Fashion insiders have expressed concern that the industry's previous progress involving size is being curtailed.
Vogue Business released its Spring/Summer '25 Plus Size Report on Tuesday, saying: “We're facing a worrying return on the use of ultra-thin models” with “a plateau in plus size initiatives across New York, London, Milan and Paris”.
Of the 8,763 looks presented at 208 shows in womenswear collections earlier this month, 94.9% were shown on straight-size models, who measure between a US size zero (equivalent to a UK4) and a UK8. Only 0.8% of models are plus-size, also known as curvy (UK18+) and 4.3% are medium size (UK10-16). 98% of the looks in Milan featured straight-sized models, and Vogue Business said some middle-sized figures were curvy with co-ed brands, including menswear designed by muscular men.
“It feels like we've moved 10 steps backwards,” said Anna Schillinglaw, a model company for dairy management.
Slim models have always dominated the catwalks, but in recent years a wider range of body types have begun to be included. Jill Courtelieu made headlines in 2000 when she became the first model in over a decade to star in UK size 8 for Chanel. In another major moment for inclusive casting, British Vogue featured Gardleave alongside plus-size models Paloma Elsaesser and Precious Lee. With the title “New Supers” on its April 2023 cover.
Eighteen months later, however, the fashion industry has become a pioneer, with many insiders bemoaning a new resistance to content.
“I now feel that some of the high-end designers saw curvy women as more fashionable than in real life,” said Shillinglaw, noting that the average dress size in Britain is a UK16.
Chanel included some mid-size and plus-size models this season, but other luxury brands did not. Instead, it was left to emerging brands including Caroline Vito in London and Esther Manas in Paris to increase body diversity.
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Stella McCartney apologized last week after receiving criticism for sharing a picture of a model backstage at her show that some social media users said looked sick. London-based casting director Chloe Rosolek said the removal of large bodies from big brands was confusing: “It's very strange to pretend a whole group doesn't exist.”
Larger models aren't the only ones affected. There's a wider cultural mainstream of thinness at play thanks to drugs like Ozempig, originally developed to treat diabetes, but co-opted for weight loss in Hollywood and beyond. Vogue Business describes it as “the allure of thinness.”
As celebrities and influencers shrink, even straight-size models feel pressured to maintain their measurements or lose inches. “The size is down across the board and there are already straight-size models,” Rosolek said. Many models that used to be plus size are now mid size.
Kering, the parent company of brands including Gucci and Balenciaga, and Louis Vuitton and Dior joined the LVMH portfolio in 2017. A charter to protect the well-being of specimens. As a result, size zero and under 16 models were banned from their shows.
Kering raised its minimum age to 18 in 2019, but its main rivals, including LVMH, have not followed suit. This season in Milan, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, the 16-year-old daughter of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, opened the Miu Miu show, while many top models are under 21 and a size zero, according to fashion database Models.com.
There are a lot of naturally thin models out there, and many of them find themselves unfairly thin-shamed. But like ballet, the “Balanchine” bodybuilding industry has a reputation for creating unrealistic and unhealthy body ideals. There are still many very thin and unhealthy models being registered.
Emily McCrail, a 21-year-old model from Manchester, shared her experience working in Milan, where she attended shows including Prada on TikTok. After she failed to get any job, she was advised to lose a centimeter from her waist. “I looked around at other models and felt like I didn't deserve to be there,” she said. “I felt 'fat' in comparison. Technically, I would be considered underweight for my height and age, but looking at these women made me feel bigger.
Former casting director James Scully said: “We're back to where we were 10 years ago. These models serve only one purpose. They are not here to bring any character or happiness or to sell anything. They hang the clothes again.
