This season, a couple of major labels featured mid and plus-size models in their shows — including Balenciaga and Givenchy. It wasn’t the first time: in previous seasons, those moments of visibility hinted that luxury houses might be starting to consider bigger bodies, and harness the major missed opportunity in mid and plus-size consumers. But the lack of consistency — and the overall decline in representation across the wider schedule — suggests those efforts remain isolated.
Against a backdrop of rising conservatism, obsessive self-optimization, and growing use of GLP-1s, these moments of inclusivity, while positive, don’t offer the same level of hope they once did. In fact, they are stark reminders that curve models on the runway are increasingly rare, and increasingly obvious, as the rest of the models continue to shrink.
Of the 7,817 looks presented across 182 shows and presentations for Fall/Winter 2026, 97.6% were straight-size (US 0-4), 2.1% were mid-size (US 6-12), and 0.3% were plus-size (US 14+). The results were slightly down on last season, when straight-size looks represented 97.1% of the total, mid-size looks made up 2% (this figure has now been roughly flat for the past three seasons), and plus-size looks made up 0.9%. This means plus-size representation has dipped to the same level as we saw in FW25, the lowest level since Vogue Business began tracking size inclusivity three years ago.
As with previous seasons, Vogue Business has analyzed 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.
Buyers and casting directors believe that the decision-making power lies with brands. “[The lack of size inclusivity] is from the brand side — there are ample curve women who are ready to walk,” says casting director Chloe Rosolek, who cast London-based size inclusive designer Karoline Vitto’s show this season. “The primary limitation remains the size ranges that brands make available to wholesale partners,” adds Tiffany Hsu, chief buying officer at Mytheresa and group fashion venture officer at parent company LuxExperience.