– Men’s clothing is usually made for tall, slim and well-trained people, says Viktor Waal Solberg (19). The student from Nøtterøy in Vestfold believes it is extra challenging for men to shop for clothes. Simply because he finds that most clothes for men are shaped according to the same template. In January, he wrote a column in which he asks why men don’t talk more about plus-size clothing. – I notice it myself, if I can’t find clothes that suit me, it can affect my mental health. If the only clothes that fit people, who are, for example, abnormally large, are sweatpants and large t-shirts of poor quality, then you feel like shit, says Solberg. Women’s clothing is no better. Johanna Martinsen Brygfjeld (28) thinks so. The illustrator from Korgen in Nordland says there is too little difference between clothing items in the various sizes. In the clothing store Bik Bok in Oslo, Brygfjeld can use all sizes in a top. Everything from XS to L, without her noticing a noticeable difference. A top in everything from XS to L in the store Bik bok fits Brygfjeld, who believes that all the clothes are almost the same size. Photo: Private – This is problematic for those who are a size L, and who cannot find clothes for themselves in the store. The clothing industry is not very inclusive. It seems they only want to appeal to thin people. She thinks it is an image that the sizes in the clothing stores are too bad and inaccurate. Fit is difficult – We should get sizes that actually fit people, because then the clothes can last longer. Then we avoid buying clothes that are too small, then expanding the garment so that they become ugly and loose. Also buy a new garment the month after. Brygfjeld is on to something here. Johanna Martinsen Brygfjeld believes that the clothing industry should make clothes that actually fit people. Photo: Privat In Norway, we throw away around 31,500 tonnes of textiles as residual waste annually. This is shown by figures from a report from PlanMiljø and Østfoldforskning in 2019. But it is not only Norwegians who throw away clothes. Every European throws away eleven kilograms of clothing annually, according to the EU. And barely one percent of this is recycled. Most end up in landfills, or are incinerated – something that creates large greenhouse gas emissions. A third of the reasons why we throw away our clothes is because there is something wrong with the fit. This is according to Ingun Grimstad Klepp, professor of clothing and sustainability at Oslo Met. – This thing about fit is complex and difficult, says Klepp. Better for the environment with a better fit Women’s clothing is often tight in areas that change, such as around the waist. And for men, clothing is often tighter in areas that change the least, such as wrists and neck. Regardless, Klepp believes it is important to make clothing more flexible. – If our clothes are to last longer and be used more, they must also accept that we humans are not static. – Would it have been more viable if the industry made clothes that fit our bodies better? – Yes, and the clothing industry can do a lot when it comes to fit, she says. Reasons why we throw away clothes There are many reasons why we stop using what we have. There are also many ways to divide these reasons as well. But most of the research that has been done shows that there is a type of three division: Around a third of the clothes that go out of use, we stop using them because they have been destroyed. The other third is about something wrong with the fit. They no longer suit us. The last third is about the fact that we no longer perceive that our clothes have value. It could also mean that we never really liked them. It is also within this third that what is called fashion lies. Source: Oslo Met and professor Ingun Grimstad Klepp. – The industry can get better According to Klepp, the industry can get better at actually following and using the size systems we have today, but also working to ensure that they fit our bodies better. Size systems today are often based on old numbers. She says it is also a big problem that clothing sizes today are graded incorrectly. When the clothing industry makes a pattern, it is adapted to a small size, and cm is also added for the large sizes. Professor Ingun Grimstad Klepp says the clothing industry can do a lot to make our clothes fit better. Photo: Sonja Balci / OsloMet – In reality, one should start from the measurements of tall people, and go the opposite way, and actually make the clothes according to those measurements, explains Klepp. – If we are to have fewer clothes, and we must, the easiest way to do it is to buy less new. And then what we buy has to fit better. – What exactly does the industry do to make the clothes fit better? – It is difficult to say exactly what the industry is doing to solve this, because the industry is large and made up of everything from global companies to smaller companies. But there are individual companies that work specifically with fit, and that, for example, specialize in large sizes, she says. – Everyone is welcome with us The clothing chains Cubus and Bik Bok both say that they take the problem seriously and have a large selection of sizes. – We carry a wide selection of sizes and fits and believe that the labeling is in line with what can be expected, says marketing manager at Cubus Johan Jakobsson. Jakobsson also agrees that the right fit and sizes are important elements in a calculation perspective. – We have a great focus on our garments fitting and work continuously on this. Bik Bok also says that their goal is to offer clothing that fits as many people as possible. – Everyone is welcome with us. We have worked a lot with sizes and fit in recent years and can generally say that we feel that our customers are satisfied, but we are grateful for all the feedback we receive, says marketing manager at Bik Bok Nina Ruud. According to Ruud, Bik Bok follows the European standard for sizes and offers all products in sizes XS-XL, which is equal to 34-48. – We work a lot with affordability throughout our entire value chain, also when it comes to sizes and fit. We work continuously to see where we should add extra sizes and lengths, and also to find the right balance between a good selection of sizes and a right level of production.
ttn-69
Bad fit on clothes is bad for the environment, say researchers – news Nordland
