To be hugely pissed off that Superdry apparently do not make clothes larger than a size 10?

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Well this is a bit of mumsnet karma, after me saying on a thread this week that I didn't think size 12 was that small...

I went to Superdry yesterday with dd to buy her a coat for christmas. If you don't know it it is a chain of shops which cater mainly for teens and young trendies.

Bloody coats cost £120 but I won't moan about that now.

DD is 15, is the same height and size as me (8-10, just shy of 6 foot), although she is broader of shoulder than me. She tried on a size L and it just about fit - would be a bit tight if you had a jumper on (dd just had a long sleeved thin t shirt type top on yesterday).

I asked the shop assistant if they had a XL (being a mum I want a coat with a bit of 'give'). They don't. I was a bit at this and said to the assistant 'so if you are larger than a size 10 you cannot fit into any of the coats in here?'. She said that a lot of 'larger' girls bought mens coats as they didn't fit into the girls. I said that I wouldn't in a month of sundays consider a size 12 'large'.

She also said that the sizes come up small as 'it is a Japanese brand'. I said that I knew that the brand started on a market stall in hereford and all the clothes were designed up the road in Cheltenham, and Superdry was about as Japanese as i was.

At this point dd was melting into the ground in embarassment. I bought the bloody coat against my better judgement.

i am so pissed off at this. How irresponsible? This is a brand whose market is pretty much teenagers. I can't imagine how it must feel as a teenager to try one of their coats on and not be able to fit in it.

Should I write a stinking letter?

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Dstepson used to work for Syuperdry years ago when he as 17, he worked initially in their warehouse, but he got moved to the shop as he is very good looking and fitted in with their image.

he said that they hired purely on good looks, but I don't think that is hugely surprising, loads of shops and other busibness (e.g. stewerdesses for Emirates) hire purely on what you look like.

It is ridiculous really, but nothing new.

I have found Hollister and Abercombie stuff is sized completely differently, a lot more genetrous.

My brother lives in California and he laughs at how aspirational Abercrombie and Hollister are viewed in the UK. In LA no adult would be seen dead in it, it is emptahically a leisure brand for young teens. And it is far cheaper.

[memphis83]

im a 10-12 with D cup boobs and i can only just get into a large hoody, ordered it from Next as it was only in xs in store, I ordered the XL and L got delivered, rang them they said its a printing error!! But i got the M in the wax coat as the large was massive in comparrison! their sizing is messed up, my dh is a small bloke and only just gets into a medium so its not just the womens!

[FiveFeetTwo]

Oops, I thought you were talking about a brand of incontinence pants.

[LaurieFairyonthetreeEatsCake]

"Im 5,10 and skinny- BMI of 19. I struggle to get in my Large A&F jumper. Its mental."

What gingerbread says just sums it up. It is totally immoral to say that anyone who's bmi is 19 is a large.

I cannot help but think that would contribute to eating disorders.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Norbert - the bloke who owns Superdry lives in Cheltenham, as far as I know they started off on a market stall in Hereford and the first shop opened in Cheltenham a few years later.

DP is a bit about the rise of Superdry's fortunes as he remembers Cult Clothing as just a shitty little local shop.

[NorbertDentressangle]

You learn something everyday on MN.

I'll have to drop that info into the conversation when our (thinks shes) ultra-cool 12 yo neighbour pops round wearing the latest Superdry purchase (Cheltenham and Hereford are both nearby)

[FIMBOisfirstfootin2moro]

My dd (12) has the black raincoat thing and it is xs, she can fit an xs hoodie under it!

[ApocalypseCheeseToastie]

Yes, yes agree about H&M, I recently had an 11yr old dd sobbing her heart out in the changing room of that place saying she was 'fat' because the jeans she'd tried on wouldn't even fasten,didn't have any problems with the younger kids clothes, if anything I found them to be on the larger side.

Fwiw, dd is so scrawny I have been known tto resort to braces ! Her body is changing with puberty and she's starting to get hips and a bit of shape, clothing manufacturers need to realise this because it does cause damage.

[praying4amiracle]

i may just order a size Xl jacket from Next, just to see A) if it actually arrives/exists, + B) how big/small their "XL" actually is....i'm still waiting for Superdry to reply to my email + see if they can shed some light on the subject...Hmmmm

[praying4amiracle]

i may just order a size Xl jacket from Next, just to see A) if it actually arrives/exists, + B) how big/small their "XL" actually is....i'm still waiting for Superdry to reply to my email + see if they can shed some light on the subject...Hmmmm

[Mists]

YANBU, my DD is aged 10 and of average size but she isn't even an XS there. When she develops boobs and hips she'll be a XL like me.

