Average Height of Male Models by Clothing Brand

The average male clothing model is 6’1 inches tall. The average UK man is 5’10.

Isn't that a bit strange?

We're not talking catwalk models here. These are common or garden models, on ASOS and M&S. They're wearing the clothes we want to buy. But, on average, they don't look like us. Not nearly.

Especially if you're under average height. 

I wanted to look into this more. Why are models so tall? And which brand is tallest? And so I counted, 115 models in total. This is what I found.

How tall are male clothing models?

On average, male models are 6 foot 0.9 inches, or 185.2cm.

They range from 5’9 to 6’4 inches. The vast majority, 78%, are between 6’0 and 6’2. 

This is based on a sample of 30 clothing sites, chosen for being the highest traffic in the UK. Of these 30, 23 of them included models and their heights. I picked ‘bestsellers’ and selected the first 5 models I saw.

Which clothing sites have the tallest models? 

It’s M&S. I found this quite surprising. I assumed that one of the designer brands would go tallest, but Marks & Spencer was not only the most visited website, it also had the tallest models, at 6 foot 2.6 inches.

Broadly, the 30 websites fell into 5 categories:

• Over 6’2: 2 websites
• 6’1 to 6’2: 11 websites
• 6'0 to 6'1: 7 websites
• Under 6'0: 3 websites
• No heights: 7 websites

The two tallest were:

• Marksandspencer.com: 6 foot 2.6 inches
• Newlook.com: 6 foot 2.2 inches

The three shortest were:

• Urbanoutfitters.com: 5 foot 11.8 inches
• Uniqlo.com: 5 foot 11.6 inches
• Gymshark.com: 5 foot 11 inches

Uniqlo in particular is known to be a great shout for shorter men, and the data backs that up.

Of the 30, 7 of them didn't have heights. Some of them didn't even have models (e.g. TK Maxx) so fine. But some, such as Next, just didn't log heights at all. Maybe it's just too big a job - after all, they are the second largest site by traffic.

I've put the full list of brands and data at the bottom.

Why are clothing models so tall?

It's not 100% clear. However the two reasons given by the industry for tall models can be summarised as:

1. ‘Clothes look better on tall models’. Designers say clothes ‘hang better’ on tall models. This sounds true. But is it? Certainly, clothes ‘hang’ better on slimmer bodies. But the main reason clothes look better on taller models is because they are designed for taller models. And there's a good reason for that.
2. 'Clothes need to be uniform in sizing'. Designers share models at fashion shows. So they all need to work to the same measurements. The industry standard for men is about 6’1, and they stick to it. 

Fair enough. Both of these make sense for runway models. But what about those other models, at the coalface, advertising normal clothes on websites like M&S and Boohoo? Do they need to be giants?

The answer is: not really. But I think there are a couple of additional reasons why they are:

1. Ease. Models have always been tall. It's easier to keep it that way. If you're designing for a 6’1 runway model, it's easier to keep those measurements for your high street clothing. And all the models out there are 6’1, so it's easier to find them. I know from experience how hard it is to find shorter models.
2. Shrinkage. Some garments can shrink by over 5%, especially with cotton. So if the average man is 5’10, those brand new clothes might not look quite right on him. Whereas at 6’1 they're perfect (but a bit short after the first wash).
3. Caution. For the average consumer, clothes are like parachutes: better to be a bit too big, than a bit too small. If you’re shorter, clothes might look baggy. But if you're well over 6 foot, you'll get locked up for indecent exposure. Of course, the people who lose out in this are shorter men.

The full list of model heights by brand

Notes on methodology, and other observations:

• I chose these websites based on this SEMRush list from June 2024. I selected the top 30 sites which sold men's clothing as one of their main products. Generally they fall into a few categories: department stores (e.g. M&S), brands (e.g. Hugo Boss), retailers (e.g. Flannels), and clearance/sales retailers (e.g. TK Maxx).
• The method of labelling model height varies dramatically. Some include it in the product spec, some on the actual image of the model. Many include some heights, but not others. I thought End Clothing were the best, as they often included two models with their heights clearly marked. Shein was the worst - hardly any heights, and most models didn't have their faces on show. Sale retailers like TK Maxx and M&M Direct tended to just show the garment, probably because of sheer volume of new items.
• Sports brands such as Gymshark and JD Sports and New Balance tended to have shorter models. Gymshark in particular went for extremely muscular models (unsurprisingly) so perhaps this is a bigger factor than height.
• Both Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren listed every single model I sampled as the same height. So they're either unbelievably picky, or just providing rough figures.

Hope that was useful! Personally I'd like to see a bit more transparency in model heights (plus some shorter models). I suspect it would be in the interest of the retailers too through reduced returns. 

Jack, Founder of Ruler of London