Beyoncé's Adidas x Ivy Park line is being called out for not offering plus sizes

20 January 2020, 17:15

By Jazmin Duribe

The Adidas x Ivy Park collection is also being compared to the Sainsbury's uniform...

Beyoncé's highly-anticipated Adidas x Ivy Park collection dropped on Saturday (18 Jan) and, as to be expected, it sold out in record time. Despite comparisons to the uniform of British supermarket chain Sainsbury's, Beyoncé's sportswear line was a hit with her fans and celebrities alike.

The gender-neutral collection features everything from accessories to hoodies, trainers and even sports bras. However, there has been criticism of Ivy Park's limited size range, with many from the plus-size community feeling excluded from the collection.

According to the press release, the line is available in sizes XS - XL and prices start at $25. According to the the Adidas size guide, an XL is equivalent to a size US16-18 (UK20-22), which is the size of the average woman in the US.

Beyoncé's Adidas x Ivy Park. Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney, adidas x IVY PARK

Many thought Ivy Park was purposely excluding plus-size people, despite labelling itself as inclusive. Adidas has only just increased their size range to an XXXXL. The sportswear brand even mentioned inclusivity in the press release announcing the collection.

It read: "This unique relationship champions the values of inclusivity, community and diversity and will take consumers on an unconventional journey starting with this capsule collection for Spring '20."

Not to mention Beyoncé's message of inclusivity and her use of plus-size dancers. Beyoncé herself declared that she designed the pieces with absolutely everyone in mind. Speaking to Elle in December 2019, she said: "I focused on designing a unisex collection of footwear and apparel because I saw so many men in IVY PARK. The way they have embraced the brand is an unexpected gift. I appreciate the beauty of gender-neutral clothing and breaking the so-called fashion rules."

Needless to say, the plus-size community were disappointed that the collection wasn't size-inclusive.

Lmaoo so this Ivy Park x Adidas collection won't be available in plus size?

Hate to see it.

I mean I wasn't anticipating walking around like a Sainsburys employee anyway, but it would have been nice to have the option to.
— Stephy (@StephanieYeboah) January 17, 2020

We can love her and still say Bey is wrong for Ivy Park’s size exclusion.

You can’t celebrate the inclusivity of your other projects, having plus size dancers and background singers, but ignore us *again* when it comes to this.

The exclusion is intentional and I’m tired.
— Candice Marie Benbow (@CandiceBenbow) January 18, 2020

I love me some Beyonce. Sis got me through TWO finals periods with them surprise drops. But what we are not gonna do is pretend that Ivy Park leaving out plus size folks ain’t a miss.
— Hoe My Gawd✨ (@Blkstoopkid) January 18, 2020

So I’ve seen people say that Ivy Park doesn’t have plus sized options and others say that she does, Ivy Park stops at size 22. Y’all...know plus sized people don’t stop at size 22...right? People are entitled to be upset about that. Stop being weird.
— cydney (@cydney) January 18, 2020

So my googles are reporting sizes XS-XL with the prices ranging from $25 to $250.
So no plus size.
Guess I’ll be keeping my money after all. #IvyPark #IvyParkXAdidas pic.twitter.com/mHt9t2C1BF
— Charell (@charelliam) January 14, 2020

I hate to be that girl but rih had both her lines include plus size so I truly want to know why ivy park doesn’t? And it’s the second time they’ve launched the brand :(
— Nadia Mohamed FA/MUSI 1580 (@TheNidion) January 18, 2020

So no plus-size #IVYPARK for the thick folks? #IvyParkXAdidas #IvyParkAdidas @adidas pic.twitter.com/MrZJzY4z4s
— A girl name Tot (@2cute4daBoot) January 17, 2020

There is a possibility that larger sizes are on their way, though. Some have noticed that the Adidas x Ivy Park collection goes up to an XXXXL on ASOS. However, sizes that were larger than XL were shown as "Not Available". It's not clear if the sizes are sold out, or if they're coming soon.

Soon, people were defending Ivy Park.

plus size girls in Ivy Park 🟠🟣 pic.twitter.com/wd1MhMGjs5
— kate (@PARTITIONSTAN) January 19, 2020

“iVy PaRk iS nOT aVaIlaBlE fOr pLuS sIzE”

Slay!!! Queen!! #IvyParkXAdidas pic.twitter.com/tHb2g1XbC9
— 💎 | Fan Account (@Its_Carta) January 18, 2020

Asos had the collection with sizes up to 4xl. Was this not available at other sites? pic.twitter.com/mVakvARJSq
— Krystal Metcalfe (@KrystalMetcalfe) January 18, 2020

Whatever the truth, plus-size people are often left out of celeb fashion launches despite the fact that the plus-size fashion market is worth billions, so it's understandable why they would be disappointed.