Less than 1 per cent of models at SS24 shows were plus-size

This fashion season, Vogue Business analysed all shows and presentations on Vogue Runway for SS24 womenswear, to determine the proportion of total looks that are straight-size, mid-size and plus-size, and establish the state of size-inclusive representation. Today, Vogue Business published the results in their size inclusivity report for SS24.

While there are some signs of nascent change – Balenciaga, Ferragamo and Mugler entered the top rankings for the first time – the findings paint a grim picture, with major luxury brands lagging far behind smaller, independent brands.

The report found that of 9,584 looks across 230 shows and presentations in New York, London, Milan and Paris, just 0.9 per cent were plus-size (above a US 14 or UK 18) and 3.9 per cent were mid-size (US 6-12 or UK 10-16).

This means that a staggering 95.2 per cent of looks presented were in a straight-size (US 0-4 or UK4-8). These findings mark a slight improvement on AW23, where 95.6 per cent of looks were straight-size, 3.8 per cent were mid-size, and 0.6 per cent were plus-size.

For SS24, Chopova Lowena and Karoline Vitto were joint first in the overall top ten ranking across the four cities analysed by Vogue Business. Both brands achieved 100 per cent size diversity, meaning all of the models were either mid-size or plus-size. Vitto’s show featured 13 plus-size models and 17 mid-size models, the highest plus-size representation of any show.

New York’s Bach Mai placed second, while London-based designers Palmer Harding, Di Petsa and Patrick McDowell ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively. London was the most size-inclusive city, as it was for AW23.

Evidently, the figures illustrate the extent to which the fashion industry is lagging behind when it comes to representing a diverse range of sizes on the runway. But it’s cheering to see brands like Chopova Lowena and Karoline Vitto blazing the trail for change.