Body diversity returns to London fashion week as wider industry heads ultra-thin

Body diversity has made a comeback at London fashion week despite a wider shift towards ultra-thinness in the fashion industry.

Emerging designers including Karoline Vitto, Phoebe English and Sinead Gorey included a wide range of body shapes on catwalks over the past four days. Sizes have ranged from a UK size 10-16, a category referred to as mid-size in the industry, to plus-size, also known as curve models, which measures from a UK size 18 upwards. Sample size, often referred to as straight models, ranges from a UK 4-8.

The move comes at a time when experts have expressed concerns about previous efforts towards size inclusivity in the industry being curtailed with a worrying return to promoting thinness. Last year, Vogue Business reported that plus-size representation made up just 0.9% of catwalk looks across the womenswear collections shown in New York, London, Milan and Paris in September.

On Saturday, at her first catwalk show in two years, Karoline Vitto said: “Where did all the curve models go?” Speaking to The Guardian, the London-based Brazilian designer said that after skipping the catwalk for small customer-focused events she wanted to return to a show format to push back against the discourse that “screams thin is back”.

Vitto’s size-inclusive brand that she founded in 2020 runs from a UK8 to UK22. For the show, she said she chose models to “reflect our sizing so that the viewer could understand how the pieces would look on them if they were also that size.”

As a fledgling brand, Vitto does not have the budget to pay the fees of established models. Instead several of the 23-size diverse models on the catwalk covered their own costs in order to support her, including travelling from Brazil and the US. High-profile faces included Jocelyn Corona, who has fronted campaigns for Fenty; and Nyakier Buong, who has shot for Vogue and walked for Maison Margiela.

“We have models with different body proportions,” Vitto said. “Some have a lot of bust projection. Some have a wider hip. Some have a smaller breast and a wider hip. Some have wider shoulders. It sounds straightforward but it doesn’t normally happen on the catwalk.”

Other brands utilised street casting, a method that as the name suggests aims to represent a wide cohort of people by scouting on the high street or through social media. It is also cheaper than traditional casting as unknown faces are paid less than professional models and it cuts out agency fees.

English, who showed 12 looks, chose models including her mother and the writer Aja Barber. Yaku Stapleton, who launched his namesake label in 2023, cast gymnasts, krumpers and contemporary dancers in a gaming-inspired show; while Gorey celebrated curves with her signature corsetry and high hemlines.

Emma Matell, a casting director whose clients include Tom Ford and Vivienne Westwood alongside more emerging designers, said that while it was great emerging designers were championing body diversity, change also needed to come from the top. She said: “We see so much inclusivity from new generation designers. They are all doing the best they can within the parameters they have to work with including limited budgets.”

Mattel said emerging designers looked to luxury fashion houses for direction. She said: “The big fashion houses have not been making any effort and that trickles down. They set the example of what is considered safe and commercially viable for younger brands. They are saying this is what luxury fashion is and this is what a luxury model looks like.”

The decline in the use of plus-size models reflects a wider normalisation of thinness in Hollywood and mainstream culture due to factors including the use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic.

Mattel said the waning popularity of mid- and plus-size models had a knock-on effect on straight-size models too. “Everyone has become smaller this season. The curve girls are seeing they can get more work if they are smaller size. And the mid-size girls too.”

Despite the decline, Vitto remains optimistic. “Inclusivity is not a trend and I don’t think any of the designers who are serious about it consider it a trend either.” Vitto points to fellow size-inclusive and female-led brands including Sinéad O’Dwyer and Ester Manas as pioneering change. “It’s not a coincidence these body-diverse brands are helmed by women. We know our bodies. We know the pressures we feel throughout our lives.

Elsewhere on the catwalks, age diversity was also championed, including at Erdem on Sunday where singer and model Karen Elson, 47, walked; and at Emilia Wickstead, where several models were aged 40-plus.