Sunday 2 February 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Campaign for size diversity lets stores know what they’re missing out on

Wellington, New Zealand

A campaign has been launched in Wellington aimed at giving disappointed shoppers an outlet for their frustration.

The Clothes Calling Card is designed to let clothing stores know how much money they’re missing out on by not stocking a certain size. Would-be customers can personalise the cards and give them to a salesperson, send it to the store's social media account, or leave in the shop.

The cards read:
“Please let me give you money
If you had things in size ____,
I would have spent $____.”

“This shop wouldn’t take my money
If they had things in size ____,
I would have spent $____.”

Freya Dean, who conceived of the Clothes Card, says there’s no need to be rude about addressing this market failure. "Our interests in purchasing lovely clothing are perfectly in line with companies’ interests in making money by selling lovely clothing. It’s just a matter of passing on information to people who make decisions about what sizes and shapes to design and order stock for."

The initiative was founded by Freya Dean, Nicole Skews, Merrin Macleod and Ally Garrett after they shared frustrations on Twitter at not being able to buy clothes they loved because of the narrow ‘mainstream’ size runs.

“The response from a range of people on Twitter has been overwhelmingly positive. Lots of people love clothes and fashion, but feel the industry has decided their bodies aren't right for certain clothes. It leaves people who don’t fit mainstream sizes without many options” says co-founder Ms Skews.

While the campaign is primarily finding audience with plus sized women, the cards are designed to be used by anyone.

“We’ve had smaller women talk about how embarrassing it is to have to buy clothes from children's stores, and people wanting to use the cards for shoes and bras. The campaign is for anyone who feels excluded because of their size.” Says Ms Skews.

The cards are available for free download at www.clothescallingcard.com and can be used digitally or purchased in packs of 5 or 10.

While the campaign is starting with Wellington shoppers, the online nature of the campaign and free downloads of the cards means anyone can get involved.

Click for big version.

Card 1

Click for big version.

Card 2

ENDS

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