My name is Kanchan Mahat, a newbie contributor at DATFashion. So why I wanted my first article to be on plus size if you might ask, which you won’t of course. (Laughs) But le’me tell ya anyways. When I was little I used to shop a lot with my three sisters from my mamaghar side but they were not even that of a plus sized, kind of like UK size 14 or 16. But back in those days it was very hard to find “flattering” clothes for them. Flattering in a sense that it fits perfectly, has some trendy designs on it, isn’t bland af, and isn’t expensive ‘cause lets be real here y’all plus size clothes are hella expensive! , not claiming that there were no clothes at all catered for them. And we used to go all around that Ason bazar New Road and where not just to find that perfect tees, dresses etc.
But I had only seen their hardships while shopping and haven’t experienced what it’s really like to be a plus sized or let’s rather say a curvylicious girl. So, I interviewed a millennial girl who can relate to the present context of the Nepali market and her struggles while shopping.
Hence, I asked a sister from my school, Barsha Tamang (Instagram @ chubs.18) via phone call. I could tell that she loOOoves fashion since I got a lot of insights from her on this topic.

Q. Is shopping trendy clothes for you here in Nepal hard?
- Talking about the present context it isn’t that hard like back in the days to shop for clothes but cute trendy clothes are still hard to find. So, for trendy items I shop at online platforms.
Q. Where do you usually shop then?
- I shop online at shein.com and also at a store at Tripureswor named ‘Womaniya’ but the clothes there are a bit bland and expensive.
Q. What kind of clothing do you find while shopping at the nepali market?
- The clothing are usually very baggy and long. Mainly in floral prints and the bottoms are mostly stretchable. Jeans are also hard to shop, boyfriend jeans are literally impossible to find for my size.
Q. Is it expensive for you to shop online since the shipping costs add up?
- Yes it does get a bit expensive but I’d rather spend it on wearing something I love.
Q. Does shopping online always fits you?
- They do have a sizing chart according to which I purchase, sometimes it’s a right fit sometimes it’s too small or large, depends really.
Q. Does returns on purchase cost you additional shipping charge?
- No, it doesn’t!

Q. How long does it takes to ship the products?
- A week or more. Not less than a week
Q. So supposedly you have an event to attend for which you want to look cute right so you basically have to arrange the outfit a week prior, or is there any other means you could shop for if you don’t have the luxury of time?
- There is no other option then actually, I’d have to go to a made-to measure boutique which is expensive plus it’s mostly lehenga cholis, there is none offering casual preferences. So, it’s pretty hard.
So, with this interview I can sum up by saying there is very less attention given towards plus size fashion and can be a great opportunity for the millennial designers as consumers are getting more fashion-centric. And the customer base for this market will definitely be loyal as well since there are only few brands that offer beautiful plus size clothes.
I can understand that this will be very daunting to tackle as a designer/technician because you have to consider the fit, the aesthetics and the possibility for mass production. But working in this market could be your future million dollar business, who knows!
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