In 1967 Mr Average was 5ft 7ins and weighed 11st 8lbs. He had a 14.5ins collar, a 38ins chest and a 34ins waist. Today he has grown to 5ft 10ins and 13st 3lbs. His neck is 16ins, his chest 43 ins and his waistline has expanded to 37ins.
Most men’s fashion retailers, however, have failed to keep up. Consequently, a medium is no longer a medium. In some cases, it is an extra large.
Not that sizing up to XL or XXL necessarily means you are overweight. For many clothing brands the XL label is used for men who are well-built, taller, broader and generally beefy, like the model in this shoot who is 6ft 6in. And for every man who’s embarrassed that he now only fits in an extra large, there’s another who dreams of being XXL. No wonder men find fashion so confusing.
According to Statista, the average waist size of an over 35-year-old man was 37.7ins in 2019. If this Mr Average wanted to shop in Zara, for example, he’d be unable to find jeans to fit, as the brand’s online jeans range only goes up to 36ins. Meanwhile over at Reiss, if he wanted a slim fit oxford shirt, he’d be a large, where the chest is 43.7ins and the neck is 16.5ins. And if he topped his outfit off with an Asos lightweight bomber jacket, he’d just about get into an XL (44ins).
Out of touch
Arbitrary clothing sizing is nothing new; women have long-lamented the sizing lottery in which one brand’s 10 is another’s 12. But for larger men, which generally involves those over 35, the disconnect between the reality of modern day body shapes – and the clothes on offer to dress them – leaves them with a depressingly limited choice of standards, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and chinos.
“It is a struggle, a big one. Finding stylish clothes has always been a challenge,” says Ben James, a 6ft 6ins plus-size model and body positivity influencer. “Shopping online is a minefield, especially when it comes to newer brands. The size blocks range radically, you can never depend on an order fitting correctly. New brands seem to be out of touch with modern frames and physiques. Some will call a 36 ins waist an XL, which is really only a medium/large. You can imagine the impact that has on a guy’s self-esteem.”
A 2019 Mental Health Foundation survey found that almost three in 10 adult men (28 per cent) aged 18 and above felt anxious because of body image issues. One in five (21 per cent) said concerns about body image had caused them to dress in a way that hid their body while 22 per cent said they had negatively compared their body to others.
“Your confidence gets robbed,” continues Ben. “I was bigger when I was younger and didn’t get to wear the clothes everyone else did. Psychologically it was challenging, it impacted on confidence and social involvement. Everyone wants to look and feel as best they can, but if you are not able to even get out the starting blocks, especially when you are young and sensitive, it becomes very difficult.”
While all the statistics point towards an ever-growing market, both in terms of the average size of customer and the volume of potential sales, data from the US suggests that men’s plus-size fashion has decreased in value, dropping from around £870million in 2020 to around £740million in 2021. Part of this was due to the pandemic, but it was also down to the fact that larger men have been slower than women to bang the body positivity fashion drum.
One advocate is Kelvin Davis, founder and creator of the Notoriously Dapper blog. With a 40ins waist and 30ins inside leg, he found it almost impossible to find stylish clothes and began writing about his experiences on Facebook in 2012. At the time he received many negative comments and was told to ‘man up’ or ‘go to the gym’.
“Things have definitely started to change over the past five years however,” he says. “But it is still a struggle to find clothes. It is getting better for things like T-shirts and polo shirts, but when it comes to suits or a nice jacket or good-lasting denim there is still little choice.
“It doesn’t make sense, because in the wider world, the bigger you are, the more masculine you are perceived. If you look at someone like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, he’s the ultimate man, but he would struggle to go into a store and buy a shirt.”
Ben agrees: “The fashion industry is the only industry in male culture that demonises size. It is all about small, dainty and lean, even though the average UK man now has a 42in chest. The aesthetic is not aspirational, it’s alienating.”
Brands exclude bigger sizes for different reasons. For most the issue is cost. Some high-end fashion brands steer away from bigger sizing for aesthetic reasons. It is not unusual to see rake-thin male models on the catwalk. Gucci’s Spring 2022 ready-to-wear catwalk show featured extremely thin male models while in 2019 at Paris Fashion Week, designer Hedi Slimane’s first menswear collection for Celine was draped over a collection of rangy waifs.
Kelvin believes part of the issue is that many at the higher echelons of the fashion industry live in an echo chamber. “The people who make these creative decisions are so removed from society and everyday people that they don’t understand what the average person looks like,” he says. “They move in fashion circles where everyone looks the same.”
Untapped potential
Some brands with enough financial clout to expand into plus sizes are cottoning on to the untapped potential of the bigger man however, and are reaping the rewards of the plus-size pound. M&S, River Island and Asos all offer specific ranges for bigger men. Shoes for larger men, however, are still a minefield; sizes tend to run up to 12 unless opting for specialist, distinctly un-stylish websites.
