Amid the cost of living crisis, it seems impossible for anybody over a size 16 to ‘budget dress’ unless they’re buying fast fashion, which is sometimes the only option for plus-size shoppers. Vintage or secondhand clothing – by far the more ethical choice – can be incredibly hard to come by for plus-size shoppers concerned about their impact on the planet. Kirsten* tells Refinery29 that she accrued debt while shopping at one of the few plus-size retailers that offered her size range but whose pieces weren’t long-lasting. “It is difficult to clear [the debt] as I buy a few bits at the start of every season so I’m stuck in a cycle,” she says. She recently went from a UK 24 to a UK 18 but finds it just as hard to buy clothing from more affordable shopping destinations despite being a smaller plus-size woman. “I feel like if you’re above a size 16, you’re penalised for it.”
