Sizing proposal gets a thumbs up from industry

NATIONAL: Embattled industry campaigners have welcomed a multi-million dollar proposal aimed at introducing a national sizing standard.

The Federal Government is expected to approve $5 million worth of funding for the development of an Australian clothing and footwear sizing survey, following an official recommendation in Professor Roy Green's review into the TCF industry.
Green described the funding as "a matter of urgency" and said the project should commence immediately in consultation with the TCF Innovation Council.

"As the current sizing standard is more than half a century old, a variety of standards are in use which are specific to different firms," he argued. "It was noted that a lack of an up-to-date sizing standard has meant lost sales because customers experience frustration with sizing labels and consequent difficulties in ensuring a good fit."

Daisy Veitch, an advisor to multi-stakeholder group Sizing Consortium of Australia Landmark Evaluation (SCALE), said she was "very pleased" with the recommendation after 12 years spent lobbying the Federal Government. Veitch said the absence of an accurate national sizing standard meant Australia now lagged behind trading partners such as the United States, United Kingdom, Asia and Japan.

While no men's standard existed in the Australian market, the women's standard was outdated and based on measurements collated from a Women's Weekly self-reported survey conducted in 1970. 'Veitch said data collected by the new sizing survey should be publicly available and not serve the interests of any specific corporate bodies. 

"We need to make sure we capture high quality anthropometric information that delivers outcomes for Australian industry. To do this, we need to look at other success stories from other countries that have created a high quality database using the latest body scanning technologies. We also need to conduct our own testing based on discussions with Australian industry to ensure we capture their needs."

Veitch said the national sizing survey could be completed in as little four months. "Spain has just successfully finished its own study into the female population after it was found that 40 per cent of females had problems finding their size," she said. "It took four months, used six hired body scanners and a total team of 35. I'm not suggesting we copy this - only that a large scale survey can be done quite efficiently."

Textile and Fashion Industries Australia (TFIA) executive director Jo Kellock said she was equally optimistic about the funding proposal. She said there was a clear correlation between poor sizing guidelines and lost sales.

By Assia Benmedjdoub