The number of curve models is shrinking on international runways, placing size diversity under scrutiny at Australian Fashion Week next month.
Only 2 per cent of models at the most recent fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris were midsize (an Australian size 10 to 16), with only 0.3 per cent plus-size, according to Vogue’s size inclusivity report. Representation of models above a size 8 has dwindled since 2021, the same year that the weight-loss drug Wegovy was approved for use in the US and Ozempic rose in popularity.
“There has been a shift in the industry where people have pulled back,” says Australian curve model Natalie Wakeling. “Everything seems to be going back to the ’90s. The waif is back. But that’s what the fashion industry is saying. We know that the waif doesn’t represent all women.”
Libby Taverner from Perth in Schiaparelli and Melbourne’s Anna Robinson in Sportmax.
Last year research from the body-positive fashion app Mys Tyler, verified by global research firm Insights Exchange, shows that the average Australian woman wears a size 16.
“Even a lot of the curve models don’t look that curvy,” Wakeling says. “Is it the pressure from designers to conform? Do they need to fit into these certain sizes for the shows? You can see that around the time of fashion weeks they always look a bit smaller.”
The 13 models of the season anointed by Vogue as the breakout stars, including Melbourne’s Anna Robinson and Perth beauty Libby Taverner, are all a traditional size 8.
Model agent Christine Fox from Vivien’s, who spotted Taverner’s potential and helped launch the careers of Gemma Ward, Nicole Trunfio, and Bridget Malcolm, sees the industry shift as another example of the ever-rotating fashion cycle.
“There are so many types of looks that the modelling industry requires,” Fox says. “It’s reflective of how the fashion industry works, some trends will come and go, some will do the full circle, some looks will be iconic and will transcend time.
“I am not overly sceptical if a certain type of look drops off a little. It comes in swings and roundabouts and things tend to balance out again over time, and then we see a resurgence.”
The skinny model resurgence could continue at Australian Fashion Week, following last year’s shows in Sydney where brands such as Michael Lo Sordo, Albus Lumen, Beare Park, Rory William Docherty and Karla Spetic were dominated by traditional sample sizes.
The Australian Fashion Council is the new operator of AFW with a code of conduct for diversity: “AFC AFW aims to promote diverse ethnicity, gender, ability and body types that are representative of the diversity of Australia.”
This code of conduct is included in a handbook distributed to designers, but can’t be enforced as each label is responsible for casting their own models.
“You’re always going to disappoint someone,” says designer Alix Higgins, who is preparing for his fourth solo show at AFW.
On Sunday Higgins hosted an open casting call for models that are not with agencies at his studio in Sydney’s Chinatown. There were no restrictions around size. The only restrictions were around age (18 years old and over) and height (women more than 175cm and men more than 185cm).
“Fashion is always going to be exclusive,” Higgins says. “Even when it’s being inclusive you’re still making decisions about who will make the cut. A lot of it depends on the mood of the show and being true to yourself, rather than ticking boxes.”
Higgins has always had a gender, size and race-inclusive approach to casting his shows. Despite the open approach to casting, the majority of people who posed for his camera this weekend were sample-sized. Facing rejection is hard enough without worrying about whether the clothes will fit.
“You’re being judged on different criteria,” says artist Luke Martins, who is exploring modelling as a side project. “It’s different to creating art, which you can dress up or disguise. In modelling and fashion, you can’t hide.”
For Wakeling, one of the big challenges for curve models is seeing themselves in the fashion world. The diminishing levels of representation on the runway is partly responsible for Wakeling creating a digital magazine Curve Rapport, launching next month.
“For designers of plus-size clothing and curve models there’s just nowhere to go, even if you are featured at fashion week. Who’s going to pick up your story? We don’t have Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue calling in the few designers who offer extended sizes to elevate them to an international stage.”
“It’s exhausting, but it’s important to continue to show the fashion industry the value of women of all sizes.”
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