Strong potential The big & tall men’s market

For a long time， men were not considered a big target audience for fashion. Menswear was often thought to be a replenishment business， where the clothes were often purchased by the women in mens lives — the wife， mother， or significant other. But a couple of years ago， things changed and menswear was officially outpacing womens sales. All the headlines proclaimed that men were interested in fashion. But a key customer is still slow to participate — the Big & Tall man.

“Unfortunately， a lot of major brands and manufacturers dont make Big & Tall apparel，” says Richard Patak， manager of Kaufmans Big & Tall in Englewood， CO， a specialty store thats been in business since 1958.“For the most part， my customers want the styles that a small guy wears， with a few exceptions. Some big guys dont want skin tight jeans. And a lot want plainer shirts. But theyre really no different than the guy that wears a medium or large.”

Now consider that nearly three-quarters （74 percent） of U.S. men are considered to be overweight， with about 36 percent considered to be obese. That comes out to about 80 million men in total， with almost 37 million in the obese range. There is the potential for this customer to be courted.

The global menswear industry is valued at $402 billion， according to Fashion United. And Euromonitor International reports menswear grew by 4 percent in 2016， outpacing womens for the second year in a row. Worldwide， the mens market is expected to reach$40 billion in sales by 2019， according to Edited. This is all positive news for menswear. But there is potential for greater sales if the industry could attract more business from the Big & Tall customer.

“Its getting better but its been a long road，” Patak says. “There have been several companies that try to break into Big & Tall， but it takes time to develop. Fit is very important and it has to relate to their size. Thats why regular companies find it hard to add B&T to their business， and why some new companies end up being like one- hit wonders.”

Only about one in three B&T male says they “l(fā)ove or enjoy” shopping， significantly less than the non-B&T customer （43 percent）， according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor？ Survey.

This results in a noteworthy difference in apparel spending. The non-B&T customer spent $1，053 on clothes in the past year， but the Big & Tall man only averaged $784， about 26 percent less than his counterparts， according to theMonitor？ research.

“The Big & Tall offerings are always a couple seasons behind，” Patak says. Kaufmans also offers custom shirts and tailored clothing， since not all companies make sizes for all of his customers. “Bigger guys arent especially looking for trends and they really arent into change. Then again， there are a lot of tall guys who want to be fashion conscious. For the most part， the taller guys are also lanky and thin. And the styles in shirts and pants today are skin tight. Thats okay for the tall customer. But if you try to put that on a guy whos 340 pounds， its not the same thing.”

The Foursomes Nicole Chose agrees. Shes owner and marketing director at this Plymouth， MN-based mens store that was founded in 1935.

“Big & Tall customers tend to stick to the styles and brands they know， since fit tends to be the most important consideration，” she says. “That said， tall， fit men are a category thats looking for more fashion forward trends.”

Among larger men， style is an important purchasing factor for 33 percent of men， which is significantly less than their non-B&T counterparts （41 percent）， according to Monitor？ data.

Chose points out the importance of B&T clothes having the right fit.

“Fit is critical for all men these days， including Big & Tall，” she says. “The Foursome offers a range of brands and a selection that includes more traditional styles — like pleated pants and classic fit shirts — because for some bigger men， this is a better fit. The Foursome also offers on-site tailors to help make alterations as needed.”

The Monitor？ research backs up Choses observation， with 73 percent of B&T and 69 percent of nonB&T men citing “fit” as their top factor in purchasing new apparel. B&T customers followed with comfort （64 percent）， price （61 percent）， and quality （51 percent）.

Interestingly， Big & Tall customers and non-B&T men differ significantly on price and quality. The Monitor？ finds that 54 percent of non-B&T men cite price as an important purchasing factor， versus the 61 percent among bigger customers. Further， 58 percent of nonB&T men say theyd pay more for better quality， versus just 46 percent of their larger counterparts.

When it comes to fabrics， though， men in general （78 percent） say better quality garments are made from all natural fibers like cotton， according to Monitor？ data. Additionally， 6 of 10 B&T customers are willing to pay more for natural fibers like cotton.

“Big & Tall men appreciate high quality fabrics from brands we carry like St. Croix knits， Tommy Bahama， and Hart Schaffner Marx，” Chose says. “They also appreciate the benefits of stretch from brands like 34 Heritage denim and Mizzen + Main shirts offered for tall men.”

Patak says his customers are also buying denim with 1-to-2 percent stretch added for comfort.

“These guys are built differently， so they dont want things too tight， even if thats the style，” he says. “It helps to have a little more freedom of movement， especially if theyre kneeling down or moving something. Like with all guys， comfort matters.”