S,M,L to FML: Why Indian brands just can’t get sizing right

Worse, India, a nation of 1.45 billion, has no standard sizing system. So, one brand’s Small is another label’s Medium; men’s shirts have numbered sizes; online orders get returned after customers realise the clothes weren’t the size they expected them to be. In stores, we’re still sending up silent prayers as we take Max Five Items Please to the trial room. What’s going on? It’s an old and complicated puzzle, say experts.

Inching closer

Because India has no standards on what measurements make up S, M, L and so on, most brands fix their sizes using market research, says Adilath Liyana, co-founder of Blanc Earth (@Blanc.Earth), a two-year old Bengaluru-based minimalist sustainable fashion brand that caters to women and men. For women’s wear, measurements are made at the bust, waist and hip. For men, it’s just the chest and waist. “Crucial information such as a target group’s age, lifestyle choices, occupation and body type are taken into account, and the biggest factor is which part of the country they are from,” Liyana says. So, a brand that makes flowy kurtas for South Indian working women may have a different idea of what is Small, than, say, a brand putting out trendy party wear for Gen Zs in the North East.

Tanvi Somaiya, founder of The Bear House, a seven-year old Bengaluru brand that makes smart-casual menswear, says that when they were manufacturing for the European market, the research surprised them. “We found that the typical Indian man has narrower shoulders and a broader midsection than the European average,” she says. “So, for India, we created a silhouette that would complement the local shape and not lead to a boxy, unflattering fit.”

This means measuring thousands of people to create a sample size, which costs time and money. “Some brands simply follow the sizing guides of well-established international brands or a competitor in the same segment,” says Somaiya. Even then, things go wrong. “Indian shoppers typically expect the chest measurement of a shirt to match their own chest size,” Somaiya says. “But by Western sizing standards, the numbers represent the garment’s measurements, not the body it is intended to fit.” Liyana adds that high-end brands follow different guides from streetwear and mass-market brands. “Sizing can also change with trends.” It’s a mess.

The government has only just started to acknowledge the problem. In 2021, the Ministry of Textiles, along with the National Institute of Fashion Technology, conducted a national sizing survey, INDIAsize, to develop India’s first standard size chart. It used 3D body scanning tech to gather data on 120 points, including height, weight and bust-waist-hip ratio. More than 25,000 men and women, between the ages of 15 and 65, were scanned in six cities. The consolidated findings will now be analysed and used to create a template for India. It won’t iron out every crease in the shopping business, but it’s a start.

Button up

Around the world, a size is more a guideline than a rule. One shopper might prefer wearing a loose fit, another might find the right size but still not know exactly how a garment might fit. And anyone who’s been shopping knows that some fabrics just fit differently: Stretchy blends have more give, cotton shrinks after a wash, polyester can be both firm and pliant, and handlooms can vary even within a brand.

So, brands tend to pay extra attention to how hanger-appeal (how an outfit looks on the rack) relates to fitting-room fails. “When more than 50% of our customers notify us of ill-fitting sizes, we take it into consideration” says Liyana.

They pay attention to the world outside too. Liyana says the public focus on body positivity and size inclusion has made several Indian brands rethink what now passes for a flattering fit. “Some brands size-up with their measurements,” Somaiya says. “So, when you’re typically an L and you now fit into an M, it delivers a feel-good rush and builds brand loyalty.” At Blanc Earth, the brand built a Fit-o-meter on their website when they launched, to help customers identify if the fit was true or oversized. “Now that the first drop is almost sold out, the sizing of our newer line is standardised.”

Somaiya stresses on one very important aspect. “As online shopping becomes more popular, as smaller brands grow into large ones, serving more than a regional population, we need the national sizing system, trained store staff and well-designed online charts to help people shop.” Because who wants to pay for a great fit, if it doesn’t in fact, fit?

A step closer: Indian shoe sizing is set to change too

For generations Indian shoe brands simply followed the Bata size guide. After all, everyone owned Bata shoes.

Late in 2021, India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade collaborated with Chennai’s Central Leather Research Institute to develop footwear sizing standards for India.

Trials were conducted on about 10,000 people, aged between 5 years and 55 years, who were monitored for a year.

Indian shoes currently follow European and French sizing, which considers only the length of the foot. The Indian guide accounts for foot width too.

The new system, named Bha for Bharat, is expected to launch this year.

From HT Brunch, February 08, 2025

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