Size Hero

With the ban on size zero models at Paris Fashion Week, are we finally moving towards a culture of body positivity?

- Namrata Kedar

For several seasons now, it has been observed how inclusivity and diversity have become fashion buzzwords, often raising concerns if this is just a fad or about to become a mainstay at month-long fashion marathons. But the Spring/Summer 2018 shows turned out a banner season for body diversity, starting with New York Fashion Week (NYFW), proving that though slow and steady, we are certainly making strides towards greater inclusivity.

While the usual suspects such as Prabal Gurung and Michael Kors had two curvy models walk for them, the season saw some newcomers too. Torrid, the curvy fashion retailer staged its first show ever along with Addition Elle that collaborated with super popular curvy models Ashley Graham and Jordyn Woods. Subscription-based brand Dia & Co. also hosted its show as a part of CurvyCon, a size-inclusive fashion conference that took place at NYFW simultaneously. The inclusion of these curvy models were more than tokens or novelties though the fashion industry has time and again used the one-off curvy celebrity on the runway over top-of-the-size chart models. NYFW was an indication that the industry is finally acknowledging curvy women as consumers too.

What is interesting to note though is that neither of them made it to the official verified NYFW schedule even though they showed at the same venue. Was it fashion elitism? Or the fact that shows grounded in reality have no space in an industry that sells aspiration?

Habitually diverse Christian Siriano’s collection Psychedelic Greenhouse’s casting reflected reality with assorted shapes, sizes and skin tones. Per tradition, Chromat by Becca McCharen-Tran also championed diversity, but took her message one step further introducing anti-chafing thigh bands. It’s a f*** you to the impossibly high standards set by the fashion industry that endorses the thigh gap as one of the measures of physical beauty.