The fashion industry is undergoing a transformative shift towards diversity, challenging brands to embrace a broader range of body types. While some companies are leading the charge in plus-size fashion, other brands are still choosing to prioritize straight-sizing, ignoring the need for more diverse size options. 

The fact is, developing plus-size styles increases the level of difficulty in garment design, and therefore increases the cost of garment development. Additional costs may include extra fit models and different patterns for plus-size versus straight-size garments. Further, size grading of plus-sizes is different from straight-sizing, often leading to more samples which requires more resources (more money and more time). 

Bota was founded with a commitment to inclusivity. From the outset, we recognized the importance of celebrating all body types and prioritizing plus sizes in our product offerings from day 1 of launching our brand. By incorporating diverse sizing into our designs and embracing a variety of models in our marketing, we've demonstrated that inclusive sizing isn't just an afterthought but an integral part of our brand identity. 

We have proven that small businesses can launch with plus sizes by making inclusive sizing a core brand value from the very beginning. This was done by including the development of plus sizes into our launch timelines and budgets. We made sacrifices elsewhere, such as launching with fewer styles so we could focus design efforts on perfecting size grading. Because of this, we believe brands that claim to be too small or novel have simply not made plus-sizing a priority in their brand agenda. 

At Bota, we believe it is time to start expecting more from fashion brands. Developing plus-sized fashion that fits well and makes women feel good is a tricky but necessary challenge that needs to become the standard for all new and existing fashion brands.