Many eagle-eyed fashion fans may have noticed the lack of one key element across the most recent Fashion Weeks: plus-size models. In fact, the drop in diversity of those cast compared to previous seasons was so noticeable that Vogue Business highlighted it in its seasonal size inclusivity research report, finding plus-size representation made up less than 1% of the entire autumn/winter 24 looks shown.

This, of course, is cause for concern, not only because it seems to signal the fashion industry is actually regressing in its attempt to become more inclusive, but also because “the average woman in the UK is plus-size”, according to Fashion United. So, why are these brands not catering to a huge number of potential customers – and who are the key culprits?

According to the Vogue Business report, London was the most size-inclusive city, with 87.9% straight-size looks (UK size 8 and below), 9.7% mid-size looks (UK size 10-16) and 2.4% plus-size looks (UK size 18) walking down the runway. Plus, fashion research site Tagwalk shared that 47% of London designers included curvy models in their casting, showing nearly half of the brands did pay some sort of attention.

However, over in Milan it seems there was a different story, with 99% of runway looks falling under straight-size, a 17% reduction from last season according to Tagwalk. Given a large majority of the famous luxury labels, such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Chanel and Fendi, show both in Milan and Paris, it’s disappointing to see some of the most established labels lagging behind.

Why is this happening? A few theories have arisen. Firstly, it has been noticed that fashion houses like Moschino and Alexander McQueen, which recently appointed male creative directors after being run by women for the season prior, drastically dropped their runway model diversity. Given key labels such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Loewe and Fendi are also male-run, perhaps there is a correlation to be found here.

Secondly, the pool of plus-size models is much smaller than that for straight-size models, meaning it’s more difficult to cast plus-size models, which potentially takes some of the blame away from the brands. But there is the possibility that this signifies more of a societal shift. Where diversity in all forms was at the forefront of many people’s minds only a few years ago, with the hashtag #bodypositivity trending on social media, have brands become complacent now it’s not a constant topic of conversation? 

So what does this mean for the wider fashion industry? Well, despite the plus-size clothing industry rising at a rapid rate – ​​4.3% between 2022 and 2030, according to Fashion United – the amount of clothing options available to those size 18 and above is still rather dire. While some high street stores – including Asos, River Island and Topshop – do have designated plus-size ranges, many brands still don’t stock options above a size 18, and those who do almost always have reduced options or less trend-led styles. So we really can’t afford for the high street to follow the runways and reduce this offering even further.

On the flip side, however, this disparity could enable fashion brands with a more expansive offering – like Good American, which only allows retailers to stock the whole size run (UK size 2-36) – to thrive. There’s a large consumer base there that has historically had to endure limited options, so this could be the push brands need to actually satisfy this market – so long as we consumers don’t stop putting the conversation in sharp focus. 

Images: Courtesy of Getty.