What’s the Trend?

　　China has a nascent plus-size fashion market that is still largely underserved. This presents opportunities for international brands to leverage their expertise in this vertical from other markets to fill this white space in the world’s second-largest economy.

        How Big an Opportunity?

　　The estimated consumer base for plus-size fashion in China is about36.6 millionin 2018 according to Coresight Research. But the demand is growing fast, as Coresight predicted the number could surpass43 millionnext year. The size of the plus-size fashion market is estimated to reach$4.8 billionin 2019 for China according to Coresight Research and the NPD Group. Coresight has said the Chinese plus-size market could be worth $10.9 billion in 2020.It is important to note that five billion out of the total $10.9 billion potential market size estimated by Coresight is unsatisfied demand due to the lack of products in the market.

　　The Win for International Brands

　　As Chinese consumers upgrade their lifestyle, one size will not fit all. Plus-size shoppers will seek out more fashion items that tailor to their needs. That presents opportunities for international brands, such as Lane Bryant, Gwyeenie Bee and Ashley Stuart, that have expertise in the plus-size category in Western markets. They could leverage their marketing, product-design expertise and brand recognition to grow share in the China market. And if China’s plus-size market follows development patterns in the West, we are likely to see more specialized brands that focus on specific areas of the market, such as lingerie, beauty or teens.

(Executive Editor: Lubin WANG)