This past fashion season, the clothes looked more beautiful than ever before and yet there was one impossible-to-miss blemish that even the most stunning collections failed to obscure: a diversity of body shapes. If you noticed a sharp decline in the number of plus-size models on the runways, then you’re certainly not alone. After what has seemed like several years of promising change towards a more inclusive future, the industry seemed to snap right back to its problematic past—and it needs to be addressed.
In its survey of the fall/winter 2023 collections, Vogue Business reported that of all the looks across the New York, Milan, London, and Paris shows, a mere 0.6% featured plus sizes 14 and above. And it wasn’t much better for mid-sizes, either, at just 3.8% representation. Journalists from across the industry were quick to point out the glaring lack of size diversity, too. New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman was notoriously aired her dismay at the the way the clothes were nearly falling off of one model at the show of a high-profile New York brand. Meanwhile, Gen Zers are doubling-down on their obsession with the trends of the early 2000s and Hollywood just can’t stop glamorizing controversial weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. In 2023, we’ve come so far and yet in this moment, it feels like any past progress was simply a well-crafted facade.
Despite the troubling pivot, not everyone abandoned inclusivity. In fact, for a number of young and emerging designers, reflecting the world we live in has never been a trend—it’s a part of their DNA. Seven young talents from New York to Paris are completely obliterating the status quo with runways that brim with all manner of plus-size women, mature women, trans women, disabled women, and beyond. What’s more, these designers aren’t afraid of putting risqué cutouts, miniature hemlines, and sheer fabrics on non-size-zero bodies, a loud proclamation that anyone can wear these more daring looks.
The seven names you’re about to discover are setting the bar for what inclusivity can (and should) look like. Not only did they have the highest percentage of plus-size models in their collections, but they proved something more established luxury brands have always been scared of, that clothing looks so damn good on fuller figures.
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