By Cydneii Lung’aho and Molly Madden
On Wednesday, 11 March, 2026 a panel discussion took place at London Metropolitan University focused on body positivity and the future of fashion. The event featured Cyprian DeCoteau, fashion journalist and stylist; Aleksandra Volkova, founder and CEO of VolkovaAgency a PR, fashion, and talent agency; James Hunting, textile artist and fashion educator; Omar Mansoor, fashion designer; Alba Ribes, model; Anita Bhagwandas, beauty journalist and author of Ugly: Giving Us Back Our Beauty Standards.
17:10 Dr Wendy Sloane, BA Journalism and BA Fashion Marketing and Journalism course leader and the Deputy Dean of the School of Computing and Digital Media, introduces the theme: Beyond Body Positivity: Who Fits Fashion Now? After a brief welcome, she passes the microphone over to Taya Mwah, a second year Fashion Marketing and Journalism student and drag queen who was hosting the event. Taya introduces herself to the audience then introduces each panelist and gives a brief description of their jobs.
Photo by Maria Lucchetti
17:16 Stephanie asks the first question to the panel: “In the past ten years, we were making headway in the fashion industry, do you think we’re going back now and why?” Ribes begins by saying that runways have less representation for curvy and plus-sized bodies but big brands like Victoria’s Secret and Balenciaga have been increasing their representation over the past few years.
DeCoteau says London Fashion Week and other major cities runways represents .001% of the population and yet everyone has clothes. He argues that we need to think carefully and intentionally about what we’re doing and why: “No one is disputing that body positivity is an issue, it it the most important issue?”
17:23 DeCoteau and Bhagwandas respond to student Cydneii’s question about what roles social media play in setting beauty and body standards and how can society unlearn them. Bhagwandas says celebrities have had a bigger influence than fashion magazines and the shift in power isn’t necessarily a good thing, DeCoteau says “thank God for social media, more voices are being platformed”.
He goes on to say: “It’s journalism and death- the current system caters to a small portion of the world with spring and summer catwalks.” Hunting chimes in by saying “we need to stop paying so much attention to what’s happening on the catwalks, we should start looking at is as theatre and not fashion.”
17:32 Leo asks if the fashion industry uses body positivity as a marketing tool or if brands are truly interested in progress. Ribes begins the conversation by sharing her experience with fit modeling and fit reviews as an analysis of returns rather than being used in the design process. Volkova adds that its difficult to use different sized models for creating clothes.
17:34 Bhagwandas discusses the political climate and how it goes hand in hand with beauty standards. She explains the pattern with the rises in conservatism and the “traditional” beauty standards that celebrate skinniness: “When there is political unrest everything shrinks down.”
17:37 Claudia asks about AI, DeCoteau speaks about his work with Simon Foxton at i-D magazine: opening the scope of understanding about these technologies creating pictures and campaigns that represent what he would want to see because “technology is not about what is is but how you use it”. Hunting says that “it’s a tool that we use well or use it badly, ask it the right questions and we get the right things from it (vice versa).” Volkova responds by saying that everyone at some point in history was afraid of new things. And Mansoor says “AI does not remove diversity at any angle.”
17:47 Kim asks if AI models will replace human models. Ribes responds saying she doesn’t think think so because AI is very bland and doesn’t stimulate people the way real life models do. Volkova says “perfection doesn’t sell as well as humanity”.
17:50 Ben asks Mansoor and Hunting how up-and-coming brands can reduce costs of making various sizes in order to be more inclusive. Hunting says he doesn’t know where the size 0 rhetoric came from but that “women’s bodies are policed by the male gaze”. Bhagwandas talks about the history of the appeal of thin white women, which began in the 1800s in the western world.
17:55 The conversation shifts to size standarisation and the lack thereof. “You have to look beyond the size of an item and focus on the fit of the clothes,” Hunting says. Volkova speaks about the size disparity across difference countries and the difference in body type ideal around the world.
Ribes chimes in with “our bodies are not supposed to fit the clothes the clothes are supposed to fit us.” Student Wali asks what role does clothing manufacturing play into the sizing issue? DeCoteau says “buy local, find a seamstress and collaborate because manufacturing doesn’t factor in everyone, we invented AI we can make out own shirts.”
Photo by Maria Lucchetti
18:08 Bhagwandas speaks about her personal experience with body positivity and why it’s so natural for her to write about. “I felt so othered when I was interning at Vogue, it was awful, I was publicly fat shamed in front of the whole office and it was awful, so when I went to Marie Claire, I was like what can I do? So I started a column about it.”
18:10 Daniela asks the panel if the economy and inflation have any links with the return of idolizing thinness. Hunting nods enthusiastically and says “Yes, Gucci’s show last week was chilling and indicative of the world we’re living in and heading towards, a life harder than ever before,” in reference to the skinniness of the models.
DeCoteau heavily disagrees and talks about the drama and vision of luxury fashion houses. DeCoteau calls Demna’s collection a triumph for the creative direction and story telling that promotes risk and the very conversation we’re having. “Nobody here is naked,” he repeated multiple times throughout the event solidifying his stance that the lack of representation isn’t leaving anyone without clothing.
18:15 Taya ends the panel by thanking the panelists as well as Wendy and Sasha Raspopina, a lecturer in fashion journalism and digital media, who was the main force behind organising the event. The evening ends with a catwalk fashion show, showcasing London Met students strutting their stuff down a makeshift runway in the clothes that make them most confident.
Cydneii Lung’aho and Daniela Dogbe, student models before walking the runway. Credit: Molly Madden
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