The history of sizing

The fashion industry hasn’t always been like what we’re used to, and they’ve gone a long way toward making the customer’s shopping experience as enjoyable as possible. Somehow, the history of sizing doesn’t seem to get much better over the decades. 

Here at Faslet, we like to participate in the success of the fashion industry, and that’s why we’ve created an innovative, easy-to-use sizing solution that always helps customers find the right size, on the go. 

In today’s blog we will be discussing the history of sizing.

House of Worth

We can hardly imagine that there once was a time when clothes were made to measure for everyone. The rich had different attires for every moment of the day, while the poor only had two outfits in their wardrobes: their day-to-day clothes and their Sunday best. 

When Charles Frederick Worth opened House of Worth in 1860, fashion entered a new era. Clothing lines became a trend. Each season, House of Worth released a collection for people to choose from. Although each look was still size-custom, “shopping” became standardized and very quickly popular. 

When the war started almost immediately afterwards, there was no time for custom-fit uniforms. Machines were then fully deployed to speed up the production process.
Standard size charts, as we know them today, came into being in the 1940s, after WWII.
The concept of Prêt-à-porter became popular and, in the USA and UK the first department stores opened their doors. 

Since the 60’s we can officially say that the focus of fashion is no longer to bend the knee for the rich, but more to sell to the masses. 

Fast fashion of today 

Fashion became more and more popular and by the 1990s fast fashion was born. Production technologies were much faster, and styles were brought to market straight off the catwalk. And all this at amazing prices. Fashion was no longer just for the rich. Today, everyone, regardless of income, could look sharp. 

This all seems very nice, and it is, but what about sizes? In the past, everything was made-to-measure, now people sell prêt-à-porter items, despite the fact that everyone is unique. All bodies are different, and so are every person’s preference. 

It is at moments like this that we applaud technology. They provide us with a plethora of possibilities and facilitations to buy clothes online. Also, now that companies have put the focus back on sustainability and on a one-on-one relationship with its customers. The impossible is possible today, so let’s make sizing, inclusive, adaptive and plus, possible!

Sources:

Medium (2019): A brief history of sizing systems. https://medium.com/sizolution/a-brief-history-of-sizing-systems-aee6bd066834

Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) and The House of Worth (2004)

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrth/hd_wrth.htm