Larger athletes will now be able to see their favorite Nike athletic gear modeled by mannequins that look like them. That’s because the athletic apparel giant has decided to cater to the curvy by adding plus-sized mannequins.
The new mannequins were unveiled in the women’s department of Nike’s flagship store in London this week.
“Highlighting a full range of athlete figures, the space shows multiple plus-sized and para-sport mannequins, a first for the city’s store,” Nike said in a statement to USA Today.
According to MarketWatch:
The launch comes two years after Nike debuted a plus-size collection that includes sizes ranging from 1X to 3X.
Though a plus-sized mannequin may seem unusual, most American women qualify as ‘plus-size’ in the eyes of the fashion industry. More than half of adult American women (67%) wear a size 14 or larger, according to research firm Plunkett Research.
And more mainstream retailers are breaking into the $20-billion plus-size fashion market.
It’s unknown if Nike will add plus-sized male mannequins. Nike did not return MarketWatch’s request for comment.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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