In an unprecedented move, several of the nation’s largest retail clothing stores banded together to announce a plan to continue making cropped sweaters that are just a little too short.
The brands include but are not limited to The Gap, American Eagle, Banana Republic, and Urban Outfitters.
“We are committed to making sweaters that you could wear with high-waisted pants or a pencil skirt,” says Ann Wolman, a representative from J. Crew. “But it’s important to us that the sweater shops just short of where you want it to.”
“Really these sweaters would only work on someone with an incredibly short torso,” says Amy Marzanilla, a designer at ModCloth. “And that’s by design.”
Asked why the sweaters should be almost non-functional, the leaders behind these brands were all in agreement.
“It’s the cost. It’s just way cheaper to give people less shirt or sweater,” says Marcia Kohn, CEO of Old Navy. “But also, we just think it’s kind of funny.”
Consumer feedback to the announcement is overwhelmingly negative.
“Just this week and went in a store and tried on a sweater that barely covered my tits,” says Meghan Lowell. “I briefly wondered if something was wrong with my body before I realized ‘this is just wrong.’”
“That’s exactly the kind of reaction we’re going for,” says Marzanilla.
