Why Isn’t There More Model Size Diversity On the Runways? Ask the Agencies

We weren’t sure that it was entirely necessary for Jean-Paul Gaultier to broadcast his use of models with varied body types in his last runway show, but it looks like the grand gestures are necessary for certain segments of the fashion industry.

Refinery 29 reports that Maayan Zilberman of lingerie brand The Lake and Stars wanted to cast straight size (0 to 2 on average) and plus size (typically size 4 to 10) models, but agencies were “horrified we’re putting girls from plus division in with [skinny girls], and some agents said flat out they wouldn’t put their ‘good girls’ with plus sized models.”

In 2009, Mark Fast encountered similar disdain from his show stylist for casting plus size models. In the end Fast stuck to his guns, but the stylist quit. {Guardian}

While it seems like passing the buck when we hear magazine editors complain that they can’t cast larger models because designers won’t send larger samples, it’s even more disturbing to hear that agencies and employees are actively discouraging designers when they do want to see their clothes on a variety of shapes beyond the standard size 0.

We give a little more artistic license to designers: if your clothes and design aesthetic are only flattering on one body type, it is what it is. Great designers should be able to create garments that flatter body types that don’t exactly match a garment form, but there are good designers who can’t, and still do pretty well. For the designers who want to be great, and have a wider vision (no pun intended) of style, narrow minds seem to be more of a stumbling block than narrow bodies.