One size does not fit all
Women – and athletes – come in all different shapes and sizes. But finding plus-size clothing, especially the kind that will keep everything in place while exercising or playing sports, has always been a struggle for full-figured women.
Luckily, Nike has finally rolled out an expansive collection of athleticwear in size 1x to 3x, with sports bras up to 38E.
The new line
The new line of crop tops, hoodies, athletic shorts, leggings, sports bras, and vests are not just bigger versions of Nike’s preexisting products.
It’s not enough to scale up the sizes – you also have to think about shape, design, and support.
According to Helen Boucher, Nike’s vice president of women’s training apparel, “we aren’t just proportionately making our products larger. That doesn’t work because as we know, everyone’s weight distribution is different.”
Designed with her in mind
With this in mind, the new line has been designed to flatter and support curvaceous bodies. Boucher said, “We know from talking to women that while they want black on tight-fitting garments, since black is very flattering, they also want bright pops of color.”
Neutral colors are accented with lime greens, turquoise, and other cheery hues.
Celebrating everyone
Last year, Nike added a few new products in anticipation of fulfilling their promise to introduce significantly more garments sized over 1x.
At that time, the company told reporters that “the days where we have to add ‘female’ before ‘athlete’ are over.
She is an athlete, period. And having helped fuel this cultural shift, we celebrate these athletes’ diversity, from ethnicity to body shape.”
Just doin’ diversity
In an effort to reflect this diversity, Nike recently filmed an ad in Dubai featuring women in hijab jogging and skateboarding.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Nike’s new collection features star plus-sized models Paloma Elesser and Naomi Shimada.” quote=”The ads and website for their new collection feature star plus-sized models Paloma Elesser and Naomi Shimada.”]
“Our motivation is to ensure she has the solutions to achieve her full potential as an athlete. Strong is the key word for us; size doesn’t matter.”
#AllBodiesAreGoodBodies
Ellen Vessels, a Staff Writer at The American Genius, is respected for their wide range of work, with a focus on generational marketing and business trends. Ellen is also a performance artist when not writing, and has a passion for sustainability, social justice, and the arts.
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