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Designing for the Plus-Size Men: Towards a Better Fitting: a Case of Harare, Zimbabwe

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Designing for the Plus-Size Men: Towards a Better Fitting: a Case of Harare, Zimbabwe Journal of Textile Engineering & Fashion Technology Research Article Open Access Designing for the plus-size men: towards a better fitting: a case of Harare, Zimbabwe Abstract Volume 6 Issue 3 - 2020 This study endeavours to foster an understanding and encourage manufacturers to Denford Fadzai Chisosa, Verity Muzenda incorporate the plus sizes in their production to combat the fitting challenges connected to Department, of Clothing and Textile Technology, Chinhoyi plus-sized men in Harare. The plus sized men were facing challenges in finding some fitting University of Technology, Zimbabwe and ready- to-wear clothes on the market because of size restriction in a market. The clothing manufacturing companies was mass producing these ready-to-wear clothes ostensibly for Correspondence: Fadzai Denford Chisosa, Department, all men, ironically leaving the plus-sized men disgruntled due to misfitting clothes and of Clothing and Textile Technology, Chinhoyi University of size restrictions. The study used critical postmodernism and the concurrent triangulation Technology, P. Bag 7724 Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, approaches to determine scope for either any convergence, differences or combination. Email Data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, observations and documentary analysis from the twenty-four (24) purposively sampled participants. Recommendations Received: May 28, 2020 | Published: June 24, 2020 were made for the clothing companies to integrate the extreme and in-between sizes. This study offers insights on better sizing for different body types eliminating the emotional psychology disturbances. Keywords: plus-size, clothing, ready- made, read-to wear Background fashionable, and non-favored bodies. In today’s extremely competitive clothing manufacturing business, Anthrotech (2002) posits that competitiveness increases when local clothing companies are faced with the dilemma of mass- clothes are customized, where more accurate clothes are made producing fast-selling clothes where size and fit are not a priority. according to body size. Men blame manufacturers for employing Most manufacturers consider saving fabric as plus-sized garments mass production at the expense of customization, while not blaming use more fabric, trimmings, and require more time, paperwork for the sizing system. Clothing manufacturers are constantly faced with pattern making, more knowledge, and skills to produce the artifact. the dilemma of what sizes to produce when mass-producing clothes. The regular-sized clothes are mass-produced because they easily find Some manufacturers struggle to turn customer satisfaction into takers, with men’s sizes more notably concentrated in the middle size customer retention. Invariably, they resort to measuring techniques range. that cater to every single case they encounter on a daily basis, bringing a realistic approach in tracing the value of innovativeness to clients, The plus-size figured men are those whose bodies are larger than and providing them with scope for increasing market capture. the average person, having extra-large or voluptuous bodies that do not fit into the conventional sizes. Men are growing taller, larger, and Manufacturers are mistakenly thinking it is expensive to broader and are demanding large clothes for large shapes. The plus- manufacture men’s clothes in numerous different sizes, but the size figures have sizes that fall above the standardized sizes as men benefit comes from economies of scale and consequently the industry have the different body build, shapes and forms that make ready-made concentrates on the selected sizes that only fit the targeted clientele. clothes fall short of achieving the required fit. The clothing industry maximizes their effort, time, and resources towards the few chosen sizes. The plus-sized men have been ignored by the sizing system and ignored in the fashion circles. The research focuses on interrogating the Most clothing companies are preoccupied with achieving profit and tradition where the plus-size figured men are not catered for, especially growth to survive within the harsh economic environment gripping under the assumption that they are not concerned about their dressing the country at present. Profits help in determining each company’s and appearance. All being equal, every man should be interested in viability, while growth is the lifeblood of each company that helps to dressing, their body appearance, and what others think and say about gauge the company’s long-term success. It creates economic value for their appearance. Sometimes the plus size figured men feel rejected shareholders. upon seeing their figure deviating from what the society regards as Designers are struggling to incubate ideas that bring smiles to ideal. Sometimes figure deviation is openly discussed and debated, these men and better still bringing effective changes in sizing to leading to negative self-perception caused by some ill messages of rescue the plus-size figures. Garments produced by ready-to-wear uneasiness circulated in the course of their day to day activities. The manufacturers do not have the plus sizes. The manufacturers create an unease feeling stems from the garments causing discomfort, being artificial shortage of garments for the plus-sized men. This shortage of misfitting, unfashionable, unattractive, and malfunctioning on such the plus-sized supply makes the plus-sized men look for their clothes 1 bodies. Ready-made clothes are designed and manufactured in large in every shop, becoming skilled searchers. This enables them to find quantities in factories for the ideal bodied types, yet they are availed garments and modify them to fit their sizes, although the process is for all men regardless of the improper size and ill fit. The plus-size demoralizing. figured men are thus suffering because of their uninformative, non- Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com J Textile Eng Fashion Technol. 2020;6(3):95‒100. 95 ©2020 Chisosa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Copyright: Designing for the plus-size men: towards a better fitting: a case of Harare, Zimbabwe ©2020 Chisosa et al. 96 Ready-made outfits have been designed to generally fit all body and deal with the rare cases; they assume the clothes fit all. They adopt types. Manufacturers have failed to cater for those in extreme body the pattern drafting system developed during the 19th century, whilst size ranges. The sizing is done randomly and not representative of the sizing system and the anthropometrical data they are using are the entire spectrum of body shapes in society.2 The clothes appear outdated and misleading.5 Moreover, the measurements taken by hand oversized, as individuals are seen with hands buried in shirt or jacket are subjected to human measurement error. sleeves for those with small body frames and extremely tight-fitting However, as humans, plus-sized men behave just the same as for the big framed men. The two extremes may lead the wearer to other men despite their challenges in finding comfortable and stylish lose shape and confidence, a feeling that is both undesirable and clothes because of their height, curvature, status, girth, and figure unfashionable. The plus-sized men become stressed because they irregularities (Aiden and McCarthy 2014). The plus-size bodied men are not accommodated in their clothing needs and they receive are treated with disparagement. They experience ridicule, shame, negative impressions and misconceptions from the public.3 With isolation, and rejection and hence the need to protect themselves this predicament, the plus-size figures feel side-lined and inferior, under the anticipated criticism. They become self-conscious and self- inconspicuous of their presence during gatherings as if they are non- critical about their problems when it comes to relating to others.6 existent (Nichols, 2010). People do not empathize with them and are not comfortable Notably, because of the upsurge of sizes like in the case of those making friends with the plus-sized men because of their misfitting with obesity, the protruding tummies are left exposed.4 Sizes are dressing.7 Generally, there seems to be less exposure to people with gimmicky misrepresented and are sometimes used for marketing plus-sized dressing challenges, because rejection will keep the plus- purposes known as vanity sizing. Vanity sizing is only meant to sized men at a distance since there will be no personal attachment. mislead those men with big bodies in believing they can wear small On the other hand, the plus-size bodied men are oversensitive to their sizes. social stimuli and they become agitated, reactive, feeling bad, and The plus-sized men are ashamed of their conditions such as moody when wearing misfitting outfits. fatphobic, obese and other forms of irregularities because of The plus-sized men experience negative body image that makes stigmatization. Living with any irregularity in one’s body is a their experience awful and causes emotional and psychological challenging and distressful experience for all men with these visible disturbances.8 The marginalized populace have hard times forgoing differences (Graham & Schiele, 2010). their embarrassing absurdity. They are embarrassed by their social These people experienced oppression, discrimination and are environment with resentments that barricade them from participating relegated
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