By Cydneii Lung’aho and Molly Madden
Body positivity has been at the forefront of fashion discussions for years, with many calling for more representation across catwalks, industry positions and advertising campaigns. While some argue that headway has been made over the last decade, the current rise in weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro has pushed notions that being anything other than skinny is ‘unacceptable’.
London Metropolitan University hosted a panel of esteemed industry experts to discuss the topics surrounding the body positivity movement and the future of the fits of fashion. The panellists included: 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, and Anita Bhagwandas, beauty journalist and author of Ugly: Giving Us Back Our Beauty Standards.
Taya Mwah, a second year Fashion Marketing and Journalism student at the university, opened the event to a lively audience all looking to get expert opinions on the subject.
Cyprian DeCoteau waiting patiently for his turn to answer. Credit Molly Madden
The first question, asked by one of the journalism students, started the conversation with the mark of body positivity over the last 10 years.
DeCoteau offered a simple answer that would go on to underline the entire conference. He said: “The London [fashion week] show and other major cities represent 0.001 percent of the population. We’re in a room with diverse bodies and everyone has clothes. We have to sometimes think carefully and intentionally about what we’re doing and why. No one is disputing that body positivity is an issue, is it the most important issue?”
The conversation flowed from there into a sea of buzzwords, including social media, AI, and politics.
When asked how social media has impacted the industry’s take on inclusivity, Bhagwandas spoke to the shift in power from magazines to phone screens. DeCoteau agreed, saying “thank God for social media”, as its existence has allowed more voices, businesses, and parts of the industry to be platformed.
From the local seamstress to the mighty conglomerate, inclusivity is not just about sizing or complexion. He went on to speak about the exclusion of the Southern hemisphere in the historical fashion cycles of spring/summer and fall/winter or even the reality of inconsistent sizing across brands and companies, to which the panel agreed.
Mansoor spoke of his designs, saying: “In Pakistan, our designs are made for the weather with flowiness and light fabrics, rather than the West’s desire to maintain strict cuts for the body.”
Hunting chimed in, saying: “We need to stop paying so much attention to what’s happening on the catwalks, we should start looking at it as theatre and not fashion.” He noted the return of skinny models and decline of the inclusivity the industry worked hard to achieve in previous years.
The “theatre” Hunting referred to was further explained by Bhagwandas, who turned attention to the current political climate. She said: “[Inclusivity] has a pattern that lends itself to society and history. With more right-leaning and conservative politics, there’s a pattern of shrinking sizes and consistently ‘traditional’ beauty standards.”
It may be safe to say, art truly imitates life, and the inclusion of AI in the conversation tackled some areas of progress and room for improvement. Although it’s often been a harbinger of doom, AI has also shown itself to be an opportunity to resist the propagandic return to “traditional” beauty images.
DeCoteau spoke about his previous work with Simon Foxton at i-D Magazine as he sought to open up the scope of understanding about fashion in the ’90s. Now, Foxton uses the same ethos with AI technology to create pictures and campaigns that represent what he would want to see.
Hunting, leaning on his career in education, applauded the usage and said: “[AI is] a tool that we use well or use it badly – ask it the right questions and we get the right things from it.”
Student models cheesin’ before the catwalk. Credit Molly Madden
Similarly, Ribes and Volkova spoke to the necessity and irreplaceable nature of models, especially healthy ones, in the industry.
Ribes said: “I don’t think so because AI is very bland. My job is to stimulate people and show how clothes fit and move. AI doesn’t stimulate people the way real life models do.”
Volkova agreed emphatically, saying: “Perfection doesn’t sell as well as humanity.”
Perhaps, without meaning to, the discussion highlighted just that: the humanity of it all and its importance in the fashion industry. Even in a mention of creative director Denma Gvasalia’s Gucci collection, Hunting and DeCoteau’s disagreement led to the need for controversy, opinion, and creativity that caters to every person in society.
After all, as DeCoteau said: “Nobody’s here naked!”
Panellists rounded the evening out urging students in the audience to remain vigilant and creative rather than afraid and complacent in an industry that’s ever changing.
DeCoteau spoke to intentionality and investment in the local community, while Ribes called on the determination and faith it takes to create a career out of a dream or desire. Hunting emphasised the necessity of well-rounded education, while Volkova and Bhagwandas spoke of championing personal experience for professional identity, uniqueness, and strength in the industry.
In a world that is so focused on the technological advancements that can be achieved, the uniqueness of our society has been lost. Mansoor said: “The inclusivity [in the world and in the industry] is still there but the panel deciding it hasn’t changed.”
It is our job, as the next generation, to change it.
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