Wraptopia, Vol. 12

The U.S. apparel industry defines Petite Sizing as 5' 4" or shorter. According to the CDC, 5' 4" is also the average height of a female adult. Moreover, 40% of all American women are 5' 3" or shorter and roughly 25% are under 5' 1". What does this mean? It means nearly half of American women are petite-sized shoppers.

A bit of history—Petite fashion was invented in the 1940s when more and more women were having difficulty finding great-fitting clothes. WWII volunteers were studied and, once their measurements revealed most as short-waisted, the petite range was created. Hooray for inclusion, although 80 years later the petite customer still suffers from limited, ill-fitting clothing options. 

Sadly today's apparel brands still design for women 5' 5" and taller, relying on math alone to scale down to petite ranges while skipping fittings altogether. While this method can work for waist, hip and bust measurements, it consistently fails for leg inseams, sleeve lengths and torso measurements. Cutting said corners increases 1.) trips to the tailor and 2.) frustration, leaving petite customers feeling forgotten. 

Good news—The EveryBody Wrap® DID NOT forget petite women. In fact, throughout our design process we hired petite fit models in each of our 4 body shapes—Curvy, Busty, Booty and Straight—to ensure a correct fit across all body types under 5' 4". Then our clothing was focus-grouped, fit-tested, wear-tested and water-tested by real petite-sized customers and, based on their feedback, we improved the design, fit and construction to suit their needs. 

So to all you petite-sized women out there, we can confidently say we see you. We hear you. We got you. And we love you. ❤️

Elizabeth Kosich, Founder
The EveryBody Wrap®