand, has remarked that the greatest challenge in sizing is the different fit provided by different kinds of fabric.
For instance, a silk-sequined sari may drape differently than a georgette or cotton one, affording varying levels of texture and, therefore, fit.
A lot of times, customers become baffled about how the fabric would make them look and whether it’s comfortable wearing it or not.
It becomes complex with online shopping too. According to Saraf, the ideal way is to segregate into “tall, regular and petite”, and then they can get the clothing in a particular size before adapting to “body-specific sizes”, which are generally much perplexing.
