Karoline Vitto, Phoebe English and Sinead Gorey include wide range of body shapes on catwalks
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”.
