The Vogue Business Spring/Summer 2025 size inclusivity report

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There was very limited progress in size inclusivity this season, our exclusive research has found — a fact that will come as no surprise to those who watched the shows. The body positivity movement has lost steam in mainstream culture as the pendulum has swung back to the glamorisation of thinness, amid the rising use of Ozempic and the subsequent shrinking of celebrities and influencers. And, as predicted, this showed up on the Spring/Summer 2025 runways.

The Vogue Business size inclusivity report showed a plateau in size inclusivity efforts across New York, London, Milan and Paris. Of the 8,763 looks presented across 208 shows and presentations, 0.8 per cent were plus-size (US 14+), 4.3 per cent were mid-size (US 6-12) and 94.9 per cent were straight-size (US 0-4). Plus-size representation is level with last season, at 0.8 per cent. Mid-size representation has inched up from 3.7 per cent — partly driven by the use of muscular men in co-ed shows, who typically present as mid-size. But there also appeared to be more straight-size models at the extremely thin end of the scale.

There was also a continued decline in plus and mid-size representation from some of fashion’s most prominent luxury brands. “For me, it was the worst season in a long time,” says Emma Davidson, fashion features director at Dazed, who has reported on size inclusivity (or lack thereof) in fashion for a number of years. “It has felt like brands were turning their back on inclusive casting for a while, but this season, I sat in my seat a few times at shows where bigger models had previously been present, and it was so disheartening to see no representation — this season feels like the nail in the coffin.”

As with previous seasons, Vogue Business analysed every runway show and presentation featured on Vogue Runway from the official New York, London, Milan and Paris schedules to calculate the proportion of total looks that are straight, mid and plus-size. Brands were contacted to allow them to verify the data and informed that if they did not respond, the initial figures collected by Vogue Business would be used. Sizing ranges were determined based on typical sample sizes for straight sizing and established definitions of mid and plus-size.

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In Paris, Ester Manas topped the ranking as in previous seasons. Out of 28 looks, the show featured nine mid-size (25 per cent) and seven plus-size (31.1 per cent) models. The show, entitled ‘The Elephant in the Room’, featured an inflatable elephant on the runway. As Vogue Runway’s Nicole Phelps reported, the mood board featured images by Helmut Newton, an “Ozempic Games” message tee, and a telling phrase: “Should I over-explain myself or remain misunderstood?” The elephant in the room is that they’re a size-inclusive brand in a country where a US 6/EU 38 is considered curvy, the designer told Phelps. “It’s a very trendy and sensitive topic, but that’s our elephant,” she said. “We didn’t necessarily want to talk about it; we just wanted to make clothes for everyone.”