“A lot of people definitely looked down on me because they thought curvy models weren’t cool,” Anna explained. “Not in fashion, we weren’t here. Now suddenly, from all the hard work we’ve done, we’ve shown our vision and how a curvy girl can be just as beautiful as a thin girl. With support from some designers and top photographers, we helped change people’s opinions.
There are cracks of light. Shillinglaw says her agency, Curve, is busier than ever when it comes to girls brands. We had 10 girls at the Valentino haute couture show. [last season], which was very interesting for us. Let’s put it in perspective, if you compare how many thin models are used during fashion week compared to the number of curvy models, there is a lot left. But we are taking steps forward.
Of course, Valentino’s Spring 2022 couture offering had a play; Their distinctiveness has a radical feel in the typically exclusive world of Haute Couture. The creative director of the fashion house, Pierpaolo Piccioli, “imagined this Valentino Anatomy of Couture collection not on a single and ideal house model, but on different women of different body shapes and ages… Perfect.”
Net-a-Porter also recently announced an extended size scale among many of its brands, saying that the UK 22 was the best performer in its swimwear category this year. Libby Page, senior market editor at the online retailer, said: “We’re encouraging these conversations so we can continue to offer our customers amazing variety, and it’s exciting that many brands are open to extending their size offerings after our conversations. He said.
There are also smaller, independent labels looking to stir things up. Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor launched Lushious, a swimwear brand designed for every body. The fledgling label borrows the ‘awake’ dialogue of diversity, but, unlike some of its more fanatical, corporate-driven peers, Lucious actually offers the promise of inclusion and happiness. “I love fashion,” says Cadet Taylor. But I hated the industry for what it was. I always wanted to have my own brand, but everything I did was like, how do I push it to a more inclusive size? How can I improve the industry? “
The structure of the fashion industry makes it difficult for young designers and small brands to make large quantities. In fashion schools, for example, styles and fit models all adhere to the specific idea of UK size 8, but many factories have the capacity to make certain sizes. As Cadenet Taylor recognizes, bucking the trend can be expensive and require a lot of effort.
“I don’t care if this is bad for margins. I have to go up to 5X’. I have a lot of plus size friends, and I talked to them about what to do to legitimize the brand. Many brands have told me they go up to 3X, but most people need a sizer to go up to 5X. So I went and made new patterns for each extended size. The bottom line result of the cash flow in was a loss,” he said.
