Money and planning push curvy models off fashion runways

Curvy models appeared in just two of 34 official shows at the latest Copenhagen Fashion Week, according to DR, as the fashion industry once again relies heavily on very thin models after several years of focusing on diversity.

The two shows featuring curvy models were Gestuz and OpéraSport. Gestuz, a brand owned by Ikast-based company DK Company, continues to use models of different sizes, ages and skin tones.

“We reflect reality instead of a dream world,” DK Company chief executive Jens Obel told DR. “If you walk down a shopping street in any city, you do not only see people who wear size 34.”

Gestuz used models ranging from size 36 to size 44 at the fashion week. Copenhagen Fashion Week also requires models to undergo a health check, particularly to help prevent eating disorders.

Obel said the trend was moving in the opposite direction, pointing to very thin pop stars and influencers as well as the leading fashion cities of Milan and Paris, where models wearing size 34 or smaller are used consistently.

Production costs limit diversity

Model caster Anja Gildum, who found models for Gestuz and several other brands, said practical and financial considerations also make it harder for curvy models to appear on the runway.

Some new and smaller brands want to become more size-inclusive but cannot afford to produce the same dress in three different sizes, she said.

Fashion samples are traditionally produced in only one size. Internationally, that is usually size 34 to 36, while the standard in Denmark is size 36 to 38. The clothes shown at fashion weeks are typically made shortly beforehand and often exist as only one prototype. They are put into production later, while models are generally hired just one week before the show.

Gildum said larger brands should have the financial resources to show models in more sizes.

“We should try to reflect the women in society, and they are not all size 32 or size 44,” she said. “If you have the finances and the production company behind you, I do not really think there is a good excuse not to show some curvy women as well.”

Copenhagen Fashion Week to review diversity

Obel, who sits on the board of Copenhagen Fashion Week, said diversity was part of the event’s identity. Brands signing up for the official show calendar agree to provide diversity in age, size and appearance.

“Perhaps not everyone has fully complied with that,” Obel said, adding that he expected the policy to be reviewed closely.

Despite a period of increased diversity in fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Week has repeatedly been criticised for being shaped by a thinness trend and has been dubbed “Wegovy week.”