Evans Outsize (now Evans site: www.evans.co.uk)was established in changing times 1930 by Jack Green, a clothing manufacturer, and became a limited company when his son in law took over. The store was established as new fabrics were emerging, to meet the needs of larger ladies in the UK.
Post 1st World War many women had very slim yet curvy silhouettes with bigger busts and hips. At this time clothes were changing as women became busier in their every day lives. New fabrics were coming onto the market and the zip was born. With the 2nd world war on the horizon, the role of women and consequently fashion was to change forever.
Evans Outsize originally targeted older women and considered plus size clothing a more practical requirement than a fashion need therefore the brand soon earned itself a reputation for providing ‘frumpwear’.
However, the store went from strength to strength keeping up with the business times. In 1971 Evans Outsize was acquired by the Arcadia group who quickly opened more stores and by 1977 there were 77 stores on the UK high street. In 1978 they launched their Mail order service which became very profitable for the company.
It was not until 1978 that Evans Outsize bean to target the younger customer followed by its new range of lingerie in 1983. Gradually Evans Outsize became recognized as the market leader in women’s fashion in a size 14 and above as they became more innovative in their approach to fashion and its distribution. Indeed, by 1997 they launched their online service. It is also at this time they launch a stylish range SeVen to target the more fashion-led younger customer.
By 1998 Evans Outsize has 160 stores across the UK. Dawn French, by this time an already famous and stylish comedian, launches her new fashion range which generates a lot of interest as no well known personality has brought such a high profile to plus size fashion before. This sparks a model competition in 2001 and updated retail branding in 2006. In 2007 Model Crystal Renn becomes the new face of Evans in windows as Evans is firmly established as the fashion leader for plus size clothes for women in their 20’s to mid 40’s. Evans is no longer a store for ‘frumpwear’, but pioneers for plus size fashion industry and fashion conscious consumers. With 330 stores nationwide and a strong online presence they are a very strong brand indeed.
A fan of Evans writes on ‘dooyou’:
I’m going to add my voice to the choir of approval that Evans is at long last getting -and also as a nah nah nah-nah to those shops that seem to consider a size 18 to be faintly grotesque (yes Next we mean you!) and anything above that requiring access to dictionary for definition “Size 18 – probably the standard size in the UK. Come the 90s, Evans arrived. Gone were the tiny changing rooms with the yucky orange curtain and mangy hooks, hello to big spacious changing cells, brightly lit with lots of mirrors (although the wall to wall reflection you get when trying on trousers sometimes makes you long for the one mirror and the disapproving glance of the some old girl to let you know you looked like a Zepplin!) and best of all a choice! No more,”I’ll have because it fits” -now it’s the case of “I’ll have that because I like it!
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