Shoppers will begin to notice something different about the new-season H&M garments they purchase over the next few weeks. Hang tags bearing the words, “You’ve asked, we’ve listened! We’re changing our sizing. Try on this item to find your size,” will appear on new inventory starting this week as part of a multilateral, multinational move by the company to shift its ladies’ sizing. Affecting the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia, the move represents a colossal change for the Swedish apparel retailer currently ranked No. 2 worldwide (behind only Nike and superseding even Spanish fast-fashion powerhouse Zara). The new hang tags are the first obvious clues shoppers will likely encounter, but they do little to indicate how much the recent sizing shift actually affects them, nor do they mitigate the complications that will inevitably come with it. The first phase of the change, which came in late 2017, went largely unnoticed. That’s when H&M shifted its XS–XXL sizing scale by one standard deviation — meaning if you wore a medium, you now wear a small — also adding XXS (reflecting the former measurements of XS) within Divided, a department that typically serves teens and younger customers. The second phase, confirmed by an H&M spokesperson, is set to encompass shifts in numbered sizing, and would soon equate a former size 12 with a current size 10, and a size 10 with an 8. An H&M spokesperson said that the sizing changes were easier to make in simple jersey garments first, adding that they represent a response to years of customer feedback and requests. A complaint from a UK customer in 2017 notoriously went viral, drawing negative attention to the brand’s tiny fits. And US customers have been equally vocal about their grievances. “It is important for us to always listen to our customers, take their feedback and act in order to provide the best experience possible,” the spokesperson explained. “We knew from feedback that our sizing needed to be more in line with the North American consumer as well as be in line with the industry standard in the market.” Observant online shoppers likely first noticed a shift in H&M sizing on April 30, 2018, which is when new numerical sizes launched on H&M’s e-commerce sites. Shoppers encountered new size options for items such as dresses, blouses, and pants; items in their carts automatically changed size, and their order histories were likewise revised. Jean sizing categorized by waist measurement, shoe sizing, kids’ sizing, and men’s sizing have not been affected by the change. And although bra cup sizing remains intact, bra band sizing has shifted by one standard deviation to more accurately reflect actual measurements. (For example, if your chest measures 34 inches around and you previously took a size 36DD at H&M, you now take the more accurate size 34DD.) The H&M spokesperson also said that while this size shift was long-planned, it launched prematurely on April 30 due to a “technical error,” which she says was quickly reversed. However, some shoppers (such as me) found this not to be the case. On May 3, I noticed that a black midi skirt in my online shopping cart had automatically changed size. That morning, I phoned H&M customer service to confirm the change, ultimately opting to place an order for the skirt in one size smaller than my typical H&M size a full two weeks later, on May 17. The garment arrived a few days afterward featuring a label one size smaller than my typical H&M size, yet was clearly cut to the measurements of my former H&M size, just as the customer service representative had told me. |
