Hot News! We’ve just formed a partnership with Belfast company ‘Fit For A King’. In this partnership, they get to spend winter in New Zealand whilst I flog all their stock!??!The things I do for money….
So we took delivery of a pallet of menswear today and in one of the boxes were some fab ‘polar’ camoflage shorts by Kam Jeanswear in greys and whites – ideal for those of you who are getting snow in the North and East! 3/4 length. Urban camoflage. £12.50 + £3.00 p&p – send me an email if you would like to order.
Scientists at the University of Oxford have found a link between the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene and increased body weight.
Back in 2007, scientists discovered that people with two copies of a variant within the FTO gene are on average 3kg heavier than those without it, affecting 16% of all Europeans.
“Convincing Proof that the FTO gene causes obesity” says lead researcher.
In the latest research, published in Nature Genetics this week, scientists bred mice with extra copies of the gene, which ate more and became fatter than normal mice. After 20 weeks female mice with two copies of the FTO gene were 22% heavier than normal and male mice were 10% heavier – although researchers did comment that the weight differences in humans were unlikely to be as large.
The next stage of research will focus on why the FTO gene causes obesity, for example, whether it increases appetite or alters messages from our fat stores.
Professor Frances Ashcroft of Oxford University commented: ‘We can now think about developing drugs that turn down the activity of the FTO gene as potential anti-obesity pills – that’s a long way off and there’s no certainty of success, but it’s an enticing prospect.’
Tags: big men's clothes
The new Chloe mastectomy bra by Royce is being modelled here by Kelly Short, who appeared on the TV programme ‘How to Look Good Naked’.
Kelly had completely lost her confidence through breast cancer but just look at her now, looking gorgeous and feeling fabulous again.
Royce Mastectomy Bra Modelled By Kelly Short
She commented, “I was particularly excited to model the new style ‘Chloe’, which as well as being comfortable, is utterly gorgeous! The response from the TV programme has been unbelievable and I hope that my story will continue to inspire other women in a similar situation.”
The Chloe is a pretty grey marl bra with cream lace detail.
Non-wired bra with lightly padded cups in A – DD. Extra soft fabric ensures absolute comfort every day.
To order please visit: www.harwayeslingerie.com or call us on 01780 755 490.
Tags: mastectomy lingerie
I’ve just been reading about the new M&S boxers with ‘frontal enhancement’. Our view is, our customers don’t need any padding as they are already big enough – at 3xl – 8xl that is! Go to www.extralargeclothing.co.uk for pants in big sizes.
Tags: men's underwear
Following the success of the Dove ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ (See blog comment http://www.katy-brown.co.uk/2010/02/01/), Levi’s, Uniqlo, Gap, LK Bennett and McQ have all used so called ‘real people’ instead of models for advertising campaigns. Calvin Klein have said they are looking at street casting their latest campaign ‘because, in reality, no 16-year-old is buying CK clothes – she’s 45′.
We are looking for ‘real’ people to feature in our Extra Large Clothing catalogues as we want our customers to be able to relate to the images and think ‘I could look like that‘ – the looks need to be realistic and achievable – easy to wear without too much thought.
I had a revelation when I had style and colour analysis done by my colleague Vicky. She taught me only to look at colours in shops that suit me – in my case a summer palette of pinks, blues and greys. I can wear yellows and greens as long as they are clean – blue based rather than orangey, and definitely no black. This saves me hours in shops as I no longer try on black or muddy colours, but the real time saver comes in the mornings – everything in my wardrobe now goes together and I can fling anything on without it clashing.
She also taught me to look for classic shapes – so whilst keeping fashionable looks like skinny jeans I don’t go in for miniskirts but keep them knee length, ensuring I’m not trying to dress like my daughter, I buy tops that I feel confident in, with not too much flesh on show.
I’m a bit evangelistic about these style tips now – and hopefully able to apply them to menswear. We have selected great shirts and jackets that can be put together by anyone. Many men don’t feel confident in their style so stick to cover ups like multi-purpose sportswear or traditional garments like blazers. But with our new photography, you can see for yourself the looks that work as we have done it already for you with our models.
If you buy one of our shirts or jackets, you won’t regret it for an instant as it will be comfortable, big enough in all the right places, easy to wear and stylish without being either garish or boring.
Oakman Chocolate jacket with striped shirt
Image 1: Garry is wearing the size 54 jacket with the 3xl Oakman Toffee Striped short sleeved shirt and our lightweight chinos. You can dress this jacket down with a white polo shirt and jeans instead, or add an extra layer on cooler days with our V-neck cotton jumper. Just don’t do a Simon Cowell and wear the V-neck on its own – too much flesh – yuck!
