Target’s New Plus-Size Mannequins: Size 8 Mannequins Have Company

Target, the iconic retail departmental store chain, has recently introduced their plus-size mannequins in the Chadstone shopping store in Melbourne, Australia. Plus-size mannequins in Target stores are an attempt to better represent the plus size shoppers around Australia. Unlike always displaying Target clothes on thinner mannequins, the retailer has brought in plus-size mannequins as a change that caters to the diversity in body sizes. Women and men of all sizes like to get an idea of how clothes may appear on their bodies.

According to HLNTV, Target managing director Stuart Machin explained the shift.

“The average customer is a size 14, so it’s baffling that the Australian retail industry still uses a standard size 8 mannequin when we are merchandising product. We want to change the way Australian retailers represent women, and we hope that these mannequins will help to start a new conversation in the fashion industry, and trigger some change.”

The plus-size mannequins are expected to fulfill the desires of retailers as well as the fashion needs of Australian women. Target, with the launch of its plus-size mannequins, is the first Australian brand to cater to the plus size market. Melbourne Chadstone has already installed plus-size mannequins, but it is expected that the retailer will include 49 more stores.

Plus-size mannequins are a much-awaited phenomenon as most of the Australian women do not qualify for the standard available size 8. Plus-size mannequins represent the “real size” of the target market and were introduced in Target stores in early September. They represent great hope from the retailer’s perspective and also reflect the fashion needs of a plus-size woman.

Back in 2010, the department stores Myer and David Jones launched a few plus-size mannequins, according to the Herald Sun. Myer has four to six remaining plus-size mannequins in most of their stores now while David Jones doesn’t feature plus-size mannequins anymore.

Debenhams, a famous store in the U.K,. also had introduced plus size mannequins but was criticized by the chief medical director, Dame Sally Davies, who thought of plus size as accepting obesity as being normal.

However, the Target plus-size mannequins will be showcased with other available fashion brands in the store. Plus-size mannequins by Target are definitely a milestone in the Australian fashion industry as it represents the real size of average Aussie women. Other stores may also follow the trend of plus-size mannequins in order to serve a broader market spectrum.

[Image via Twitter]