To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here.
The debate on size inclusivity reached a peak at this time, as it were the journalists called the lack of body diversity on the runway and the emerging plus-size designers highlight the shortcomings of luxury brands when it comes to mid-size and plus-size representation.
According to Vogue Business data collected throughout the fashion month, the Autumn/Winter 2023 season failed to improve in terms of size representation on the runway. Of the 9,137 views at 219 shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, only 0.6 percent were plus-size (US 14+) and 3.8 percent were mid-size (US 6-12). This means 95.6 percent of the looks presented for AW23 are in US sizes 0-4.
Vogue Business reviewed every AW23 runway show and presentation reviewed by Vogue Runway from the official calendars of New York, London, Milan and Paris to determine the proportion of the overall appearance of straight size, medium size and plus size. The brands were contacted to allow them to verify the data and informed that if they could not verify, the initial numbers collected in Vogue Business use. Size ranges are determined based on typical sample sizes for straight sizes and established definitions of middle and plus sizes.
Throughout the season, only 17 brands featured a plus-size look. The brands with the highest percentage of plus-size models in a US 14 are Sinéad O’Dwyer, Ester Manas, Karoline Vitto, Di Petsa and Bach Mai. The same brands also show the highest percentage of mid-size models. The data is determined by the number of looks, to account for a model that potentially represents more looks for larger bodies on the runway. However, most of the top-ranked shows feature a larger number of mid-size models, with very little size representation. And it’s important to note that many of the big brands like Dior, the mid-size looks on their runways are on the edge of the straight size.
“Plus-size representation is back,” said Felicity Hayward, a plus-size model who was scouted 12 years ago, when there were no plus-size models in the fashion industry. in Britain, by fashion photographer Miles Aldridge. Hayward, who has been tracking plus-size representation since 2019 through her project #IncludingTheCurve, stopped attending London Fashion Week in 2019 due to the lack of size inclusivity, but returned last season for SS23.
