Most of the models that walked the ramp during recent fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris, were thin.
According to a Bloomberg report, “plus-size models, who wear a US size 14 or bigger, made up less than 1% of all looks sent down runways across the four major cities for the autumn/winter 2023 season.” The observation was based on a new analysis by Vogue Business, which looked into size diversity across 9,137 looks and 219 fashion shows. The majority of options shown were presented in US sizes 0, 2, or 4; they comprised 95.6% of all looks. The remaining 3.8% of looks were shown on mid-sized models, who typically wear anywhere from a US 6 through 12, states the Bloomberg report, citing the Vogue Business analysis.
“Gucci, Christian Dior and Chanel were among the brands that sent zero plus-size models down the runway. Dior, which is owned by luxury behemoth LVMH, included 58% straight-sized models and 41.7% mid-sized models,” states the report. For most luxury brands, mid-sized models were closer to a size 6 than a 12, according to the Vogue Business analysis.
Karoline Vitto, which showed in London, was the only brand in the analysis to use all mid-size or plus-size models for its collection, says the report. In New York Fashion Week, Bach Mai and Christian Siriano featured the most size-inclusive runways. Siriano has been outspoken on providing options for customers across sizes and the designer has been a red carpet go-to for plus-size celebrities, states the report.
“The fashion industry’s renewed obsession with extreme thinness isn’t good for anyone, but it’s especially dangerous for working and aspiring models,” said Sarah Ziff, the founder and executive director of the advocacy group Model Alliance, as stated in the Bloomberg report. “We hear all the time from models who are pressured by their agencies to either lose weight, or risk not working at all.”
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