‘Ozempic Effect’ Hits Clothing-Reseller Racks

Clothing resellers across the country say more and more plus-sized apparel is being turned into their shops by people on weight-loss drugs, CNBC reports. But thus far, the move away from larger-size clothing isn’t apparent when it comes to the production and sale of new apparel, the news service noted.

From the resellers point of view, “We always wanted the larger sizes because they were popular — the minute you got them in, they would sell immediately,” said Jennifer Johnson, founder of True Fashionistas, a large Florida-based clothing reseller. “Now it has completely flip-flopped. Now our extra-small area is smaller than our extra-large.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Janet Curran, who owns a store called Do Good Co. in Kansas City, which benefits two charities in the city. “We’ve seen a real shift in our donation patterns and customer needs since more people started using weight loss medications,” said Cirram. “There’s been increased demand for smaller sizes and more frequent turnover as customers transition through different stages,” Curran said.

Has this also impacted the amount of new plus-sized apparel being made and sold? Thus far, evidence along those lines is hard to come by, CNBC said. “Apparel makers and sellers aren’t saying anything, and Walmart and Levi Strauss declined to comment,” it noted.

Mallorie Dunn, an adjunct faculty member at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and owner of SmartGlamour, a clothing line that offers the smallest and largest sizes, worries about the apparel retail market rushing to conclusions on producing plus-size apparel. Dunn says that segment was underserved before GLP-1 drugs grew in popularity and worries it could continue to be.

“Retailers and manufacturers should absolutely not be making less plus-size clothing because of GLP-1 drugs,” Dunn told CNBC.  “Plus-size customers are grossly underserved as it stands — they need more options, not less. She noted that multiple research studies conducted over the years have estimated that most American consumers — from 68% to 72% — wear plus sizes, yet plus-size clothing only represents 12% to 18% of revenue.

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