Chanel goes mad for curve models in Manchester

Manchester: the home of the Haçienda, the birthplace of baggy, the city that spawned legends like New Order, Oasis, The Smiths, and the Stone Roses, and now, the exotic destination that Chanel chose to stage its latest Métiers d'art show, which took place on a cobbled street in the cultural Northern Quarter. 

Unsurprisingly, the Parisian house, led by Virginie Viard, tapped into Manchester’s music scene, channelling legendary Factory Records designer Peter Saville’s iconic hazard stripes on the invite and inviting Michele Gaubert to create a soundtrack that paid homage to its effervescent Northern Soul scene.

On the runway, models stomped across the cobbles in mod-ish minis and swinging 60s-style boucle suits, crafted in the neon hues that heralded the arrival of acid rave in the city in the early 90s, with a big surprise coming in the form of a more diverse casting. 

While Chanel was one of the first big fashion houses to cast a curve model in the form of Crystal Renn in 2010, and sent Jill Kortleve’s career stellar when she became a regular face of the house, this season the brand amped up the number of non-’standard size’ people in its line-up, with a total of three walking, in addition to two twins who were found on the streets of Manchester in the lead up to the show. 

The move comes just a few months after Balenciaga finally sent curve models Paloma Elsesser and French singer Yseult down the catwalk, and followed it up with two more at last weekend’s Pre-Fall 24 show in Los Angeles, and signals that there could be more promising developments in 2024 when it comes to more people being represented within fashion.

However, the backlash Elsesser received when she took home the prize for Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards on Monday (December 4), including cruel personal comments about her appearance, proves there is a lot further to go – both inside and out of the fashion industry – when it comes to the acceptance of larger bodies.