Old Navy Ends #BODEQUALITY Before It Started
Old Navy ends #BODEQUALITY before it started. Less than a year in. What happened to all sizes in-store and online? Â Â
Old Navy Ends #BODEQUALITY Before It Started
All photos: My own
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In an effort for honesty in reporting, I was a part of the launch of the #BODEQUALITY campaign. My past affiliations will not affect the information being provided.
Old Navy #BODEQUALITY
Launched in August 2022 Old Navy‘s #BODEQUALITY was to usher in a new way of shopping for the plus-size community at the retail store. At launch time Alison Partridge Stickney, head of women’s and maternity merchandising at Old navy, told Vogue. “Democracy of style is so important to us, but equally important is the democracy of service, and so when you walk into an Old Navy store, you should feel included no matter what size you wear,”
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Old promised all women’s styles in sizes 0 to 30 and XS to 4X would be available in-store. All items that are the same will be priced the same. All women’s and plus sections will be merged or placed together. Lastly, Old Navy mannequins will be featured in sizes four, 12, and 18. Lastly, an online toggle feature that would allow shoppers to display models in Old Navy gear in their preferred.
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#BODEQUALITY Blame Game
.Old Navy’s parent company GAP is saying they are facing trouble due to its repeated strategic and management errors. The chain is taking a step back from #BODEQUALITY to try to recover from the down sales.Â
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Nancy Green, the Old Navy executive who launched and executed the inclusive campaign, her job. Leaving GAP’s CEO Sonia Syngal say “While we believe that BODEQUALITY is right for today’s consumer and delivers on Old Navy’s mission to democratize styles, we launched Too Broadly and Too Quickly.” She then went on to say putting focusing digital and physical campaigns on plus-size customers has alienated the brand’s regular customers.
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Thoughts on Old Navy Ending #BODEQUALITY
.McDonald’s was founded in April of 1955 and today I saw a commercial talking about their fries. You can go to any country on Earth and the golden arches will be recognized. And with all that Micky D’s runs promo encouraging people to visit their restaurant. A one-time brand launch of #BODEQUALITY was not enough. From childhood, we’re taught to learn something you have to repeat it. And they didn’t. A one-time media blast like it for a weekend sandal sale is a failure on Gap/Old Navy’s part. Many plus-size women don’t even know their size is available at Old Navy let alone they could have shopped for them in-stores.   Â
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I’m also left wondering if the Gap group willed this program to fail? It hasn’t been a year since the program was launched and it’s ending. Even the words of Gap’s CEO Sonia Syngal say putting focusing digital and physical campaigns on plus-size customers has alienated the brand’s regular customers. What I hear is our thin customers don’t want to see these big mannequins or look up plus-size models on signage. With that being said Ms. Syngal how do think plus-size women feel when we enter stores. The plus community has long been the alien when it comes to making fashion purchases. And just when Old Navy greets us saying they come in peace the door is slammed in our face. Â
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Lastly, I am aware sales drive everything. So when a customer who is accustomed to walking into Old Navy and getting their size without issue doesn’t now want to go to the dot.com site to complete their purchase. But yet it’s ok for the plus-size community to do this regularly. It’s sad that poor inventory management is being blamed on the company’s plus-size customers.
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