Where was the body diversity at fashion month?

The past couple of years have seen the body positivity movement take a major hit. Despite originally being used as a treatment for diabetes, Semaglutide (also known as Ozempic and Wegovy) was approved by the NHS for weight loss use in 2023. Users inject themselves once a week to suppress their appetite, and celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Amy Schumer and Elon Musk have spoken about using it — but given the drastic change in appearance of many other famous figures, it’s clearly much more popular.

Fashion does not exist in a bubble — it reflects the wider culture (for better or worse) and this was clearly evident on the Autumn/Winter 2025 runways. Ultra-skinny is once again being pushed as the body type du jour by designers across the globe. Influencer and model Felicity Hayward started tracking exactly how many plus-size models are cast per season back in 2019, through her diversity report called Including The Curve. For Autumn/Winter 2025 she calculated that in New York, 23 out of 3640 models were considered curve or plus size (50% less than last season) and in London there were 26 out of 1600 (68% less than last season). Milan and Paris, who tend to fall short on inclusivity at the best of times, had 10 and 22 plus-size models this season respectively.

Writing on Instagram, Hayward said: "I wish the industry respected our larger silhouettes more than just some throw away toy they have disposed of because it’s not trendy anymore."

It’s not just Ozempic that’s to blame. Financially, times are tough, and this is affecting the fashion sector — the global luxury market lost around 50 million customers in 2024, and growth will continue to slow for the next few years according to research from McKinsey. Plenty of fashion houses are relying on nostalgia as a way to guarantee sales — look at Louis Vuitton reviving its partnership with Murakami, Chloé bringing back the Paddington bag, Dior showing ‘J’adore Dior’ T-shirts and McQueen re-introducing the skull print scarf. It's said that trends tend to repeat themselves every 20 years, meaning that the early Noughties aesthetic is now in full swing. A huge part of that era’s aesthetic? Being ultra-skinny.

It’s also a well known fact that accommodating different body sizes is more expensive for a brand. As designer Sinéad O'Dwyer explains: “It is easier to design for one shape and size of person each season and always a person that has more of a flat shape so that it is not necessary to think about the architecture of the garment as much.” She continues that, when it comes to luxury fashion, “The need to move so quickly for profit doesn't leave time to sample across different shapes — it’s easier to keep people small than to create more sizes.”

Her show, however, stood out at London Fashion Week as one of the most inclusive — as it always does. She explains: "I genuinely think it [being inclusive] is the most ethical way to work, and the only way to create better products that fit more people. I also think it is the most inspiring way to create new design."

We are also living in politically fraught times; conservatism is on the rise, and the rights of marginalised communities are under attack. Women’s bodies have been the subject of many a debate throughout history — in particular, how we use them and how we dress them. Unfortunately, much of the fashion industry’s output is through the male gaze. This was clearly evident at the Duran Lantink show in Paris last week, where a male model walked the runway with a pair of novelty fake breasts, which audiences laughed and pointed at. This was accompanied by videos of them being licked and fondled backstage. It was what you might expect to see at a lads stag-do, and designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu took to her personal Instagram account to write on her Story: “Disappointed to see mockery of the female body by a young male designer that I actually loved and respected. Honestly it’s so tiring to see men still using our bodies in this medieval mind set.”

Fındıkoğlu is another independent designer whose work embraces and celebrates the female form. Her Autumn/Winter 2025 show at London Fashion Week was entitled 'Venus From Chaos' and drew inspiration from the Roman goddess, symbolising feminine liberation. Charli XCX wore look 9 straight from the runway to the Brits, where she won five awards for her stratospheric 2024 album 'Brat'. On stage, collecting her award for Artist of the Year, the singer started her speech by saying: "I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples" in regards to her sheer black dress. This served as yet another reminder that women's bodies are held in a different regard to men's, and that despite our best efforts, they continue to be policed and objectified.

All of this is a hard pill to swallow when the majority of fashion consumers are women. The clothes that have been modelled by ultra-thin people this season will not fit most of our bodies, because they weren’t designed with them in mind. Designer Karoline Vitto believes: “I don’t believe body diversity was ever really factored in by most big brands. Those that made an effort were diverse for only one season or two.” For bigger labels, it is about adapting to a trend, but for smaller, independent designers like herself, it’s baked into their DNA. “Being inclusive is a natural process for me and my work; I’ve always found it bizarre that it’s not the norm. Design is supposed to start from the body – that’s our job as designers – and personally I find it more interesting if this body is real”.

However, she points out that while luxury is experiencing a sales slowdown, it’s even tougher for smaller labels like hers. “We simply do not have the structure in place to show every season. If one of us doesn’t show, diversity numbers plummet… this was made very clear this season.” It can feel pretty hopeless, but as Vitto points out: “Culture shifts, and I really hope the pendulum swings to the opposite direction soon.” Here's to hoping.