The “one-size-fits-most” offering is gaining even more traction in the denim world with Gap’s introduction of the Ace Jean for women.
The multi-size jeans are made with cotton, polyester and elastane blended fabric that allows one pair of jeans to accommodate up to three women’s jeans sizes. Sizing is broken up into four brackets, with jeans that fit sizes 24-26, 27-29, 30-32 and 33-35. With a legging feel and denim look, the jean checks out in terms of comfort and functionality.
Multi-sized denim reduces the wearer’s need to buy new jeans as weight fluctuates. Gap’s jeans are part of its water-saving Washwell program, which reduces water usage by 20 percent or more in the product’s garment wash stage compared to conventional techniques.
The Ace Jean is available exclusively on the Gap website in a skinny fit in a medium or dark wash with an 11-inch high waist. It retails for $89.95.
The Ace follows in the footsteps of Gap’s sister brand Old Navy, which previously debuted its own version, FitsYou 3-in-1 denim—though a Gap spokesperson noted that each brand designs uniquely and exclusively for its own customer, stating that “there is no design crossover between brands.”
Old Navy’s FitsYou collection also centers on a high-rise skinny fit offered in a range of four washes—light, medium, dark and black—in sizes 0-00, 2-6, 8-12, 14-18, 20-24 and 26-30. The jeans feature a contoured extra-high-rise waistband and “secret-smooth” front pockets that provide a slimming effect.
The jeans retail for $54.99 on the Old Navy website.
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The size-less move followed the value retailer’s 2021 launch of Bodequality, an omnichannel shopping experience that helps democratize its fit process and how women of all shapes and sizes shop for fashion. As part of the initiative, Old Navy offers sizes 0-30 and XS-4X for all women’s styles at price parity, and each store offers all women’s styles in sizes 0-28 merchandised together. Additionally, store mannequins sizes 4, 12 and 18 are placed throughout to enhance the inclusive environment.
Denim was one the top growth drivers for Gap Inc. in 2021, with CEO Sonia Syngal stating that the “celebration of American style, ’90s nostalgia and the resurgence of denim” helped solidify the company’s relevance among today’s consumers.
Ultra-stretch denim has gained traction in recent years, as many experienced a weight fluctuation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, multi-sized denim has helped save the skinny jean, as many embrace the new cycle of looser denim fits in recent years and demand something more of their skinny jeans.
In December, Silver Jeans Co. was one of the latest to step into the space with its Infinite Fit jean, a jean made with fabric that has 90 percent elasticity, allowing for one size to fit up to four waist sizes. Before that, in 2020, size inclusive denim brand Good American worked with Turkish mill Calik Denim to create Always Fits denim, a high-rise skinny jean available in five size categories ranging from 00 to 32+ with 100 percent stretchability. Express, NYDJ and J Brand are among the others that have introduced multi-sized denim into their collections.