Oakman turquoise check shirt and pinstriped jeans
Image 2: Garry wears the Oakman turquoise checked shirt in 3XL with the pinstriped jeans and a navy blue hoodie. Even if you are not a teenager, a hoodie is a practical layer for cooler days and gives a younger look than a cardigan. Wear this shirt with our stonewash or dirty denim jeans for a more casual look.
Navy blue hoodie worn with Oakman striped linen shirt
Image 3: How to wear a hoodie if you are a bit older – it helps if you have a sports car! Garry is wearing the navy blue hooded top with a 3XL Oakman striped linen shirt in sky blue with Kam relaxed fit fashion jeans in black. This is what I would call smart-casual and I would definitely like the look of a chap wearing this – just the right combination of character and comfort – he’s not trying too hard, which works for me!
Tags: big men's clothes, mens fashion
Harwayes have a sale on Sports Bras this October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
We have taken at least £5 off most bras in the Freya and Shock Absorber ranges. Order now and keep your fitness levels high this Autumn. We have selected sports bras to suit every shape and size, but if you don’t see what you need, please call us on 01780 755 490.
Duke denim jacket in king size
Life & Limb Shirt
Oakman Chocolate brown striped jacket
We had an exciting day on Sunday with an impromptu fashion shoot of the latest Oakman arrivals. I met Garry Sampson, who was in town hosting a Virgin Vie Party (my.vieathome.com/garrysampson), and we decided on the spot that he would make a great model for our new Oakman and Life and Limb shirts and jackets. Two phone calls later and we had a photo shoot arranged for Sunday lunchtime. The products will be up on the extralargeclothing site later this week.
We actually ended up in Ryhall in a light drizzle, borrowing somebody’s barn to change in. Faizal and Rick (photographed) were acting as wardrobe assistants and generally livening up proceedings. Our photographer for the day was Miranda Lundie, best known for her wedding photography skills whilst leaning out of biplanes.
Katy
Tags: big men's clothes, Marketing, men's jeans, mens fashion
All Kinds of Pants on Offer!
In opening our new outlet store, my colleague Faizal mentioned that he was ‘going to devote the rest of the afternoon to pants’ – i.e. arranging them on the display shelving.
My question is, will having pants on the first set of shelving as you walk in the door be off-putting for our more reticent customers?
Would a menswear retailer typically place them further into the shop so that the customer can pluck up courage to pick some out? Pray tell!
We are proud of our pants offering and can’t wait to show them off – just like the aliens in my son’s favourite book – in fact I think I’ll get a poster of this book cover to go on our display!
I am thrilled to announce that we are opening up an outlet store for Extra Large Clothing. Why? We are an online retailer so surely a bricks and mortar store is a backward step?
Why a Bricks and Mortar Store?
I have battled with myself over this conumdrum for several months. My Dad, who I share premises with didn’t want to have to give up precious storage space to make a fitting room. Then I decided not to keep intellectualising about it and just get on with it as have a large amount of stock arriving for the Autumn /Winter collection over the next few weeks, space is at a premium, cashflow is tight (as always – hey it’s a small comapany!) – and we’ll never know unless we try it.
From a commercial viewpoint I get to build relationships with customers who live nearby. They may like to preview new collections to make sure I’m not going down the wrong route, fashionwise. Some of them may be interested in being models for the new catalogue. Hopefully they will make nice comments about our friendly service that we can post on the blog. They might give me more insight into the problems faced by people of large stature than I get on the end of a phone or by e-mail.
Boutique or Outlet?
On the downside, any money I spend on shop fittings is not going into building the brand online: more adwords or a mannequin? So whilst I would like my shop to look like a boutique or the Oakman showroom, illustrated, the reality is, this is not where my talents lie. The clothes will look like this, the ambience won’t! So I decided to call it an oulet store, to get across the idea that it’s more of a factory shop environment, but you can buy recognised brands, plus we have some excellent sale offers – hence the word ‘outlet’. To be perfectly honest, we haven’t even bought carrier bags but we can offer boxes!
New Store Details
The new outlet store is located in Essendine, half way between Bourne and Stamford. We open on Friday 24th September 2010, on weekdays, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. The store offers clothing for big men in sizes 3xl (chest 50 – 52”) up to 8xl (chest 70 – 72”).
Address: Unit 2, Glen Industrial Estate, Essendine, Nr Stamford, PE9 4LE. Tel 01780 755 490.
Tags: big men's clothes, brand development, entrepreneurship, Marketing, retail display, starting a business, window dressing
Oakman chambray style shirt in denim blue
New into stock this week – this chambray denim-blue coloured shirt is a key fashion look for this Autumn and Spring 2011. Perfect with jeans and one of our Autumn 2010 fashion jackets. Fabric: 100% cotton, Sizes: 3xl, 4xl, 5xl. Order now from extralargeclothing.co.uk, tel 01780 755 490.
Tags: big men's clothes, men's jeans, mens fashion