Do Fashion Brands Really Focus on Fit and Quality?

Recently I was talking to a seasoned retailer who has years of experience of planning and reviewing numbers and statistics around profitability and the costs involved in the value chain. We both agreed that we cannot see any evidence from any Brand that they have adjusted their KPI's to include a real understanding of fit of their products on their customers. We know that returns rates online are bad for the industry carbon footprint, destroy profits and have an impact on the mental well being of their customers, as nothing is more demoralising and frustrating as buying something and then it does not fit properly and when you look in the mirror you despair. Then you have the arduous task of packing it up and sending it back. Or do you bundle it into the bottom of the wardrobe and forget about it?

Up to 93% of returns on online shopping are down to the clothes not fitting according the Retail Gazette  Allegedly 1/3 of all items returned are not sold and sent straight to landfill. This is shocking and certainly not helping the environment.

When it comes to fit, it may be more than the brand getting the sizing wrong, it can often be down to the poor design and make of the clothes. Many brands need to get an item of clothing into a specific price in order to meet the customers expectations, however this can come at a price! The cut and construction of the item can be engineered into a cost price but without consideration for the item actually fitting the customers they are aiming their brand at. Sounds illogical, yes! but, yes this actually happens. 

We have data to prove that if you have an item of clothing that you feel comfortable in, you know fits you properly and you feel good wearing it; you are more likely to wear the item regularly, wear it out, look for replacement, go back to that brand and recommend the brand. We also know that there is a strong correlation between fit and quality. Customers believe that the quality is poor if the fit is poor.

The good news is that Rey-House is doing something about this. We are using real data from real people to establish the real fit required. Generative AI is the way forward and can help save our planet from landfill textiles, make the shopping experience for customers easier and boost confidence. Once you put clothes on that truly fit, you realise how you feel when things don't fit properly. Feeling good in your clothes is very important and is something not really talked about.