1 week ago
H&M and Mango Cut Plus-Size Clothes as GLP-1s Reshape Fashion
Some clothing companies are making fewer clothes in larger sizes.
H&M said it stopped making some of its biggest sizes because fewer people were buying them.
Mango also sharply reduced the number of dresses available in larger sizes.
Analysts think weight-loss medicines called GLP-1 drugs may be changing clothing demand in the United States.
However, many women still wear size 14 or larger.
Plus-size activist Tess Holliday said the changes make some customers feel excluded.
ThredUp, a second-hand clothing company, said purchases of larger sizes are growing quickly on its marketplace.
This means the demand for larger clothes may be changing between different types of stores rather than disappearing.
H&M removed 3XL and 4XL women’s dresses from its spring/summer 2026 inventory, citing lower demand.
Mango reduced the share of new dresses in sizes 16–20 from 6.6% to 0.5%.
Analysts linked retailers’ sizing concerns to the rising use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in the United States.
The Guardian reported that about 66% of US women still wear size 14 or above.
ThredUp said purchases of large, XL and plus-size clothing grew 17.4% this year.
- Who
- H&M, Mango and other clothing retailers; plus-size customers, activists, analysts and second-hand retailer ThredUp.
- What
- Retailers are reducing some plus-size clothing offerings as analysts link changing demand to the popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
- Where
- The trend is reported primarily in the United States and affects retailers including H&M and Mango.
- When
- The changes include spring/summer 2026 inventory, with supporting US data reported through June 2025.
- Why
- Retailers cite lower demand for some larger sizes, while analysts attribute the shift partly to increased GLP-1 use; activists argue it reflects declining size inclusivity.
Retailers and demand analysts
Plus-size advocates and resale data
Reason for reducing sizes
Retailers and demand analysts
H&M said it monitors fit and sizing demand and discontinued 3XL and 4XL after seeing lower demand. Impact Analytics CEO Prashant Agrawal called GLP-1 drugs the main reason retailers are concerned about sizing.
Plus-size advocates and resale data
Tess Holliday said the pullback reflects the way plus-size people are treated as less important and questioned whether H&M’s earlier size-expansion effort was genuine.
Whether demand is disappearing
Retailers and demand analysts
Declining obesity rates and increased GLP-1 use suggest that some customers may be moving into smaller clothing sizes, reducing demand for certain large-size products at conventional retailers.
Plus-size advocates and resale data
ThredUp said demand for larger sizes is not fading and described large, XL and plus-size purchases as one of its fastest-growing marketplace segments. The report also noted that about 66% of US women wear size 14 or above.
Key facts
- H&M inventory
- Its spring/summer 2026 women’s dresses included no 3XL or 4XL items, compared with 2% of new inventory the previous year.
- Mango inventory
- The share of new dresses in sizes 16–20 fell from 6.6% to 0.5%.
- Anthropologie inventory
- Its plus-size share declined from 10.5% to 9%.
- GLP-1 use
- Mintel data cited in the report said 18% of US adults were using GLP-1 drugs by June 2025.
- US obesity rate
- The reported US adult obesity rate fell from 39.9% in 2022 to 36.4%.
- Large-size resale demand
- ThredUp reported 17.4% growth this year in purchases of large, XL and plus-size clothing.
Quotes
H&M representative
H&M spokesperson citing supply‑demand analysis
“‘Demand for larger sizes isn’t fading; it’s one of the fastest-growing parts of our marketplace.’”
theprint.in
“‘We have chosen to discontinue sizes 3XL and 4XL, as we have seen lower demand for these sizes.’”
theprint.in
Sources
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