Diversity in Fashion

When I was a teenager, I’d flick through fashion magazines and never see anyone like me (even when I was thin – not a lot of Māori girls in those fashion mags in the 90’s). Whether it was catwalks, catalogues or celebrity style, almost everyone looked the same. They were tall, young, white, slim and able bodied. Fast forward twenty years and not all that much has changed. While we do see a small amount of diversity in fashion these days, I don’t think that it’s enough. The majority of bodies that we are seeing are still tall, young, white, slim and able bodied.

Plus size models are not always plus size

Diversity in fashion is incredibly important for a number of reasons. For example, being able to see people with bodies like yours allows you to imagine more easily what clothes will look like on your body. I’m 5’4″ (just below average for women in New Zealand), and generally wear a size 24-26. I’ve got a big bust (20J), my stomach is far from flat, and my hips are bigger than my bust.

I was looking at some of the model cards for an agency with a “curve” division that represents some models that I recognise from stores I shop at. Their “curve” models start at a size 10. A SIZE TEN. Most of them were size 12-14 with only a few that were size 18-22. The majority of them are 5’9″ or taller with a C-DD cup bust. See the difference? I have such physically different bodies from these models that when I see clothes on them it gives me no clue how those clothes will look on me. Brands like Universal Standard, SmartGlamour and Hine Collection who show their clothes on models in a range of sizes are getting it right and making it easier for their customers to shop.

I’ve been writing about fashion for almost ten years now, but my expertise is in plus size fashion so let’s talk about that. What is plus size differs a fair bit between brands. Some start at size 18, which makes sense as that’s where a lot of straight size brands seem to end. Some start at a 16, some at a 14. Over the years I’ve also noticed a few brands extending their sizing downward to cater to size 12s – something I don’t understand, because whenever I go into a store there are always loads of size 12/14/16 on the rack and none or hardly any 24/26/28.

When plus size brands include those smaller sizes, this allows them to use smaller models – which many definitely do. In fact sometimes they use models that are smaller than their smallest size. It’s a fairly well known “industry secret” that models sometimes wear padding to make clothes fit, and clothes are clipped or pinned to change the fit. This means that the fit information (both the visual information and the bit that says “the model is 5’9″ and wears a size 18”) is misleading.

Diversity in fashion should be the norm

My gripes about the lack of size diversity in plus size fashion are only the beginning. We need to see more people of different ages, ethnicities, abilities and genders as well. The fashion industry needs to do better. It’s not good enough to have a few token diversity inclusions in a campaign, and to then make a song and dance about how diverse your brand is. In fact, I can’t wait for the day when fat women on a catwalk or a campaign with a model in a wheelchair don’t make the headlines. Because diversity and inclusion shouldn’t be seen as groundbreaking, it should be a common occurrence.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Chloe Elliott (@chloeincurve_) on Mar 14, 2019 at 12:31pm PDT

When Nike launched their plus size range back in 2017 (you can buy it from a number of places, including ASOS), it was exciting to hear a mainstream brand take the step to not only offer their apparel in plus sizes, but also showcase it on plus size people like Grace Victory and Danielle Vanier. They continue to work with plus size people to showcase their clothing, like UK blogger Chloe Elliott who won the Blogosphere Fitness Influencer Brand Campaign of the Year for her work with VeryUK and Nike. They even have plus size mannequins in some of their stores – again, this is something that should be par for the course for brands that sell clothes in plus sizes.

One of the things I really love about Instagram is that I get to create that diverse feed for myself. I choose to follow people of all shapes and sizes and ages and genders and ethnicities. Some brands repost a diverse range of influencers they are working with, as well as their customers wearing their clothes – both in their feed and their Stories. This is a great start, but I’d love to see this diversity in their campaigns and on their websites as well!

What can fashion do to be inclusive?

I’m going to be on a panel at New Zealand Fashion Week, with some pretty amazing people. We’ll be talking about the importance of diversity and what fashion can do to be inclusive. I’m quite excited about this to be honest. I think this is an incredibly important issue and I’d like to see more companies doing better.

Speakers include:

• Grace Stratton, founder of accessibility fashion website All is for All
• Jess Quinn, inspirational speaker and body positive influencer
• Kiri Nathan, fashion designer and artist
• Meagan Kerr, plus size fashion writer and influencer
• Mercy Brewer, veteran model from Unique Model Management
• Sammy Salsa, leading fashion and celebrity stylist
• Zeenat Wilkinson, editor and founder of inclusive beauty website SAUCE

FashioNZ presents Diversity Conversation: What can fashion do to be inclusive?​ at 11am on Thursday 29th August 2019, in the Concert Chamber at Auckland Town Hall. Tickets are $30 + booking fee, and you can purchase them here.

I’d love to know what brands you think are doing a great job at being inclusive – let me know below. And of course, I would LOVE to see you at our panel. Let me know if you’re heading along and make sure you come say hello afterwards!