After much anticipation, the Adidas x Ivy Park collection dropped on Saturday, January 18, and quickly sold out. The fashion line — from Beyoncé herself — included various forms of activewear such as hoodies, cycling shorts, sports bras, and more. But for many within the plus-size community, Adidas x Ivy Park felt like a let-down.
Several people shared their frustrations online regarding the seemingly limited size range of the collection. According to a press release, the line was only made available in sizes XS – XL; at Adidas, an XL translates to a size 16/18. Considering the fact that the average size of an American woman is between a 16 or 18, many took issue with this, especially considering Beyoncé’s all-encompassing message of inclusivity.
“We can love her and still say Bey is wrong for Ivy Park’s size exclusion,” tweeted essayist Candice Marie Benbow. “You can’t celebrate the inclusivity of your other projects, having plus size dancers and background singers, but ignore us again when it comes to this. The exclusion is intentional and I’m tired.”
Benbow was not alone. “Ivy Park not having plus sizes is so gross considering Adidas did 6.41 billion in revenue last quarter and nothing they’re selling is so revolutionary that it would take time to size up. They can afford to and they know how to. They CHOSE not to,” tweeted another user.
The plus-size community at large shared their disappointments on Twitter about the apparent lack of size inclusivity in the collection. A major issue for many was the marketing behind Adidas x Ivy Park. It was created to be gender-neutral and powered by the message of inclusion. Considering the fact that Beyoncé has fought for size representation before — and because Adidas has recently expanded their size range through a collaboration with Universal Standard up to a 4X — many assumed that Ivy Park would also cater to a wider spectrum of plus.
To add to the confusion, some folks noticed that the Adidas x Ivy Park collection was seemingly offered at one point in sizes up to 4X via ASOS and Shoepalace.com. However, in all the screenshots shared, any size larger than XL was shown as unavailable. Being as the official press release for the collection identified XL as the cap of the size range, it’s unclear as to whether or not those additional sizes have been sold.
Ultimately, it’s important to keep in mind that the plus-size fashion market is worth over $21 billion and is growing exponentially each year, with more retailers, brands, and designers expanding their size ranges in order to meet this loud demand. Yet despite these numbers, the plus community is often let down by fashion brands when it comes to special collaborations and launches. As more plus-size people continue to share their frustrations online regarding Adidas x Ivy Park, hopefully the noise is loud enough to reach Beyoncé herself to show her that the underrepresented customer deserves to be heard.
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