Mango has caused outrage this week amongst shoppers with the introduction of their new plus size line ‘Violeta’. The 400 piece collection ranges from sizes 12 to 24 and has been credited by the government and fashion editors alike, but it is the shoppers who have found it distasteful.
A spokesperson for MANGO has said “Violeta by MANGO is a new brand within the group which was created to cover an existing demand in the market by offering a fashion collection in sizes that extend up to 24.”
The spokesperson goes on to elaborate just how much effort had gone into the collection: ‘what differentiates said brand is the attention to technical details, pattern to pattern and size to size, and the selection of garment materials and fabrics, which have been produced to be more comfortable, feminine and modern.
‘The key characteristic of this line is the personalisation of the collection to a new target market, the result of painstaking work and effort on the silhouette and pattern of each size.’
From these statements you realise that MANGO defining a size 12 as plus size was not a conscious effort to distort female body image, but a sincere attempt to make their apparel more accessible and comfortable to all sizes.
However, backlash has not just come from the labelling of a size 12 as ‘plus size’, but the contents of the collection. Customers have taken to twitter to deem the collection as ‘beige’ and underwhelming because of its simplicity and ‘dated’ nature. Take a look for yourself and see if you agree with the public response to Violeta.
Words: Umika Verma
