Today, the need to have all women dressed in a truly ‘democratic way’ has been finally recognized and the plus size world has undeniably opened up to fashion and sports brands, says Milan based Warp Knit Seamless (WKS) manufacturer Cifra SpA.

Suffice to say that in the thirteen largest world markets, the average size is between 46 and 48 with the United States leading the way with a 50, the company adds. Almost a third of American women buy plus size clothing, while in Europe the figure is growing and stands at 23%. Hence the request to finally offer all women collections with the same fashion content, innovation and comfort, Cifra explains.

Making its patented WKS technology available for ‘curvy shapewear’ and ‘bodysize’ collections allows brands to design garments without size limits and that do not mark the skin unlike cut-to-fit garments, Cifra says. Cifra says its WKS technology is “a unique added value in the seamless world since the traditional circular/weft knitting is instead bound to the diameter of the circular frames.”

This is the case, for example, of the American shapewear brands Mindd Bra and Yahaira, both patented, which fit all women in all sizes while fulfilling the different needs of each different body type. Mindd Bra has developed an ideal bra whose body-mapping concept with patented diversified supporting zones has avoided the uncomfortable and irritating underwire and significantly reduced the number of components used. The supporting zones are seamlessly integrated together to create an extremely flexible and comfortable bra where the design suits the silhouette for a perfect fitting.

Thanks to body-mapping the New York brand Yahaira, specialized in advanced shapewear, has been able to create garments that can alternate zones of different compression to provide support where required without flattening parts of the body that instead must be properly enhanced and emphasized in their natural forms - garments to be worn all day long that support and shape the physicality of each woman.

Plus size is a vertically upward trend for Cifra along with sustainability, a commitment which is increasingly becoming a key responsibility, featured by rigorous transparency throughout the production chain with Step and OekoTex certified traceability, extended also to partners’ selection, from yarn suppliers to dye houses.

Cifra's eco-sustainable offer includes products made with recycled yarns (Econyl, Renycle, Qnova) as well as biodegradable (Amni-Soul eco) and natural yarns (merino wool and Tencel), with no production waste thanks to the Zero Waste program.

Cifra will be exhibiting at Performance Days in December 2021 and at ISPO in January 2022.

https://www.wks-cifra.com