Even with the strides the industry has taken to address the underlying biases that inform casting, it’s still falling short. According to analysis and research conducted by Vogue Business, only 0.9% of 9584 runway looks in New York, Paris, Milan, and London shown during the spring 2024 season were plus-size. Approximately 86 looks were above a size 14. While fashion’s inclusivity problem appears to have gotten slightly better since last season, with only 0.6% plus-size looks during the fall 2023 season, it’s actually a lot worse than it appears. Alexander McQueen, arguably one of the biggest brands featured in the outlet’s report, was listed as the most plus-size-inclusive show in Paris with 2.2% percent of looks being shown above a size 14. That translates to just one model.
“There were some encouraging, baby steps from major labels we had not seen before. That accounts for some of the increase, at least,” Lucy Maguire, the senior trends editor who has spearheaded both editions of the project, explained to Who What Wear. Since the team began to track the data earlier this year, more and more eyes have been on which models get to be the face of the body-positive movement in fashion.
Maguire explained that throughout fashion month, she and her team analyze every single photo per city, according to Vogue Runway, and determine how many looks in a collection are straight-size (0 to 4), mid-size (6 to 12), and plus-size (14+)—which is confirmed with brands within a 24-hour period. She admitted smaller brands were most responsive throughout the project, a note Maguire attributes to the fact that they’re often the ones pushing for the most diversity within traditional runway spaces. In newer fashion capitals like Copenhagen, both designers and governing fashion bodies have set size inclusivity as a top priority, going so far as to require participating brands to take steps toward diverse casting. During her reporting, Maguire reached out to the organizations that set the standards and regulate fashion shows—including the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, which lead New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, respectively. Both declined to comment on whether or not they would take measurable, quantifiable steps in a similar way. Until they sign on, Maguire believes, not much is going to change systematically.
Gessel was one of the 86 models touched upon in the Vogue Business report, with the 25-year-old walking in the most size-inclusive show of the season by far, Karoline Vitto supported by Dolce & Gabbana, in which 43.3% of 30 models were considered plus-size—or, approximately 13 models were above a size 14.
“I was stunned. I was shocked, but at the same time, I wasn’t. These numbers make sense: My [other plus-size model] friends didn’t book anything,” Gessel said, referencing the report. “It doesn’t feel fair. It doesn’t feel right. There are some brands that got notoriety for including plus girls—real plus girls—into their shows. And then they got clout. And then they stopped.”