Have you ever asked yourself, why doesn't clothing fit me or felt that you needed to change yourself to fit the clothing available in-stores or online? Would it surprise you to know that if you feel this way, then clothing isn't designed for you?

In fact, the majority of clothes are designed to fit a standard body shape known as 'Rectangle' or 'Column' (Please read - How to shop for my body shape). Almost half of the population of women have this shape, whereas Pear (20%), Hourglass (8%), Inverted Triangle (14%) and Apple (12%), separately represent a much smaller portion. Additionally in the early 90s, when brands initially switched to using Vanity Sizing, we also saw the rise of Supermodel and the 'Heroin Chic' trend became popular. This validated that the standard 'rectangle' shape was ideal to base clothing on and the majority is still designed with the logic today. 

For many people this standard sizing works, which is why the Fashion Industry is worth $1.7 Trillion USD. However for the rest of us, this has ultimately meant that a lot of clothing isn't suitable or available to us. 

Over the course of the last decade and the subsequent rise of social media, we have seen a shift towards body positivity and self acceptance. Despite all these significant changes, the industry remains stuck in the past with a obvious lack of size diversity, that has become more and more evident. 

Above: How the industry sees body shapes vs reality.

Many brands are still creating clothing to fit the standard size without questioning whether there is a need or room to improve. Others have started creating sizes 16 and above, without taking the time to invest on how to develop their styles to suit. This is the reason why, when you have curves, clothing might not zip up or fit properly. 

At Cherry Bobbins, we know that we can't make clothing to fit every body, but we are committed to making the changes to the industry we have always wanted to see. We endeavour to continue listening to customer feedback to constantly improve our shapes and create styles that flatter curves.