What Is Sizing Like at Animal?

By Ella Blake – Senior Fashion Stylist & Founder | Tellar – Always honest, unbiased, & unsponsored post

Animal runs true to size, so nine times out of ten your usual UK size is the one to add to your basket. The brand cuts its clothing to standard UK measurements and says as much in its own size guide — and after years of styling clients in surf, swim and coastal-casual labels, I can tell you that promise actually holds up on the body. There’s no sneaky vanity sizing, no dramatic shrink-in-the-wash horror stories, and very little of the “is this a 10 or a 14?” guesswork you get with fast fashion. That said, Animal has a couple of quirks worth knowing before you commit, and getting them right is the difference between a hoodie you live in and one that sulks at the back of the wardrobe.

The short answer: order your normal size

Animal started life in 1987 as a surf brand — famously, with a hook-and-loop watch strap designed by two surfers — and that relaxed, made-for-the-outdoors DNA still runs through everything. The fit philosophy is generous but honest:

Tops, tees and hoodies — true to size with an easy, lived-in drape. Not boxy, not clingy.
Jeans and trousers — cut to standard UK sizing, with a 32″ inside leg as the regular default (longer on the bigger sizes).
Footwear — listed in proper UK sizes, so no awkward conversion maths.

The bit most people miss: Animal’s two “fits”

Here’s the detail that quietly trips people up. A lot of Animal’s outerwear, sportswear and tops are labelled with a specific fit, and it’s printed in the product description rather than shouted on the front:

Regular Fit — the classic, room-to-layer cut. This is your friend for a winter coat or anything you’ll wear over a chunky knit.
Mid Fit — slimmer and more contoured, following the line of your body without restricting movement. Lovely on a leggings-and-tee gym day, less forgiving if you’re piling on layers.

So before you size up out of habit, check which fit you’re actually looking at. My one genuine rule: if it’s a jacket you’ll throw over jumpers from October to March, take the Regular and your normal size — don’t go up.

A fit win and a fit fail (both mine)

The win: I bought an Animal waterproof in my standard size for a soggy long weekend in Cornwall, fully braced to size up “just in case”. I didn’t — and it fit beautifully over a fleece, with enough room to move but no sail-like billowing. Three winters later it’s still the coat I grab without thinking.

The fail: years ago I ordered a slim-fit Animal top a size up because I assumed surf brands ran small. Rookie error. It hung off me like a tablecloth and went straight back. The lesson I now give every client — believe the brand when it says true to size, and let the fit name do the adjusting, not the size number.

How I’d style it

Animal is at its best when you lean into its coastal-casual roots rather than fighting them. A few stylist shortcuts:

Anchor a relaxed Animal hoodie with a straight or slim-straight jean rather than something baggy — it stops the whole look reading as “dog walk”.
Let a Regular-fit waterproof be the casual hero over tailored trousers and a white tee for that off-duty, just-back-from-the-beach polish.
Size your base layers properly (true to size) so the outer layers sit cleanly — bulky-under-slim is the most common reason outdoor kit looks frumpy.

Where to shop: my brand picks by budget

If you love Animal’s easy, weatherproof, coastal energy, here’s where I’d send clients across every price point.

High street

Fat Face — the closest sibling to Animal: relaxed, outdoorsy basics with the same generous-but-true cut.
Seasalt Cornwall — Cornish through and through, brilliant for breton tops and rainproofs that actually flatter.
Crew Clothing — sailing-and-coast heritage; reliably true to size with a slightly smarter finish.
Joules — country-meets-coast prints and dependable sizing for casual layering.
White Stuff — soft, easy separates that bridge surf-casual and everyday wear.
Superdry — surf-and-street roots; great hoodies, though check the cut as styles vary.
Barbour — the upgrade pick for proper British weatherproofing that lasts decades.

Premium

Finisterre — born from cold-water surfing in Cornwall; superb, considered fit and the natural step up from Animal.
Patagonia — benchmark technical outerwear with a roomy, dependable cut and famously hard-wearing kit.

Luxury / designer

Moncler — the last word in luxury technical outerwear when you want surf-coast function with a designer label.
Vilebrequin — elevated beach-and-swim pieces for when the coastal mood goes properly upmarket.

Two left-field independents to know

Passenger Clothing — a B-Corp UK indie doing soft, adventure-ready basics in recycled and organic fabrics; quietly excellent and not on every high street.
Davy J — a small British label making genuinely flattering swimwear from regenerated ocean waste, with sizing that holds its shape wear after wear.

Never look at a size guide again

Tellar is the UK’s leading sizing tool — your body matched exactly to 1,500-plus brands, instantly. No more squinting at conversion charts.

Measure once, using your bust, waist and hip — or just your size in a brand you already own.
Use the Store Size Lookup tool to get your precise size in any brand — Animal, COS, Reiss, Everlane, Arket and more.
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Plus, the Tellar Fashion Hub is a library stacked with free posts from our top stylists. Style advice, top picks and the best brands — honest, unbiased, independent and always free.