Canadian model calls out irony of Aritzia's massive Super Puff display

"But we cannot make a 3X": Model calls out irony of Aritzia's massive Super Puff display

The window display at Aritzia's flagship Robson Street location (Daily Hive)

A Vancouver-based model and writer is calling out Aritzia for the irony of its massive window display Super Puffs but lack of plus-sized options.

Lydia Okello was walking at Metrotown Mall in Burnaby recently when they saw the larger-than-life jacket in Aritzia’s window. They summed up their thoughts succinctly in a TikTok video:

“You mean to tell me we can make a Super Puff for the homie at the top of Jack’s beanstalk, but we cannot make a 3X,” Okello said.

@styleisstyle1 #greenscreen @Aritzia you walked right into this one #wherearetheplussizes ♬ nintendo wii (mii channel) song – julie on the internet

In an interview with Daily Hive, Okello said it was funny that the brand would take the time to make a jacket that wouldn’t fit a human of any size yet struggled with size inclusivity in its clothing.

“At the end of the day, it shows what their priorities are.”

Daily Hive

An Aritzia spokesperson told Daily Hive that sizing and representation are important to the brand’s clients and that the retailer continues to advance in that area. The company also clarified the supersized Super Puffs were designed exclusively for window displays this season.

The size guide on Aritzia’s website indicates it offers clothing from size XXS to XXL or up to size 16 in numbered sizing. The spokesperson added some items are offered in extended sizing up to size 18.

Super Puff jackets currently come in sizes XXXS to XXL.

But for Okello, that’s not enough. They said it was disappointing how long it took Artizia to offer a size 16 and believes it’s clear the brand values thin customers. What’s more, Aritzia has been criticized for not keeping larger sizes in stock, leaving customers at the upper end of the size range struggling to find things that fit in-store.

“All the other sizes are available much longer, but mysteriously, a 16 or a 14 is immediately sold out,” Okello said. “So to me, either that says you’re not making enough of them, or to you, it’s not a priority to make enough of them.”

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It’s an industry-wide problem, according to Okello. They’d like to see fashion retailers genuinely focus on catering to a wider range of body types by investing the same amount of marketing and development effort for plus-sized customers as straight-sized ones.

It’s important because, according to a 2016 study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design Technology and Education, the average American woman wears a size 16 to 18. Even though more than half of US women wear a size 14 or above, the options for them to buy clothing are far more limited — and Okello wants that to change.

“[Aritzia was] able to find the scale for the size they wanted when it was convenient for an art project, but they are not able to do that for real-life human beings, mysteriously,” Okello said. “I find it incredibly disappointing, given the resources that they have.”

The Vancouver-based company operates many boutiques around North America and posted just shy of $2.2 billion in revenue last year and $350 million in earnings.