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There were some glimmers of progress on size inclusivity among fashion’s major houses last season, as some experimented with casting mid and plus-size models. However, Autumn/Winter 2024 suggests it was just that — a one-off experiment.
The Vogue Business size inclusivity report found there has been an incremental decrease in total size inclusivity across New York, London, Milan and Paris. Of the 8,800 looks presented across 230 shows and presentations, 0.8 per cent were plus-size (US 14+) and 3.7 per cent were mid-size (US 6-12), meaning 95.5 per cent were straight-size (US 0-4). This is down slightly from last season, where 0.9 per cent were plus-size and 3.9 per cent mid-size, partly because some brands who did try to be more size inclusive in September have returned to majority straight-size casting.
As with previous seasons, Vogue Business analysed every runway show and presentation reviewed by Vogue Runway from the official New York, London, Milan and Paris schedules to calculate the proportion of total looks that are straight, mid and plus-size. Brands were contacted to allow them to verify the data and informed that if they did not verify, the initial figures collected by Vogue Business would be used. Sizing ranges were determined based on typical sample sizes for straight sizing and established definitions of mid and plus-size.
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AW24 was punctuated with a series of designer debuts at major houses. Many of the new appointments were men, which appeared to affect size inclusivity results. Some fashion critics suggest that when women design for women, there’s more of a focus on a humanised and embodied way of designing, rather than viewing the female form as an object to decorate.
Alexander McQueen placed sixth in the PFW ranking last season, and fifth the season prior, under former creative director Sarah Burton. This season, McQueen featured 100 per cent straight-size models. At Moschino, 100 per cent of the AW24 looks were straight-size under new creative director Adrian Appiolaza; last season, which was compiled by four leading female stylists, in the absence of a creative director, 9.1 per cent of the looks were mid or plus-size. (Neither brand had responded to requests for comment by the time of publishing.)
Among the leaders in size inclusivity is Sinéad O’Dwyer, who topped the rankings across the big four cities this season, with 10 (40 per cent) mid-size looks and 11 (44 per cent) plus-size looks. “It’s about thinking about design solutions and directly taking inspiration from a particular body as opposed to just trying to draw something and stick it on [that body], which is very ego driven,” O’Dwyer told Vogue Business ahead of her show. Paris brand Ester Manas came in second, followed by, Bach Mai (New York), Edeline Lee (London) and Bora Aksu (London), in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
Milan was the least size inclusive of the four cities this season, featuring 99 per cent straight-size looks (a backslide from 96 per cent last season). London remained the most size-inclusive city with 87.9 per cent straight-size looks, 9.7 per cent mid-size looks and 2.4 per cent plus-size looks — similar to last season. New York was the third most-inclusive city this season, and regressed on representation, featuring 96.1 per cent straight-size looks, up from 93.6 last season.
Size inclusivity in Paris improved slightly this season, with 3.8 per cent mid-size and 0.5 per cent plus-size representation (up from 1.1 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively for SS24). This is likely because of size-inclusive brand Ester Manas, which made a welcome return to the schedule this season, shooting back to the top of the Paris ranking. While previously focused on stretchy, one-size-fits-all ruffled and sexy dresses, brand founders Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre took a pause post-Andam win to focus on developing outerwear and lingerie for its full-sizing range (up to XXXL). It was costly and time consuming to figure out the grading, the founders say, and the new pieces made size-inclusive casting all the more challenging.
“Although in previous shows our stylist and casting director worked hard on the casting, we had a great deal of latitude when it came to fittings, as many of the pieces were one-size-fits-all,” says Delepierre. “With this new collection and the arrival of more precise sizing for certain categories, we wanted to anticipate as much as possible the choice of models and the allocation of looks. In the end, the aim was to show the pieces on girls who best supported the looks. Our goal still is to magnify as many bodies as possible, and to accompany women with our own style.”
There isn’t always this synergy between casting director and stylist, says Mina White, director at IMG Models. There’s a lot of gatekeeping between the two parties, she adds. “We often find there are stylists who try to champion diversity, and the casting director is gatekeeping. And sometimes it’s the other way around.”
The pressure on curve supermodels
Despite there being a new slew of rising stars across modelling each season, there’s a consistent lack of famous faces in curve fashion — save for a handful of names like Paloma Elsesser, Ashley Graham, Alva Claire, Precious Lee and Jill Kortleve. And as noted in the Vogue Business menswear size inclusivity report for AW24, some supermodel agents won’t allow their clients to walk alongside street-cast models or lesser known names. This means that if the few famous curve models don’t walk from one season to the next, they’re often replaced with a straight-size model.
Elsesser walked for many leading brands this season, including Ferragamo, Marni and Mugler. But she was one of few curve models that appeared at all. “I’m fortunate to manage Paloma — through those interactions, we feel like we’re going places, we’re doing things,” says White. “But then you pull yourself away from just Paloma, and you’re like, we’ve got a long way to go.”
“When one of us steps out of a season, it’s disruptive because unfortunately there aren’t a lot [of curve models] that are at the top,” Graham told Vogue Business last month. “Which is crazy because you could go to the top three agencies that have mid-size and plus-size models and you could find insanely gorgeous women that have been signed for decades.”
It’s not that there isn’t new talent either, White says. “We’re constantly scouting for new talent, casting new girls,” she says. “But when we’re talking about profile and images pieces — editorial and runway — curve girls are very much tokenised, so they’re going to focus on using the buzz-worthy names.”
The barrier to entry is massive, White continues. She points to Claire walking for Burberry: “Her team worked really hard to establish that relationship. Now that she has that relationship, it’s repeating and it lends itself to her getting new editorials. But to break that barrier, it’s so different between a straight-size new face versus a curve new face.”
