Australian fashion week to feature first plus-size runway

Plus-size clothing will have a dedicated runway show at Australian fashion week this year, for the first time in the event’s 26-year history.

Diversity has become a watchword for the fashion industry in recent years, but at the higher end of the market, size inclusivity is a particular sticking point.

In Australia, many of the designers who show their collections at fashion week do not make clothing above a size 12 or 14.

Last year’s Australian fashion week drew significant criticism for its lack of larger bodies on the runway, with model Kate Wasley branding size diversity “non existent”.

Adaptive fashion – clothing designed for customers with disabilities – will also be featured in a stand-alone runway show.

The Adaptive Clothing Collective will custom-make every runway look specifically for the needs of their models. Adjustments include magnetic fastenings in place of buttons, and higher seat rises in pants, for wheelchair users.

Australian fashion week’s consumer-facing closing show in 2021 received criticism on social media for failing to consider the needs of model and Paralympian Rheed McCracken, who had to push his wheelchair down a runway covered in streamers and confetti.

Australian fashion week is traditionally a trade event, where designers present samples of their upcoming collections for wholesale buyers and media. The Adaptive Clothing Collective and the Curve Edit will both break fashion week’s usual business model.

Source: The Guardian.com