LOL at "brand of incontinence pants"

[EdgarAleNPie]

well, my sister is a superdry 'L' though an LK bennett 12 ...

I think the loud music blaring from the shop made it lear that i was too ol to be in there anyway (disclaimer: sister is older than me, but still has social life, therefore is younger in most meaningful ways)

[mippy]

I take a large in Uniqlo, and I have 36ff norks. How can a wee teenager be a large?

Mind you, boyfriend's ex was an A-cup and took a large when she lived in Japan. Maybe the Japanese sizing is part of their brand image, but given Uniqlo is actually a Japanese company....

[hystericalmum]

The name of the shop makes me think it stocks sanitary products!

[praying4amiracle]

Its taken me years to adapt to the attitude that clothing sizes don't matter to me,but how it fits + flatters my curves is more important, I find now that sizes don't just vary from shop to shop but within shops too, I can NEVER buy anything off the rail, I always take dozens of things to the changing rooms to try on, if it fits it fits whatever the size! I have clothes in my wardrobe ranging from a size 14-18, and some of the size 14's come up larger than the 18's, (i consider myself a 14-16 but i have a very large bust so have to buy bigger in tops) luckily I think my atttitude has rubbed off on my 14yr old daughter, who although is only a size 8-10 has broad "swimmers shoulders" so knows that in some styles/brands she has to buy a larger size + has accepted that,she is also a dancer so is conscious of how she looks, but is also realistic in her thinking that just because it says size L in 1 item of clothing in her wardrobe she is not a large person...

[ifancyashandy]

Have skim read the whole thread. I am a size 12 (28/30 waist, 34dd norks) and 5'8 and I wear a medium in Superdry. Maybe it was just a badly cut item?
No excuse for the v. rude assistant though. I'd have been most cross on DD's behalf too.

[trice]

I don't like their attitude to staff. It can't be legal to select staff on dress size surely? Apparently they do so in quite a few teen targeting shops.

[praying4amiracle]

Ok so I finally had an email reply from Superdry...a pretty crap one though!! my Email asked why they dont seem to sell size XL in their stores or on their website in any of their womens clothing but they stock it in Next directory, Littlewoods and other various mail order catalogues?....their reply was "yes we do sell womens clothing in a size XL, but when a size is sold out we do not list it on our website"....I then spent an hour going through their whole womens range of every item in every colour + surprise surprise there was not ONE single item "in stock" in a size XL!!.... I then decided to phone a store, only to be told that there is in fact only 2 womens items that they sell in a size XL + that is a Polar Windcheater Jacket + a Technical windcheater jacket!!....so that is why memphis your size Xl sweatshirt from Next didnt arrive, and they told you it was a printing error because they dont actually manufacture it in a size XL!!.....I am now in the process of emailing Superdry back....not that it will get me anywhere, but it will make me feel better as I am so peed off that no one could give me a straight answer in the 1st place!!..so basically if you are a size 12 plus you can buy a hoodie from superdry, but it will have to be from the mens department!!!

[praying4amiracle]

I have at last had an honest reply from Superdry, admitting that their sizes come up small + are slim fitting...I have pasted it below:

Hi Bev,

Superdry is a slim-fitting brand & many people find that the sizes are smaller than what they are used to. We do not do larger sizes because as a brand, like any other, we target only a certain section of the market as we cannot cater for everyone unfortunately.

Many of the men?s & women?s ranges are identical & you could consider purchasing a L in these.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

Kind Regards

Emma

[Bogeyface]

I am more shocked that you a) paid £120 for a coat for a teenager and b) that you bought it even though it doesnt really fit with appropriate clothes on under it!

However....I would write and ask them to explain their sizing wrt coats and see what they say. No point kicking off at the assistant, she isnt in charge of sizing!

[Bogeyface]

we target only a certain section of the market

IOW "we dont want fat chicks in our clothes". Nice! That would put me off buying there on principle!

[Simbacatlives]

The comment about abercrombie made me laugh. I went with dd to the pretentious London one where they were queuing to get in! In the USA it's just an average mall shop- in every shopping centre- like gap and cheap. Very clever marketing here I think.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

£120 for a coat is pretty reasonable I think.

At least dd bloody well wears it anyway (like most teens, she normally doesn't bother with coats).

Simba - my brother always laughs under his breath at his colleague who first arrive in the US from the UK. They spend the first couple of months buying everything from Abercrombie, before they realise that nobody over the age of 13 thinks it is an attractive brand.

That said, bro says that All Saints have just opened in LA and people think it is brilliant and are really raving about it.

I think it just comes down to novelty.

Yes - I think that Superdry's response is predictable - we don't want ugly fatsos wearing our clothes.

[friedtoacrisp]

Superdry? Sounds like a new brand of nappy to me. Why would you?