Over the past few years, companies have started moving into specific niches in plus-size fashion. The purpose of this study was to verify the marketability of young plus-size clothes in the USA. Data were collected from female consumers aged from 20 to 39 who have experience of purchasing plus-size items. A total of 282 responses were used for statistical analysis. The research result is as follows. First, the obesity stress is affected more by the subjective obesity level than by the objective obesity level and by how people recognize their body types. Second, from an analysis of the factors affecting the shopping orientation of plus-size consumers, style consciousness, pursuing reasonable, emphasizing comfort, and body consciousness are found to be important factors. Third, even if responders are aware of their exact body size, they actively look for the correct size. Fourth, fit evaluation of plus-size products is based on the factors of size fit and movement fit. The respondents were unsatisfied with chest and arm measurements, which deviate widely by body type for tops. Fifth, the overall dissatisfaction with the plus-size market is attributed to the fact that the product assortment range from which to select styles is narrow, and trend reflection is low. Sixth, the respondents tended to avoid fabrics that make their body type more obvious, textures that give the impression of a larger body size, or stiff textures. These results show that the psychological and physical characteristics of obese consumers should be considered to develop products for the young plus-size market.

Abstract
 I. Introduction
 Ⅱ. Background
  1. Plus size consumer & clothing consumption
  2. Entry of fashion market for young plus size
 Ⅲ. Methods
  1. Research design and measurement instruments
  2. Data collection and analysis
 Ⅳ. Results and Discussion
  1. Perceived physical obesity and obesity stress
  2. Young plus size consumer’s shopping orientation
  3. Size selection and fit evaluation of plus size product
  4. Assessment of plus size market and products
 Ⅴ. Conclusion
 References

• Mi Young Choi(Dept. of Fashion Design, Duksung Women’s University, Korea) | 최미영 Corresponding author