Why Do So Many Plus-Size Fashion Launches Fall Short?

On paper, Old Navy had done everything right with Bodequality, its 2021 plus-size initiative: The brand stocked up to size 28 in stores, created size-inclusive imagery and campaigns, reexamined its size chart to more accurately cater to customers with curves, and employed fit models and mannequins of various sizes. For many plus-size shoppers, it felt like a win in the fight for size-inclusivity in fashion. And yet in May, not even a year later, Old Navy scaled back Bodequality, citing that it had a low return on investment.

An update posted to Gap Inc’s FAQ page stated that extended sizes will be pulled from 75 stores in the United States and 15 in Canada: “Based on customer demand and supply chain challenges, we made the decision to remove select extended sizes from a small number of stores.” While this will still leave over 90% of the Bodequality-focused stores with the full-size range, it’s a blow to what many saw as the ultimate blueprint for other brands to follow. (The full-size range will continue to be available online.)

“We have not seen the expected demand for extended size products in our stores,” the brand wrote in a statement provided to Refinery29. “As such, [we] will be further realigning our in-store inventory later this year to better meet demand.”

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