Signals

US – Universal Standard, a clothing brand best known for the most inclusive sizing in the market, has responded to consumer requests for a swimsuit range with a new collection to fit everyone from size 00 to 40. The new line comprises eight swimsuits, priced between £69 ($88, €80) and £195 ($248, €226).

The brand took its time researching and developing designs that not only look good but have practical applications when both dry and wet. It conducted extensive customer focus groups and relied on its proprietary design process that goes beyond the standard industry practice of grading. Instead, it adjusted the cut and design across a range of sizes. Most businesses in the industry don’t make this effort for larger sizing. They design clothes to fit a US size 6 fit model and then proportionally increase every measurement, often distorting the shapes of garments, with ill-fitting results.

In Adaptive Fashion Market we assessed how fashion brands are tackling the sector’s ableist design history and representation issues. Universal Standard’s innovative swimwear line shows how thoughtful design can move the industry closer to an inclusive future.

China – A new report from Euromonitor International predicts that China will account for 87% of domestic duty-free sales in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region by 2027. The global duty-free market is set to be worth £132bn ($168bn, €155bn) by 2027, with APAC generating nearly half of this at £64bn ($81bn, €74bn).

Australia, South Korea and India top the list of the highest-spending destinations per arrival when it comes to inbound duty-free shopping, but Chinese consumers have a far greater propensity to seek out luxury brands and ultimately spend more in duty-free shops.

In China, in addition to Hainan, an island province where Chinese nationals could go on duty-free shopping sprees while international travel was banned during Covid-19, cities such as Shanghai, Guangdong and Guangzhou are home to a rising number of duty-free outlets. ‘Many Chinese visitors opt for domestic shopping destinations rather than global hubs such as Paris, London and New York,’ Prudence Lai, senior analyst at Euromonitor International, told Jing Daily.

In State of Luxury: Post-lockdown China, we previously highlighted how high-net-worth consumers now demand local alternatives dedicated to luxury shopping. But Chinese shoppers should remain the predominant target customers for retailers as they resume overseas trips – as explained in our report on the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference 2023.