When in Rome…

I had the pleasure of traveling to Rome this spring to give a lecture on Temple University’s Rome campus. The Dean invited me to talk about my book, Fashioning Fat, and visit their vibrant campus in the heart of the Eternal City. It was a whirlwind trip: meeting faculty and students, observing classes, and sightseeing, of course!

In preparation for my talk, I contacted Italian sociologist Paolo Volonté for his take on the plus-size scene in Italy.

While the plus-size market is booming in the United States (and elsewhere around the globe) with sales totaling over $20 BILLION and a rate of sales growth double that of overall apparel, this is not the case in Italy:

The plus-size sector is well developed in Italy, but with less fashion contents than in the USA. Only at the upper level of the fashion pyramid are there plus-size fashion brands, such as Elena Mirò and Marina Rinaldi. They are producing rather classic collections for aged wealthy women. The rest of the market is populated by less influential local brands (e.g. C di Cannella, Lizalù) focused on designs that aim at concealing fat, rather than adding value to the fat body. Such brands as Lane Bryant, Anna Scholz or Karmacoma are missing in Italy… The consumers’ perception is similar to the one described in international literature: that the offer of plus-size clothing is not satisfying, very poor if compared to the fashion system.

Thanks, Paolo, for the insight!