“If your feet are on the wide side, steer clear of narrow vamps – the part that leads to the toe – and stick to more traditional ‘wide’ styles like Derbys or brogues,” says Telegraph men’s style editor Stephen Doig. M&S has determined to make its Big & Tall range as varied as possible, curating items from across the entirety of its menswear range, rather than concentrating on safe staples.
When it comes to body positivity and inclusivity, however, men’s fashion still has a long way to go until it catches up with women’s brands. Part of the reason for this, admits Ben, is that men do not feel comfortable addressing obesity. “Men will admire big men like The Rock or [actor] Jason Mamoa,” he says, “but not someone who they feel is overweight.”
Charlotte Griffiths owner and managing director of Bridge Models, which launched the first men’s big and tall agency in 2016, believes that change is happening, however. “We are seeing brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein starting to use male models of different shapes and sizes,” she says. “They still lag behind women’s fashion, but while it took women 30 years to get to where we are today, the men’s movement is happening much quicker, thanks largely to the internet, which allows these debates to take place.”
The real breakthrough for men, however, will come when large becomes normal. “At the moment tall and large ranges are a gimmick,” explains Ben. “The point should be that bigger is normal.”
“Your confidence gets robbed,” continues Ben. “I was bigger when I was younger and didn’t get to wear the clothes everyone else did. Psychologically it was challenging, it impacted on confidence and social involvement. Everyone wants to look and feel as best they can, but if you are not able to even get out the starting blocks, especially when you are young and sensitive, it becomes very difficult.”
Limited choice
While all the statistics point towards an ever-growing market, both in terms of the average size of customer and the volume of potential sales, data from the US suggests that men’s plus-size fashion has decreased in value, dropping from around £870million in 2020 to around £740million in 2021. Part of this was due to the pandemic, but it was also down to the fact that larger men have been slower than women to bang the body positivity fashion drum.
One advocate is Kelvin Davis, founder and creator of the Notoriously Dapper blog. With a 40ins waist and 30ins inside leg, he found it almost impossible to find stylish clothes and began writing about his experiences on Facebook in 2012. At the time he received many negative comments and was told to ‘man up’ or ‘go to the gym’.
“Things have definitely started to change over the past five years however,” he says. “But it is still a struggle to find clothes. It is getting better for things like T-shirts and polo shirts, but when it comes to suits or a nice jacket or good-lasting denim there is still little choice.
“It doesn’t make sense, because in the wider world, the bigger you are, the more masculine you are perceived. If you look at someone like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, he’s the ultimate man, but he would struggle to go into a store and buy a shirt.”
Ben agrees: “The fashion industry is the only industry in male culture that demonises size. It is all about small, dainty and lean, even though the average UK man now has a 42in chest. The aesthetic is not aspirational, it’s alienating.”
Brands exclude bigger sizes for different reasons. For most the issue is cost. Some high-end fashion brands steer away from bigger sizing for aesthetic reasons. It is not unusual to see rake-thin male models on the catwalk. Gucci’s Spring 2022 ready-to-wear catwalk show featured extremely thin male models while in 2019 at Paris Fashion Week, designer Hedi Slimane’s first menswear collection for Celine was draped over a collection of rangy waifs.
Kelvin believes part of the issue is that many at the higher echelons of the fashion industry live in an echo chamber. “The people who make these creative decisions are so removed from society and everyday people that they don’t understand what the average person looks like,” he says. “They move in fashion circles where everyone looks the same.”
Untapped potential
Some brands with enough financial clout to expand into plus sizes are cottoning on to the untapped potential of the bigger man however, and are reaping the rewards of the plus-size pound. M&S, River Island and Asos all offer specific ranges for bigger men. Shoes for larger men, however, are still a minefield; sizes tend to run up to 12 unless opting for specialist, distinctly un-stylish websites.
“If your feet are on the wide side, steer clear of narrow vamps – the part that leads to the toe – and stick to more traditional ‘wide’ styles like Derbys or brogues,” says Telegraph men’s style editor Stephen Doig. M&S has determined to make its Big & Tall range as varied as possible, curating items from across the entirety of its menswear range, rather than concentrating on safe staples.
When it comes to body positivity and inclusivity, however, men’s fashion still has a long way to go until it catches up with women’s brands. Part of the reason for this, admits Ben, is that men do not feel comfortable addressing obesity. “Men will admire big men like The Rock or [actor] Jason Mamoa,” he says, “but not someone who they feel is overweight.”
Charlotte Griffiths owner and managing director of Bridge Models, which launched the first men’s big and tall agency in 2016, believes that change is happening, however. “We are seeing brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein starting to use male models of different shapes and sizes,” she says. “They still lag behind women’s fashion, but while it took women 30 years to get to where we are today, the men’s movement is happening much quicker, thanks largely to the internet, which allows these debates to take place.”
The real breakthrough for men, however, will come when large becomes normal. “At the moment tall and large ranges are a gimmick,” explains Ben. “The point should be that bigger is normal.”
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