The majority of American women wear a size 14 or above (widely reported at 67%), yet the fashion industry has spent decades ignoring this swath of the population at almost every level. Historically, brands that receive the most monetary investment see success in the media and runway coverage, and produce the widest aesthetic variety are overwhelmingly built for the minority. Sizes 0–12 have received fashion's full creative and commercial effort, while in our view the majority has received a reduced selection, inconsistent quality, and the quiet suggestion that fashion was not really made for them.
This is not a natural law. It is an industry pattern, and it is correctable. That belief is what Universal Standard was built on. Not a commitment to "body positivity" as a branding exercise, but an operational premise: that every person, in every size, deserves access to the same clothes, at the same price, with the same quality, and the same guarantee that what they buy will actually fit.
Fashion freedom is not about adding a few plus sizes to an existing collection. It is about building without exclusion from the start, and then holding yourself accountable to that standard in all aspects of the business. But what does that look like in practice? And why does it even matter?
What Fashion Freedom Actually Means
The phrase "size inclusive" has been stretched to cover a lot of territory, almost to the point of losing its meaning. A brand that offers sizes 00–18 can describe itself as size inclusive. So can a brand that offers sizes 14–28, but only in a handful of styles. So can a brand that makes plus sizes available, but charges $20 more for them.
None of those things are fashion freedom. Fashion freedom is a specific standard: the same styles, in every size, at the same price, with the same fit guarantee. When any one of those elements is missing, what you have is the appearance of inclusion without the substance.
Extended sizing (the industry practice of adding a handful of plus sizes to a standard-size collection, often after the straight size collection has already launched) is the most common form of the appearance of inclusion. The math on extended sizing tends to look like this: a retailer carries 2,000 styles in sizes 0–12, then 300 of them are added to the collection, available up to a size 22. That is not a parallel offering. It is an afterthought. And the plus-size shopper, who has spent years navigating these offerings, already knows it.
The Access Gap in Numbers
The gap between what plus-size shoppers need and what the industry offers is large, persistent, and well-documented. Research consistently shows that fewer than 20% of apparel brands offer plus size options (typically defined as size 14 or above) despite the fact that the plus size market is projected to reach up to $395B in the US.
The assortment gap is also a quality gap. When extended sizing does exist, it tends to be concentrated in more basic, lower quality categories rather than workwear, outerwear, or anything with more expert tailoring and elevated styles that make up a full wardrobe. A plus-size woman trying to build a professional wardrobe from most major retailers will find a fraction of the options available to her straight-size peers, and those options will frequently be ill-fitting, as less attention is usually paid to plus size fit.
The price disparity compounds the problem. It’s been reported time and time again that major retailers charge more for extended sizes than for comparable items in standard sizes — a practice that many advocates and consumers argue is difficult to justify based solely on the relatively modest increase in material required for larger garments, particularly when there is no comparable surcharge in categories such as petites or tall sizing. For many shoppers, the message is clear: existing in a larger body often comes with a price premium that consumers in other sizing categories are rarely asked to pay.
The result is that plus-size shoppers in the U.S. spend more, receive less, and are expected to feel grateful for what they can find. That expectation is worth naming clearly, because naming it is the first step to refusing it.
Universal Standard's Promise
Universal Standard was founded on the premise that the access gap is a design problem, and design problems have design solutions. The response is not simply a mission statement. It’s baked into every facet of how we run the company.
Every product we make is available in sizes 00–40, no exceptions. We don’t cut corners on fabric quality at any point in our size range. The same denim, the same blazers, the same workwear, the same dresses made in every size, and meticulously designed to fit. We sample across our size range, not just a standard and then grade up. We fit-test extensively, with our sample size beginning at the size of the average American woman, an 18. When a size 00 and a size 40 wear the same style, they are wearing the same garment, designed and constructed to look and feel as intended at both ends of that range.
There is no surcharge for any size in our range. A size 32 and a size 2 pay the same price. It’s worth noting that this is not a difficult policy to implement, it simply requires commitment.
Fit Liberty is our size guarantee: buy a piece from our Fit Liberty Collection that fits your body today, and if your size changes within a year of purchase, exchange it for a new size at no cost. Bodies change through weight fluctuation, health changes, pregnancy, aging, and a hundred other entirely normal reasons. We don't think that should be a financial penalty, regardless of where you fall on the size spectrum. The clothes are here to serve you, not the other way around.
What You Can Do
The onus should always be on the industry and those who control it. This plus size neglect is a structural problem, and it will require structural solutions from brands, retailers, and the systems that fund and reward both. But where you spend money is a signal, and signals accumulate.
When you shop a brand that offers every style in every size, at the same price, you are funding a different model. When you decline to pay a size surcharge, or to accept a reduced selection as sufficient, you are communicating something to the market.
Some useful questions to ask of any brand that claims to be size-inclusive:
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Is every style available in every size, or are plus sizes a subset of the full collection?
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Is the price the same across all sizes, or is there a surcharge for extended sizing?
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Is the fit tested across the full range of sizes, or is it scaled up from a straight-size sample?
These are not unreasonable expectations. They are the baseline standard that should apply to any brand that wants to serve all customers. Holding brands to that standard by asking the questions and spending accordingly is how the expectation eventually shifts.
Fashion freedom is not a gift that brands bestow. It is an expectation that customers establish. You are already in the majority. It's time the industry started building for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does Universal Standard mean by size inclusivity?
A: Size inclusivity at Universal Standard means one collection, one price, one quality standard, from size 00 to 40. It is not a plus section or an extended-size add-on. Every product available in the smallest size is also available in the largest, designed and fit-tested at the sizes in between.
Q: Does Universal Standard charge more for larger sizes?
A: No. Universal Standard does not charge a surcharge for any size in its range. A size 32 and a size 2 cost the same..
Q: How does Universal Standard compare to other size-inclusive brands?
A: Universal Standard offers the widest size range (00–40) in the industry, with every style available in every size, no price premium for extended sizing, and the unique Fit Liberty collection - a one-year size guarantee for select styles. Many brands that describe themselves as size-inclusive carry plus sizes only in select styles or charge more for extended sizes. The distinction is between a brand that has added plus sizes and a brand that has built for every size from the start.
