Hope on horizon for sizing concerns

A new Melbourne firm is claiming it has come up with a fitting solution to Australia's standard sizing woes.
Hong-Kong based fit solution company Alvanon claims to have access to "hundreds of thousands" of body scans - including 1000-plus Australian females.

As part of its desire to do its part to get standard sizing in Australia, the company - which opened its Australian branch just last week - has commissioned well-known Melbourne fitting model Kellie Johns to headline what it hopes will be the first in its new series of Aussie bodies.

Standing 159cm in height with a 91cm bust, 70cm waist and 83cm high hip, Johns is considered a good representation of the aspirational Australian body.

Alvanon Australia technical manager Toni Stalls said it was hoped the company's data could be used by the Australian apparel industry to leverage its "much-needed" Australian sizing study.

Plans by the Australian fashion industry to update national sizing standards were stymied when advocate groups failed to secure the $300,000 government funding need to complete a pilot project.

The Size Oz survey - conceived by industry group Sizing Consortium of Australia Landmark Evaluation (SCALE) in 2006 - proposed using 3D body scanning to create accurate sampling techniques.

The project was one of the few times the industry was united on its mission with the Fashion Technicians' Association of Australia (TFAA), the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA), Standards Australia and several "major retailers" all lending their support.

The Victorian government offered $6600 to create a tender, however the plans had to be put on ice when "structural inflexibilities" in the government's Strategic Investment Program (SIP) criteria meant the project was deemed ineligible.
An alternative funding source has yet to be found.

Stalls said utilising data such as that on offer by her company was the "only real chance" the Australian fashion industry had to get its own study.

"The Australian sizing standard is basically out of date and defunct, the local industry knows it's not relevant. I think our diverse population and the Aussie body across the age spectrum needs a mention too. They buy clothes and some people make a lot of money out of it. We deserve to have what we need," Stalls said.

By Tracey McEldowney