Fashion a giant in big & tall - big and tall men's clothing - Apparel

Discount Store News, March 4, 1991 by Marie A. Peluso

Fashion a Giant in Big & Tall

Larger Men Want Better Selection And Discounters are Responding

Fashion seems to have taken over big & tall in a big way. No longer are men of larger sizes confined to just the basic essentials in wardrobe: Today's bigger and taller man wants more selection from which to choose.

Big & tall men's wear accounts for approximately 10% of total men's wear sales, according to Jeff Yunis, president and executive director of Specialty Trade Shows, New York. Within the big & tall category, discounters are responsible for 58% of sales.

Capitalizing on this trend, discounters and other retailers have adjusted their product lines as the fashion aspect gains a more prominent role in consumer needs.

Yunis noted that sales of big always fare better than tall because it's easier to hide height than weight. "What's hot, you'll see at the shows--in size 60," he said.

George Tepper, president of Bond Street Suspender & Belt Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y., added, "They [big & tall customers] want to be dressed just like a person who is 5'11". They want to be dressed just like the person who is 175 pounds."

To accomplish this, the manufacturer explained, accessories like ties, belts and suspenders need to be slightly wider and/or longer to balance out or normalize the appearance. "We want to give them some styling," he said.

For instance, Tepper said, Bond Street Suspender & Belt Corp., a division of the leather house Bond Street Ltd., had previously made one "basic" black belt.

The company's selection has since evolved. For the last 15 to 20 years, the 57-year-old firm has made belts, ties and suspenders in big & tall sizes.

Now, belts for big and tall men are between 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch wider than the standard 1-inch belt. They also go up to 64 to 66 inches long.

Ties are longer too, and prints of all kinds are popular, including golf, tennis, horse racing and ducks. Floral print ties are the hottest sellers among the larger set, just as they are among the general male population.

Suspenders, usually 1 1/8-inches wide for regular sizes, are 1 1/2-inch to 2-inches wide for the big & tall market. However, Tepper pointed out that the Wall Streeters are already wearing them 1 1/2-inches wide, so there isn't much difference in big & tall accessory sizes compared to those used by this consumer of regular men's accessories.

The company sells to both upscale department stores and mass merchants. Bond Street Suspender & Belt makes accessories for such discounters as Alexander's and Conway.

McGregor Maximum, Fashions for Big & Tall Men is McGregor Corp.'s category contender. It entered the mass market about four or five years ago. McGregor makes sweaters, pants, outerwear, tops and bottoms and the label carries much cross over merchandise from the manufacturer's regular sized men's wear to the big & tall. Although the sizes vary for different garments, the average size of Maximum range from 46 to 2X and 3X.

Sales of big & tall sizes are, said McGregor vice president Leonard Wilk, "strictly a plus sale. [The category] doesn't replace any other business." Although the category had been "neglected," in the past, the customer now gets more styling and more selection. "The needs [of the category] demanded the same kind of fashion approach," said Wilk.

Discounters arrange Maximum garments--like other labels they carry--either as extensions of the regular sizes or within a separate big & tall department. Either way, said Wilk, the big & tall customer remains "more loyal than the average customer."

According to a recent study by The Gallup Organization, 382 out of 2,019 respondents, or 19%, were purchasers of big & tall men's clothing, ie., men's wear in sizes larger than extra large or extra long. Adults between 18 and 24 are most apt to purchase big & tall apparel, at 24%, while adults over 65 years (13%) are least likely to purchase this category.

The study showed that discounters accounted for 19% of big & tall men's wear sales. Other avenues include: Sears, 33%; department stores, 30%; specialty stores carrying exclusively big & tall sizes, 30%; men's stores, 25%; JCPenney, 22%; mail order catalogs, 15%; factory outlets, 8%; and Montgomery Ward, 6%.

Clearly, the figures show that the mass market is where the action is in big and tall men's wear. Altogether discount stores, Sears and Montgomery Ward comprise more than half the market for large size men's clothing.

According to the survey, purchases of big & tall apparel across the United States break down as follows: in the East, 60%; in the West, 59%; in the South, 50%; and in the Midwest, 41%.

Many retailers will not have a specific big & tall department but rather carry extended sizes of men's wear. One such retailer is Canton, Mass.-based Hills. At Hills, the men's department carries sizes on average up to 44 and 46, according to Jim Feldt, vice president, gmm of softlines.

Feldt noted that the big & tall customer at Hills wants what's "basic in nature," and the discounter provides just that. Its men's department carries the basic clothing items, such as fleecewear, flannel shirts, quilted flannels, shaker sweaters, jeans and outerwear. At Hills, the bigger sized items account for approximately 1% to 2%.