Watch our panel of five incredible and opinionated wāhine talk about the state of size inclusivity in Aotearoa, hosted by “fat babe” and multidisciplinary artist Tanya Barlow.
With the political and societal shifts and movements happening across the world in recent years, fashion is one of many industries that has been pressured by consumers to become more ‘inclusive’ - from the representation of who is featuring in campaigns to the diversity of those working behind the scenes, and the offering of clothing that is actually available to shop and buy.
These conversations rightly range from the need for more inclusivity in terms of gender, identity, ethnicity, age, ability and more - a push for an industry that has, for years, helped perpetuate a Euro-centric beauty standard that is white, thin and cis.
Things are changing, and the key to this change is increased kōrero around these sometimes uncomfortable topics - and one of those is the topic of sizing, and the place of size inclusivity and fat liberation in the fashion space.
In the New Zealand fashion industry, there are some figureheads who are driving those conversations and encouraging others - from fashion designers to stylists to media - to look at their own internalised fatphobia.
These are conversations we’ve been honoured to host on Ensemble, and we wanted to continue this with a panel chat featuring five incredible and opinionated wāhine.
The conversation was led by “fat babe” and multidisciplinary artist Tanya Barlow, who was joined by Sarah-Jane Duff, plus-size designer and founder of label Lost and Led Astray, Qiane Matata-Sipu, founder of NUKU and social activist, Jess Molina, writer, influencer and advocate, and Kaarina Parker, model and writer.
Their conversation was wide-ranging, touching on the state of size inclusivity today and whether it has and is improving, whether brands who use terms such as "for every body" and "size inclusive", while offering limited extended sizes are simply cashing in, and whether consumers should be pressuring brands to extend sizes, or focus on supporting existing inclusive brands.
Duff, who has been a plus-size fashion designer for 15 years, offered a unique insight. “I meet these women and see these women and try to make clothes that actually fit their bodies, rather than make them fit into fashion,” she said.
Molina, who is widely respected in the local industry for her perspective on the lack of visibility of fat bodies in fashion, spoke about the possible emptiness of the buzzword ‘inclusivity’ and her own personal experiences.
“To feel like I have to fight and make myself be really loud for brands to be like, ‘oh actually yes we will cater to you’, that is so exhausting,” she said.
“Existing in a fat body, it feels like a privilege to go into a store and have something that you can physically try on,” she says. “I love made to order stuff, made to measure and having that option, but at the same time if you’re in a crisis, you just want to look hot on a date, I want to go into a store and just buy something off the rack. There aren’t a lot of options for that.”
As a ‘curve’ model, Parker had a unique take too. “So often the styling of curve and plus size people, as a model I’ve experienced this as well - the focus is on masking your body, or trying to make you as physically small as possible, or covering up areas that people consider to be ‘undesirable’.”
“I want to see everyday wear being made to fit our bodies,” commented Matata-Sipu. “I want to wear well-fitting, beautifully made clothing that I can rock every day, and be proud of who made it, how it’s been made, but also just know that I look and feel good when I’m in it.”
We are so thrilled to share this important kōrero, which was also shared as part of the Festival of Fashion on Stuff.
