Consumer guide

Sizes - fit for fight

Haven't we all been a tad bit irritated by the fact that a Large is not always a Large, or that a size 40 in Europe could mean just about anything? Depending on if you're north or south or in between... But the fact that we buy clothes without trying them on to check fit is actually also a problem for the environment.

A study done by the Norwegian National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO) found that 19% of all clothes that are discarded are purchasing mistakes. This is one of five items and would seem to constitute a potential waste problem. The report «Large? Clothing sizes and size labeling» examines the relationship between the clothing sizes and the size labeling given in the garments, and how the consumers experience this. The research is based on three different sources: a consumer survey, clothing size measurements in shops and in-depth interviews. The data is collected from three Nordic Countries; Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Large could actually be smaller than a Small

The size measurement results and the survey answers indicate that sizing systems are confusing and full of disparities. Over 60% of the female respondents claimed they had trouble finding clothes that fit. Older women had more problems than younger.  98% found differences within sizes labeled as the same. When SIFO measured clothing in actual stores they found that a pair of trousers labeled Large could actually be smaller than a Small. The biggest difference was found in women's trousers, where the waist within Large could vary up to a meter!

The European committee for standardization is developing a common European size code for garments, but they have experienced problems in reaching a system that indicates the sizes accurately, but still does not get too long and complicated for the consumers to understand or for the manufactures to use.

A common and well-functioning size labeling system would be an advantage to many consumers, in particular to groups who find the size labeling insufficient, and for the consumers that are not able to try on clothes in the stores themselves. SIFO also hopes that a better understanding of the relationship between bodies, clothes and size labeling will be useful in future discussions, due to the growing focus on body and dieting, as well as the increased weight of the population. And finally, a diminishing number of mistake purchases will be beneficial for the environment as it decreases the disposal of textiles.