There’s also a huge amount of responsibility on curve supermodels to act as mouthpieces for size inclusivity. One model declined to comment for this story because she feels size inclusivity is overplayed as a topic in her interviews, despite no meaningful change ever being made.
London-based designer Feben, who showed in Milan this season supported by Dolce & Gabbana, was one of the few brands in Milan to include both a curve supermodel (Graham) alongside other non-straight-size lesser known models. The show featured 10 per cent mid-size and 6.7 per cent plus-size looks. Dolce & Gabbana connected Feben with industry heavyweight Anita Bitton on the casting this season. Karoline Vitto (who did not show this season), who was supported by Dolce & Gabbana for SS24, ranked first in Milan last season. (Dolce & Gabbana itself fell off the top 10 for AW24, after it used 100 per cent straight-size models in its ‘Tuxedo’ show.)
“I think it’s really important to not just work with people who are well known. I really admire Ashley, but I also think it’s important to uplift others — there was a time when Ashley wasn’t well known,” Feben says. “The industry isn’t changing as fast as we want because people are not giving space and access, they’re using the same models that they know will pass but they’re not wanting to budge on their safety nets. If you’re a real leader you take chances.”
London-based men’s modelling agency Supa, which represents plus-size model talent like James Corbin, launched a women’s division this month, identifying white space in scouting new diverse model talent. “The industry has in recent years looked to be moving in a more positive direction, but this last show season felt like a huge step back with most runways showcasing a very tall and very slim silhouette again,” says women’s director Tim Clifton-Green, who joined from model agency Next to lead Supa’s new division. “For too long the fashion industry has sidelined certain body shapes and naturally, without exposure in the media, there have not been enough inspirational diverse role models to look up to.”
Supa will work with its model talents to build their profiles in other fields and interests like art or music, he adds, which can help them reach supermodel status. “Building a model’s confidence and allowing them to freely express themselves and let their light shine is so key.”
Street casting remains a priority
Feben says there’s “a lot of politics” involved behind the scenes in casting. “With casting, it depends on who’s taken and who’s in town,” she says. “There are more curve models in London, sure, but the agencies won’t necessarily give you your request because you’re a newer brand.” The lack of plus-size model availability triggers a ripple effect. “The curve models don’t want to walk on their own as the only plus-size models, but it’s frustrating because sometimes you can’t get other girls.”
That’s why emerging brands that prioritise size inclusivity typically street cast a large proportion of their models. Budget is another consideration. “The choice of the plus-size supermodel for us at the moment is still unfeasible because of budget,” says Milan-based designer Marco Rambaldi, a consistent feature in Milan’s top 10. “We always brought friends, people from our community or people we met on the street to the catwalk. We focus on the values we want to express based on our current possibilities. This does not mean that when we are [a bigger brand] we will forget about the unknown [models].”
Marques Almeida ranked eighth in London. The brand, which returned to London Fashion Week for the first time since the pandemic, is known for casting its community and was an early mover in encouraging more diversity across race and body shape back in the 2010s. As the brand grows up, so are the familiar faces that walk its shows. “I was talking to some [models] who said, ‘my body’s not the same as it was four or five years ago’, and we said, great — come in whatever shape or size or age you are,” co-founder Paulo Almeida said ahead of the show.
Rave Review debuted in Milan for SS24 with 100 per cent straight-size looks, but this season, the founders say they “wanted to do better”. The brand ranked first in Milan for AW24 with 13.8 per cent mid-size looks and 6.9 per cent plus-size looks. Rave Review worked with casting director Emma Matell, who also worked with brands including Sinéad O’Dwyer and Cecilie Bahnsen this season, and is known for prioritising inclusivity through a combination of street and agency casting. “If it’s a street cast, the person is in most cases a new face to the industry and that’s usually more interesting to us,” Rave Review founders Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück said over email.
Good business
As noted time and time again by advocates, size diversity is good for business.
“When these younger emerging designers do these more size-inclusive shows, they see the financial upside immediately,” White says. “When Paloma did a capsule with Miaou, it was an immediate success for them to the point that they have now decided that their brand moving forward will always be size diverse.”
Also telling was Graham’s array of outfit options not for the runway, but for her front row appearances this season. “This season beyond every other season, she has seen more options for her to wear for the front row. I mean, racks of options.” This, White says, speaks volumes. “These brands recognise her and the value of her image. They’ve made a concerted effort to have more options for her to wear so that she can best represent the brand.”
“It does speak really loudly about how valuable these models actually are to these brands and how much they’re being undervalued by people [like stylists and casting directors] who ultimately aren’t responsible for the P&Ls (profits and losses) of these brands,” White says.
In White’s view, it’s up to industry leaders: the high-profile editors, the company CEOs, to speak up. “They need to be saying, ‘the less we show diversity, the worse we’re doing in business’. We need to go back to the drawing board and say, where are the holes? Who are we not reaching out to? Who are we not communicating with? Who are we not listening to?”
Really, it comes back to mandates. If a brand goes up to size 18 (or beyond), there should be body diversity from size 2 to 18. “At minimum, we should be having four to six looks in every show that are body diverse — somewhere in the scale of what you sell to your consumer,” White says. The mandates, she says, need to be public and loud. The industry leaders need to say: “This is a mandate because this is where the industry is moving. This is a mandate because this is what it looks like numerically for these brands.”
Correction: Mina White’s title is director, not senior manager as previously reported.
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The Vogue Business Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear size inclusivity report
The Vogue Business Autumn/Winter 2023 size inclusivity report
The Vogue Business Spring/Summer 2024 size inclusivity report
