Size Matters: How To Create the Perfect Size Chart
Creating a size chart for your fashion brand is a critical step in ensuring customer satisfaction and brand consistency. This comprehensive guide is tailored to meet the needs of both seasoned professionals and budding entrepreneurs in the fashion industry.
The Importance of a Size Chart
A size chart is an indispensable tool for fashion brands, serving as a representation of the ideal customer body type for a brand's range of sizes. In an industry devoid of a universal size standard, it becomes a pivotal guide for designing styles and maintaining a consistent fit across the brand's offerings.
Although there are more than 60 potential measurement points on the human body, ready-to-wear (RTW) brands typically concentrate on 15-25 key measurements. This selective focus strikes a crucial balance, as comprehensive measurement is usually reserved for custom fits or intricate pattern drafting.
Moreover, developing a unique sizing method can significantly enhance a brand's identity. It fosters a community of loyal customers who value and understand the brand's specific sizing approach, setting it apart from prevailing market trends.
The Benefits of a Size Chart for Your Brand
Empowering Customers: A size chart helps customers make informed decisions, leading to increased loyalty and reduced returns or customer service inquiries.
Consistency Across Collections: It ensures consistent sizing across different styles, facilitating faster style development and reducing time and money spent on prototypes and fittings.
Target Market Definition: It helps define your brand's target market by identifying the specific body type your garments cater to, allowing for tailored designs and marketing strategies.
Internal vs. External Size Charts
External (Public) Size Chart: Aimed at customers, it usually includes basic measurements like bust, waist, hip, and height, guiding customers in selecting the right size.
Internal (Private) Size Chart: Used for garment development, this contains more detailed measurements and is crucial for maintaining sizing consistency across styles.
Creating an Effective Size Chart
STEP 1 - Identify Your Customer: Define your target customer’s body composition considering factors like age, gender, height, shape, and nationality.
STEP 2 - Research and Source Sizing Information: Gather sizing data related to your target customer. Use competitor size charts, fashion textbooks, ASTM standards, and other relevant references.
STEP 3 - Compare and Analyze Data: Use tools like Excel for comparison. Observe trends, calculate averages, and glean insights into your target market’s sizing.
STEP 4 - Make Informed Decisions: Interpret the data in relation to your customer base. Use experience and customer insights to make accurate adjustments.
STEP 5 - Finalize Your Chart: Create a visually appealing chart that is easy to understand. Regularly update it based on new data and customer feedback.
Lesser-Known but Vital Considerations
Cultural Sizing Variations: Be aware of sizing variations across different cultures and regions. This can be crucial for brands looking to expand internationally.
Inclusive Sizing: Consider inclusivity in your sizing. Catering to a diverse range of body types can significantly enhance brand appeal and customer loyalty.
Sustainability in Sizing: Think about how sizing relates to sustainability. Efficient sizing can reduce returns and waste, contributing to a more sustainable fashion industry.
Digital Tools for Sizing: Leverage technology like 3D body scanning and AI to gather more accurate body measurements and data, enhancing your sizing accuracy.
Consumer Education: Educate your consumers about how to measure themselves correctly. This can be done through tutorials or guides, helping them choose the best fit.
Feedback Loop: Establish a feedback loop with customers to continuously refine your size chart based on real-world wear and preferences.
Essential Tools for Creating a Size Chart
For those interested in creating a size chart for a brand, I've found several valuable resources that offer guidance and insights into the process:
This website offers a comprehensive tutorial on creating size charts, including formatting and general information. It emphasizes the importance of researching and comparing competitor size charts to inform your own. They also address the costs and efforts involved in developing a well-researched size chart, including investments in patternmaking and design textbooks, grading books, ASTM standards, and more.
Additionally, Points of Measure provides a set of affordable, thoroughly researched pre-made size charts. These charts come with detailed descriptions, an illustrated measuring guide, and both internal and external size charts, which can be used as-is or edited as needed.
Kiwi Sizing provides a sizing plugin for online shopping platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. It's designed to help solve sizing problems for online shopping, offering stylish size charts and fit recommenders. This resource is particularly useful for improving conversions, reducing returns, and minimizing customer support needs for e-commerce fashion brands.
Sizefox offers a free app to create sleek, professional size charts for apparel and fashion. This resource is aimed at helping shoppers buy the right size and increasing conversion rates for fashion shops. It's an easy-to-setup solution with over 10 years of experience in delivering effective sizing solutions.
These resources provide a mix of theoretical guidance, practical tools, and examples, making them suitable for both professionals and entrepreneurs in the fashion industry. They cover the essential aspects of creating a size chart, from understanding the target market to utilizing digital tools for precise measurements.
A well-crafted size chart is more than just a list of measurements; it's a strategic tool that reflects your brand's commitment to fit, customer satisfaction, and quality. By following these guidelines and embracing both the known and lesser-known aspects of sizing, you can create a size chart that resonates with your audience and sets your fashion brand apart.