Old Navy (San Francisco) announced the launch of its “Bodequality” effort, according to a company press release. This means starting August 20, the retailer will begin offering sizes 0-30 and XS-4X for all women’s styles without price differences. The aim is to provide more inclusive sizing for women’s styles across the brand’s stores and online.
In store, there will not be special sections for different sizes, all apparel will be merchandised together. Mannequins throughout will also be in varying sizes including size four, 12 and 18. Similarly online, the brand’s Women’s and Women’s Plus collections will be merged in the navigation menu, and models will also be shown in sizes four, 12 and 18, so customers can toggle their preferred model size to view apparel.
Among the steps needed to bring this initiative to market, the retailer reportedly administered body scans of 389 different women to create a range of digital avatars based on real bodies, and also partnered with models (ranging in sizes 8 to 20) to review each updated style side-by-side.
Alison Partridge Stickney, Head of Women’s and Maternity Merchandising, Old Navy, says: “Developing Bodequality allowed us to rethink the way we serve women in the retail industry. We set out to understand what women of all sizes wanted from fashion and the shopping experience and were inspired to revolutionize every area of our business – from how we fit and design our products, to how we communicate to customers in stores and online – to ensure that all women feel welcome and represented. This launch is a transformative moment for our brand and the fashion industry.”