Who Invented Size Zero Anyway? The Story Behind the Number

The Glamour office was fascinated by a story in The Hollywood Reporter about the rise of size 0 in clothing and the fact that it didn’t even exist 15 years ago (neither did size 2). The article pointed to designer Nicole Miller as the arbiter of the double zero, so I reached out to find out whether she remembers being the first.

“I’m sure a lot of people had the same idea at the same time, so who knows,” she said. “It was a long time ago, but I think we were probably the first to ship that size. For me, it became a necessity because my sales department wanted to size clothing a bit larger, and I didn’t want to lose the tiny customer.”

Miller said the odd size didn’t confuse potential shoppers, many of whom were already requiring smaller fits and depending on the alteration departments of the stores they were shopping at.

“It’s been pretty universal that the sizing standard has changed since the ’70s,” Miller explained. “As a rule, the more expensive the clothing, the bigger the sizing.”

“Years ago, designers and brands figured out that the smaller the size that fits, the more likely a shopper is to buy it,” JoAndrea Hoegg, a professor of marketing and behavioral science at the University of British Columbia said.

I’ve found that sizing can vary drastically—in my closet right now, I’ve got everything from a 0 to a 12. Not even joking. As such, I’ve convinced my brain to ignore the sizes and just pay attention to how it fits me.

Do you find sizes matter to you, or would you be happy if all the tags were cut out of your clothes?