As the plus-size market pushes more and more into the mainstream, a major retailer has announced it will expand its size offerings.
Mango is launching Violeta by Mango, a plus-size line aimed at curvier young women in EU sizes 40-52 (that's sizes 8-20 in the US). The Spanish retailer announced on Monday that it was employing a team of 40 to focus on making "a wide range of on-trend products in a comprehensive collection of clothing and accessories," and there will be a Spring/Summer 2014 campaign launched this January.
The fact that Violeta by Mango is going to be "on-trend" might seem to go without saying. But one enduring issue with plus-size clothing is the lack of stylish, edgy offerings. As Tim Gunn told us in a previous interview, "We find that fashion seems to end when you get any larger than a size 12... You've never seen such hideous clothes in your entire life." Clothing in larger sizes have been around for years, but only recently have brands realized that curvier women want clothing that's actually trendy, too.
A fast-fashion retailer like Mango doing plus-size is another step in the right direction, adding to the progress made by H&M, Forever 21 and other mainstream retailers.
Unfortunately, plus-size American women will still have to wait to get their hands on Violeta by Mango. Initially, the new collection will only roll out in Mango's seven largest markets: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Russia and Spain, with e-commerce available to shoppers across Europe, Turkey and Russia.
Here's hoping that a jump stateside will follow soon after.
In the meantime, shop here!
