Old Navy is opening dedicated Plus shops on its women's floors

Old Navy is extending its specialty plus-size line from its website to 75 stores, tapping into a growing and under-served sector of the market.

The Old Navy chain is consistently the best-performing unit within the Gap Inc portfolio, and the move taps into its recently launched "Size YES" campaign, which emphasises its inclusive size proposition and "desire for everyone to participate in fashion, with styles made for them in the sizes they need."

The dedicated Plus shop on the women's floor will have Plus-specific mannequins, marketing photography and signage. The brand will also offer free shipping for the Plus collection when ordered from any store.

Old Navy currently offers one of the broadest size ranges in the industry with over 200 sizes across divisions. Its Plus specialty collection is available in sizes 16-30 and 1x-4x.

"Fashion is personal, and your clothing should make you feel confident," says Sonia Syngal, Old Navy president and CEO. "That's why we launched Size "YES!" this year – because everyone deserves great style in their size whenever, wherever, however they want it."

Old Navy's women's line is offered in 74 different sizes and 8 different lengths, spanning sizes 0-30, XS-XXL, 1x-4x in Regular, Petite, Tall, Short & Long.

In addition to the women's Plus and Petite specialty lines, the brand also offers men's Big and Tall; boys Husky and Slim; and girls Plus and Slim.

For over 14 years, the retailer has designed a specialty Plus collection, which is not simply larger sizes of the brand's mainline, but is designed by a dedicated team and made to flatter curves and ensure ease of movement through design and fabric innovation.

Details include wider straps, adjusted necklines and longer hems for extra coverage; body-boosting tailoring and defined waistlines; stretch fabrics; shape-contouring waistbands; made-to-measure proportions for a perfect fit; and leg-lengthening seams.

The Plus specialty collection is offered in sizes 16-30 and 1x-4x.

The women's plus-size apparel market has been growing faster than the apparel market overall in the US, and analysts predict that the segment will continue to grow faster than the overall clothing market in coming years.

According to The NPD Group, American shoppers spent $21.4bn on women's plus-size clothing in 2016. The global information company also suggests teenage females aged between 13 and 17 are reinvigorating the US plus-size market, with the number buying plus-size clothing having almost doubled between 2012 and 2016.

Its research also found that plus-size consumers want a wider variety of styles, with half seeking apparel brands that make both regular and plus-sizes. In addition, teens are the most likely of all age groups to feel that "plus-size clothing should be available in the same styles available for my smaller friends" and not offered as an afterthought.

Recent moves have seen The Limited relaunch with products now available in plus size – a first for the brand; women's value fashion retailer New York & Company bought Fashion to Figure to expand its reach into the plus-size clothing business; and US sporting goods giant Nike launched a plus-size range of apparel for women, using both science and fit as key elements in the design process.