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Expanding use of weight-loss medications, particularly GLP-1 drugs once prescribed mostly for patients with diabetes, is shaking up the apparel industry. As people experience body changes and grapple with side effects, they are helping spur a focus on wellness that for many means not just a shrinking body but also body mass and lifestyle changes.
On one level, apparel sales are benefiting from these consumers’ need for new clothes. But the focus on fitness, plus the adoption and sometimes abandonment of these prescriptions, has led to merchandising challenges that are roiling the industry.
This is what Liza Amlani, principal at Retail Strategy Group, calls “fit volatility.” For this latest episode of the podcast, Lead Reporter Daphne Howland spoke to Amlani on what it will take for retailers and brands to succeed in this new era.
Resource links:
- Are retailers ready for what the weight-loss boom requires?
- GLP-1 users are changing apparel trends
- Destination XL hit by ‘volatility’ of GLP-1 usage
Editor’s note: This episode was produced and edited by Caroline Jansen.