Here’s some of our favorite athletic apparel for women of any size.
When I asked around for the best plus-size clothing for active women, the answer was … crickets. Soon after, I quickly heard some anger.
“Athletic apparel manufacturers are you listening?! Comes up all the time,” one woman told me. The frustration was palpable: Women felt ignored. While most brands now have women’s-specific lines of clothing, the size ranges are rarely inclusive, and a major slice of the athletic wear market is being skipped over.
Slowly, though, responses with some favorites began to trickle in. The brands doing the best in the space were the ones who didn’t just make larger sizes of standard favorites.
Designers and CEOs explained that the secret to their success in the market was due to ensuring that the clothing didn’t just get bigger. It had to have real plus size women in mind. And this apparel required testing with actual plus-size humans — including athletes — before launch.
“Size inclusivity is a feminist issue,” Superfit Hero founder Micki Krimmel told us. “If you believe it’s important for women to be active, then you need to include plus-size women, especially since women over size 12 account for the majority of the population. To be frank, it’s insane to me that we’re still even having this conversation!”
While there are some great options available now, it’s obvious that what’s available in the marketplace right now is absolutely not enough. Those brands that do offer high-quality plus-size women’s gear are ahead of the curve, and others should — and likely will — follow suit.
So consider this a battle cry that highlights a few favorite brands and pieces that are size-inclusive, comfortable, and ready for adventure.
Plus-Size Women’s Athletic Clothing
Rsport
CJ Riggins, CEO and founder of Rsport, created the brand to address what she wasn’t seeing at events, races, and around town.
“Having worked in the apparel world for 30 years in development, materials, and sourcing for ready-to-wear and outdoor apparent — and as a size 12/14 myself for years — I noticed at a local triathlon that there was a clear size where participants didn’t have kits to wear,” she explained. “So I started talking to the athletes to ask where they shopped, and they said, ‘Our husband’s closets.’”
But that situation also wasn’t ideal. As Riggins put it, not having a well-fitting, performance product for your body’s specific needs can be “mentally deflating.” So she set out to design a kit that would properly fit plus-size women. And that didn’t just mean expanding sizing on outdoor options. Plus-size women often have different needs than their “straight-size” counterparts.
Rsport bottoms, including shorts and tights that are coming soon, feature opaque fabrics, abrasion panels, a non-pinch waistband, internal elastic drawcord, dual front hip pockets that hold the world, and a hidden back pocket for cards and keys as well as the pee/period/sweat pad.
Fave pick: Trifecta Capris ($84)
Terry Bicycles
Terry has been making cycling apparel for all shapes and sizes for years, and the brand knows what it’s doing. Whether you’re looking for a simple, sleek cycling kit in basic black or prefer a riding skirt or dress, there are options.
“Not only were average-size women underserved when it came to jerseys that fit, but there was absolutely nothing available in plus sizes. We were all wearing men’s jerseys and bike shorts!” Terry Bicycles founder Paula Dyba told us.
“Two things converged for us. First, we heard from female cyclists about the need for a broader range of fits and sizes. The plus-size community of cyclists may be smaller as a percentage, but it is vocal, and when we heard from potential customers, we listened.
“Second, as a company of mostly women, we had staff members of all sizes who were serious about riding and made the ideal development team for product and testing. We started with styles we felt could be easily re-patterned for plus and then worked with pattern makers and our manufacturers to not just upsize our existing garments, but develop new patterns and grading for the market.”
Terry even has a popular saddle lineup designed for women, by women, and they offer a wide array of saddle widths for different sit-bone spans. Clothing comes in three different cuts, and sizing goes up to 3X.