It’s hardly a new complaint that brands on the higher end of the clothing spectrum don’t really cater to guys with bigger bodies. What’s newer is a mainstream label actually doing something about it.
On Monday, Bonobos announced that it would dramatically expand the number of sizes it offers. And that doesn’t mean the clothes are just getting bigger. They’ve also been carefully re-engineered to accommodate the needs of men with larger frames.
So while pant waists will go past size 40″ all the way to size 54″, the new extended-size trousers will also include an increased pitch. (The pitch refers to the back-to-front angle of how pants sit on a man’s waist; the increase in this angle accommodates guys who wear their trousers below their bellies.)
The same goes for shirts. The sizing can now fit guys with 22-inch necks. The new shirts have a lowered front drop, so they sit lower on the neck, and a feature two-piece sleeve that follows the arm’s natural curve. Suit jackets have proportionally larger lapels, but there’s also a dart underneath them to prevent the break that can sometimes occur with traditionally made blazers.
Everything has been considered. Suit pants have elastic in their waistbands to allow for weight fluctuation. Polos and sweaters now go up to size 4XL. The ties are longer and wider, and their new back loop had to be re-positioned three times before co-president Brad Andrews was confident they’d gotten it right.
He and the rest of the Bonobos team have poured a lot of time and energy into making sure they get everything right. The same goes for how bigger guys feel when they visit Bonobos stores. “The main goal in store is to make that experience feel the same for extended sizing shoppers as it does for guys who shop our current assortment; we want them to feel apart of the Bonobos family and not treated like an afterthought,” Andrews said. “As one of our main goals with this launch is to learn from and grow with the customer, we want to understand how customers are coming into the Guideshop to shop the extended size assortment. Based on those learnings, we will continue to innovate on how we merchandise this product in-store as well as roll out new styles and fit options.”
And from a brand obsessed with fit, what else would you expect?