I created TOWEL knowing very well that one-size does NOT fit all. Thus I had to come up with a better solution. I knew I needed more than one size, but I also didn’t want to have a style for every size because that didn’t make sense either. I thought it made sense to group the sizes together and thus Ava, Joni, and Gemma were created. I thought about the difference in size, measurements and bodies of the vast amount of sizes and shapes bodies come in. I wanted to be expansive as possible and 7X is at the top of most women’s plus sizing although sometimes there is 8X+ as well, it all depends on what “fit” brands are following. I have also started with ‘Women’ even though I know and believe gender is a construct, but alas there is more developed information and data around ‘Women’s Plus Sizing’. I took some of the leading size inclusive brands, researched their size charts, and I used this data as a benchmark with their most size charts ending at 7X or a US Women’s 40. Ava is a suggested fit for up to 3X, Joni is a suggested fit for up to 5X, and Gemma is a suggested fit for up to 7X. As I grow and learn about your needs, I believe there to be room for additional towels on either ends of our size range. This will come with time, feedback, and data from our beloved customers. People have been using "oversized towels," "extra large bath towels," or "plus size beach towels." for far too long and they are still coming up short, literally.
Our towels are all at least 30% larger than your standard bath towel, most bath sheets and beach towels .
This is extremely rare in the towel market. Often when I tell a straight size person about TOWEL they immediately exhibit a face of shock and awe, usually followed by “wow, I’ve never thought of that.” On the opposite spectrum, every time I tell a person in a larger body, they exclaim “OMG” in joy but also in shock that they will finally get to experience a towel to wrap around their body. They will get to experience a towel designed for their body!
Ok so let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the “fit”. Many things are taking into account when finding the correct “fit” for a garment and often this is subjective to the user but when on the technical design back end it is important to see things holistically. Fit takes into account quality, comfort, and proportion when shaping a garment, often with many curves and angles. So what about a towel or otherwise a rectangle? It seems as though past towel developers have not taken “fit” into account and really they settled for ‘good enough’ but that is not good enough for TOWEL. I have balanced our fit on the research and development of a variety of factors including ‘industry standard’ or the ‘average bath towel and bath sheet’ that exists on the market. I have also calculated the Measurement Standards of popular plus size clothing charts besides a rectangle. Prototype development and fit testing then led us to our Everyday Collection. When coming up with the first TOWEL measurements, I knew that the towel needed to wrap and cover all bodies in their size category but also be able to overlap so as to not expose the wearers bits.
Additionally beyond the overlap, it was important that the towel could be tucked as well so the wearer could walk around hands free. This, a luxury many fat folks have never experienced.
I took the widest, circumference measurement at each largest size and made sure there was a 5” overlap allowing for tucking at the top of the towel, and exceptional levels of lounging. Here you have it Ava, Joni, and Gemma. Three towels, all which are far larger than the bath towel or bath sheet. TOWEL is the prominent size inclusive towel brand on the market and we are honored to be a leader in this category.
