How Should Apparel Retailers Adapt As GLP-1 Usage Becomes Commonplace?

The proliferation in usage of GLP-1 drugs (such as Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) is sending ripples throughout several retail sectors, from food and beverage through apparel. It is the latter category, however, which is today’s topic of discussion.

As Retail Dive’s Kaarin Moore reported in a related piece largely centered around David’s Bridal’s pivot in reaction to GLP-1 adoption, the writing is on the wall when it comes to the increased usage of weight-loss drugs by U.S. consumers. Approximately 11% of U.S. adults currently take a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, up from 3% just two years ago – and 2025 Circana data indicates that 23% of households have at least one member taking the drugs. That’s a lot of consumers participating in what Circana termed the “body transformation economy.”

“At the end of last year, David’s Bridal noticed something curious in the company’s data. Rush orders for alterations had doubled,” Moore wrote, moving to quote David’s Bridal CEO Kelly Cook on the details.

“This is somebody who’s waited because they are on GLP-1s or on a fitness journey, and now they’re scrambling trying to get their dress very, very quickly,” Cook said. Further, David’s Bridal took notice of plummeting average dress sizes – both an opportunity in waiting and a potential headache in terms of inventory operations.

Other U.S. retailers and brands also seem to be moving fast on changing their sizing assortment, per EDITED:

• Aritzia: Replacing XS through XXL with sizes 0-16 to create premium feel, Aritzia is also engaging in sizing consolidation as a byproduct.

• Boohoo: Slashed sizes 14+ from 35.5% of assortment to 26.7% in dresses, with size 14 alone dropping by 6%.

• H&M: By far the most aggressive on this front, H&M removed 3XL and 4XL from their lineup entirely, trimming XXL by 2.9% and XL by 1.9%. Sizes XS through L increased by roughly 3%.

• Mango: Shifting 60% of its total dress sizes into sizes 4-8 and cutting sizes 16-20 by 6%, Mango is also representative of this trend.

Returning to the David’s Bridal case, Moore outlined the retailer’s response.

“After digging further, David’s Bridal realized the average dress size was coming down. It previously was between 12 to 14, but the average was quickly turning into 6 to 8 or 8 to 10,” she wrote.

So, in order to better serve its audience, the company this spring introduced its Fit Guarantee, a promise to ‘guarantee the fit no matter what,’” she added. The company’s fit guarantee also applies to garments purchased elsewhere, driving more business through the doors.

Men's Apparel Retailers Also Seeing GLP-1 Impacts, and Consumers Are Changing

It’s not all about bridal shops and dresses, either. Men’s apparel retailers such as Destination XL (DXL) are also impacted, especially due to the fact that men on GLP-1s are twice as likely to bracket purchases and are more likely to return what doesn’t fit.

“We didn’t think it was going to be impacting the business as much at the level we think today it is,” then-CEO Harvey Kanter said this spring, saying that overall volatility was creating fluctuation in size demand.

“Typically, weight loss of any kind up or down is a friend of ours. But I think right now, we’re in a pattern where they’re losing weight and they’re on a journey, and they’re trying not to buy clothes until they’re done with that journey,” Kanter added.

Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry adviser at Circana, took a broader stance on the sea-change occurring in the apparel space.

“As consumers rebuild their wardrobes, they’re reassessing what fits, what flatters, and what feels aligned with their lifestyle. Brands that plan for both the physical and emotional elements will lead. This isn’t a trend — it’s a structural change for the apparel industry,” she concluded.

Questions for further discussion:

• Do you believe the rising popularity of GLP-1 drugs will create an entirely new set of assumptions and operational shifts in the retail apparel business? Why or why not?

• What sort of adaptations beyond narrowing the sizing range can apparel retailers enact to best navigate the structural changes brought on by weight-loss drugs?