奇速英语

回归多元审美，伦敦时装周为 “不同身材” 发声

Recently, London Fashion Week witnessed a welcome return of body diversity on its catwalks, even as the wider fashion industry is shifting back towards celebrating ultra-thin models. Several emerging designers featured models of various shapes and sizes, ranging from UK size 10 to 16, often called “mid-size”, and plus-size models, from size 18 upwards. This move comes at a time when experts worry that past progress in size inclusivity is being reduced, with a troubling return to promoting thinness.

Karoline Vitto, a Brazilian designer based in London, was one of the voices calling for change. At her first catwalk show in two years, she questioned the disappearance of curve models. Her size-inclusive brand runs from a UK 8 to 22, and she chose models to match her clothing sizes. This way, the audience could truly see how the pieces would look on different bodies. As a new brand with a limited budget, many of her 23 diverse models even paid their own travel costs from places like Brazil and the US to support her idea.

Other designers also championed body diversity. Phoebe English used street casting to find more ordinary people with different body shapes. Sinead Gorey specially designed her clothes to praise and celebrate curves. In this way, they joined the effort to fight against the return of ultra-thin beauty ideals.

Casting directors note that while new designers are championing body diversity, the big luxury fashion houses need to lead by example. These major brands influence what is seen as acceptable and popular for younger labels. Unfortunately, there has been a recent decline in using plus-size models across the industry, partly influenced by a wider cultural shift towards thinness in Hollywood and other fields.

Despite this trend, Vitto remains hopeful. She believes inclusivity is not just a passing fashion but a serious promise for many designers, especially those led by women who understand the pressure to look a certain way. She points to other female-led, size-inclusive brands as pioneers of real change. For her, representing real bodies on the catwalk is not just a matter of fashion — it’s personal.