When designers approach representation as part of their brand identity, it effortlessly translates to the audience. Both legendary R&B singer Monica and
the Whoopi Goldberg independently praised Siriano’s commitment to making fashion for all backstage. “It was absolute elegance, and it was for every size, shape, color and creed, so many different types of women — and men! — in the show,” Monica noted. “Gives you all sorts of inspiration!” Goldberg summed it up even more succinctly: “Christian’s work just always inspires me and makes me so happy, because we can all wear it.”
That type of organic inclusion was also evident in Chuks Collins’s striking presentation, which ranged from lush topstitched knits to sharp suits to stunning structured ballgowns, all shown on a range of sizes and body types. (Collins was heavily influenced by how scarification, purposeful, ritual, and otherwise, can play into the way we present ourselves to the world.)
“I grew up seeing people that look like you, people that look like me,” Collins said. “My mom is not a size 2. My grandmother, who taught me to sew, she’s not a size 10. About 40 to 50% of my clients are plus size people. So I am not going to lie to myself and say ‘oh, my demographic, my ideal demographic is a size 2 to 4.’”
For Collins, who started the brand in 2006, building a collection for customers of all sizes is both a labor of love and a practical financial matter — after all, he’s building a label he wants to last. “I have to create clothes that people see themselves in, that they want to wear. With that, I’m becoming a successful business,” he noted. “I also just love dressing people with curves, because that’s what I started doing, that’s how I started my career. So I’m not going to — because of what, industry standards? — I’m not going to include that? And I love women. I love beautiful women with curves. I tell the stories of how I feel, and my work is a representation of myself.”
In the end, an outsized portion of the size diversity this season came from emerging designers and those making their CFDA debuts, such as Menyelek Rose of the eponymous label Menyelek. Designer Andrew Curwen, meanwhile, showed a sexy, directional, and haunting (complimentary!) collection. “Nocturnal Conditions” looked stunning on every figure, and the diverse cast (by F10 Casting agency) felt simultaneously natural and intentional.
Camryn Mcclain of RENÉE NYC also cited body diversity as integral to her inspiration: “For casting this season, we focused on different characters of everyday people of various shapes and sizes that reflect what I see in the city,” Mcclain said. That thoughtfulness complemented a presentation of some of the most interesting knitwear I’ve seen lately, with bold braiding and fringe details rendered in rich jewel tones and gilded neutrals.
