Plus size fashion in Australia is broken in a specific way — and most women over a size 16 know exactly what that way is. The clothes exist, technically. There are racks labelled plus size, there are websites with extended size ranges, there are brands that claim to cater to sizes 18 and beyond. But the clothes are wrong. The proportions are off. The fabrics are cheaper. The styles are different — not different in a way that reflects the actual preferences of women in those sizes, but different in a way that suggests someone made decisions about what a plus size woman should want to wear, without asking any plus size women.
We’ve been manufacturing women’s clothing in Sydney for 40 years. For most of that time, our customers have been women in sizes 12 to 26. We know what this problem looks like from the inside. And we do things differently. Here’s how.
The grading problem — why plus size clothes don’t fit
Most fashion brands make a sample garment in a size 8 or 10, then mathematically grade it up to larger sizes. At size 12 or 14, this works reasonably well. By size 18, 20 or 22, it doesn’t. The proportions that were correct for a size 10 body have been scaled in ways that don’t reflect how a size 20 body actually sits. The waistline ends up in the wrong place. The armhole is too deep or too tight. The back is too wide. The bust darts are positioned for a shape that doesn’t match.
This is not a minor issue. It’s the reason women in larger sizes often say nothing fits. Not that there’s nothing available — there’s plenty available — but that nothing actually fits.
At FEMIQN, every size from 8 to 26 is individually patterned. Each size has its own block — built from scratch for the proportions of that size. Size 20 is not a scaled-up version of size 10. It’s a pattern built for a size 20 body, with a size 20 waistline position, size 20 hip curve, and size 20 sleeve length. That’s what 40 years of manufacturing experience means in practice.
The fabric problem — why plus size clothes often feel cheap
A common complaint from women who shop in extended sizes is that the fabric quality is lower. This is often true, and it’s a specific kind of cost-cutting: brands reduce fabric quality in plus sizes to maintain margin, because the additional fabric required for larger garments increases cost. Consumers in extended sizes are then charged the same price (or sometimes more) for a cheaper product.
At FEMIQN, there is one fabric standard across all sizes. Our signature soft knit — a polyester-elastane blend that holds its shape, moves comfortably and washes easily — is used from size 8 to size 26. We don’t substitute a cheaper knit above size 16. We don’t change the fabric composition. Size 24 gets the same fabric as size 12. That’s not remarkable — it should be the standard everywhere — but in practice, it isn’t.
The style problem — why plus size ranges are often different in the wrong ways
Many extended size ranges offer a reduced style selection — fewer colours, fewer prints, fewer occasion options. Women in sizes 18 to 26 are steered toward dark colours, toward loose styles without waistlines, toward ‘coverage’ as though coverage is the primary goal rather than looking and feeling good.
Our curvy and plus size collection covers the full range of what we make: dresses, tops, pants, jackets and occasion wear, across all colours and prints. Our cobalt blue, teal and fuchsia pieces are among our most popular in the 18 to 26 size range. Our chiffon overlay occasion dresses are available in all sizes. Our lace styles, our printed wide-leg pants, our sparkle knit pieces — all available from size 8 to size 26.
This isn’t because we’re being generous. It’s because women in larger sizes have the same range of preferences, occasions and desires as women in smaller sizes. That’s obvious when you state it plainly. It’s less obvious in how most fashion brands actually behave.
The ‘plus size’ label problem
Many women dislike the term ‘plus size’. It creates a separate category, implies abnormality, and positions the standard size range as the default from which plus size is a deviation. At FEMIQN, size 18 is not a deviation from a standard. It’s a size. It sits in a range that runs from 8 to 26, and every size in that range receives the same consideration, the same fabric, the same styling attention and the same new arrivals.
We use the term ‘curvy and plus size’ for navigation purposes — because it’s how many women search, and because it genuinely helps women in sizes 18 to 26 find the range. But it’s not a different category. It’s the same clothes, in more sizes.
Australian made — why it matters for fit
There’s a practical reason why Australian-made clothing fits Australian women better. Australian women’s bodies are, statistically, different in proportion from the Asian markets many offshore garments are designed for. When you manufacture in Australia, you pattern for Australian bodies. That means different waist-to-hip ratios, different torso lengths, different shoulder widths than patterns designed primarily for other markets.
J&M Fashions has been manufacturing in Pemulwuy, Sydney since the 1980s. Our patterns are built for Australian women. Our sizing is calibrated against Australian bodies. That’s not a marketing claim — it’s a practical consequence of making clothes here for four decades.
What this means for you
If you’re a woman in sizes 18 to 26 who has given up on finding clothes that fit properly, we understand why. The fashion industry has given you good reasons to give up. But individually patterned sizes, consistent fabric quality across the size range, and a full style selection from 8 to 26 aren’t aspirational goals for FEMIQN. They’re how we’ve operated for 40 years.
Shop our Curvy & Plus Size collection. If you’re looking for specific sizes, you can shop directly: Size 18 · Size 20 · Size 22 · Size 24 · Size 26.
