Fashion
Thinness is back on catwalks — and the data proves it
By
AFP
Published
October 16, 2025
After a short interlude of pushing “body inclusivity” and plus-sized models to the fore, the fashion industry has returned to promoting thinness as a beauty ideal.
Data published this week from Vogue Business, based on catwalk shows in the most recent Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Weeks, corroborated what models with regular or larger body sizes have been reporting: their work is drying up.
Of the 9,038 looks analysed in New York, London, Milan and Paris, 97.1 percent featured models judged to be very small (US 0-4, UK 4-8 or 32-36 in France), according to data from Vogue Business in its size inclusivity report.
Regular-sized models represented only 2.0 percent of the body types seen, compared to just 0.9 percent for “plus-size” models (US 14+, UK 18+, France 44+), the report showed.
“There are fewer and fewer plus-size models on the runways,” Aude Perceval, a booker at Plus Agency, a pioneer in plus-size modeling in France, told AFP.
The trend was particularly pronounced in Paris, she added.
This is despite many designers adopting looks that naturally create curvy silhouettes, such as corsets.
In some cases, models have been sent out with padding around their hips to create the hourglass shape.
“Since 2022, there’s been a real regression, both in the frequency of contracts and in fees,” model Doralyse Brumain, 31, who wears a French 40-42, told AFP.
The “body positive” movement, born in the 2010s, was based on the idea of promoting acceptance of different body types and recognising the damage done by creating a beauty ideal of thinness that was both unhealthy and beyond the reach of most women.
In the same way that fur and flashy fashion is making a comeback, so is the aesthetic of extreme thinness that was called “heroin chic” in the 1990s when popularised by supermodels such as Kate Moss.
“There’s this false idea that being thin means being chic, being rich,” said French model casting director Esther Boiteux to AFP.
The wide availability of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic — used to suppress appetite — has also been linked to the return of thinness.
The diabetes treatment “has something to do with it because we’re seeing a lot of celebrities who are using it”, British Vogue editor Chioma Nnadi said last November.
“I think there’s this shift in the culture around how we think about our bodies and how we address our bodies,” she told the BBC.
Clothes for fashion shows are also typically designed and manufactured in a single size — that of “standard” thin models — and making clothes for regular or larger models requires forethought and extra time to adapt them.
Ekaterina Ozhiganova, a Russian-born model and founder of the Model Law association, which advocates for model rights, says that consumers are in favour of seeing models in different sizes.
“But for it to become truly sustainable, there would need to be a profound change in production,” she told AFP, adding that the industry continued to sell “an unattainable ideal”.
French designer Jeanne Friot believes fashion runways should instead be a place where everyone can envision themselves.
“The point of a fashion show is to showcase something different from the fashion I grew up with, very thin and very standardized. I want to see (larger) sizes… older people, all ethnicities, all genders,” she told AFP.
For the moment, sighting a regular-sized woman on the catwalk is an increasingly rare occurrence, but the change is not going unnoticed.
“We have to speak out when fashion messes up and establishes a standard it should abandon,” French fashion journalist Sophie Fontanel wrote on Instagram in early October as she watched the Givenchy show during Paris Fashion Week.
mdv/adp/rhBy Marine DO-VALE
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Directed and shot by Mert Alas, the new chapter sharpens the focus on denim as the ultimate expression of personal style through icon Jung Kook’s distinctive and influential point of view as he lives in the moment.
Calvin Klein, owned by PVH Corp., has unveiled its Spring 2026 denim campaign fronted by BTS icon Jung Kook.
Directed and photographed by Mert Alas, the cinematic film fuses music, movement and city energy, highlighting 90s Straight, Baggy and reworked Trucker silhouettes.
A special appearance by Rosie Perez amplifies the brand’s signature visual storytelling.
The campaign unfolds across a series of immersive worlds, unified and guided by Jung Kook’s style, attitude and way of living. The high-impact film fuses fashion and entertainment, moving to an instantly recognizable soundtrack and brought to life through the artist’s signature choreography and commanding presence. The interplay of music and movement – complete with a cameo from New York City legend Rosie Perez – captures the impact synonymous with Calvin Klein’s iconic visual storytelling.
Calvin Klein jeans are at the center of the wardrobe with hero silhouettes leading the narrative: the effortless attitude of the 90s Straight; the relaxed and nostalgic proportions of the Baggy; and new interpretations of the iconic Trucker jacket — all reimagined with elevated washes and designed for versatility. Casual logo tees and oversized bombers complete the looks, reinforcing denim as both uniform and statement.
“I love Calvin Klein jeans because they’re designed to be lived in,” said Jung Kook. “The looks I wore for this campaign nod to ‘90s style while feeling completely modern. It was exciting to bring together my love of music, dance and fashion against the energy of the city.”
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Premier Li Qiang, who delivered the report at the opening of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing, said the growth target is “well aligned with the country’s long-range objectives through the year 2035 and is broadly in line with the long-term growth potential of China’s economy, with favorable conditions in place for achieving this target.”
China has set a GDP growth target of 4.5–5 per cent for 2026, alongside goals to stabilise employment, manage inflation, maintain grain output and cut emissions.
The plan also preserves flexibility for structural reforms under the 15th Five-Year Plan, aiming to balance steady economic expansion with long-term, high-quality and sustainable development.
Main development targets for 2026 also include a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 per cent, creation of over 12 million new urban jobs, a rise in the consumer price index of around 2 per cent, personal income growth in step with economic growth, a basic equilibrium in the balance of payments, grain output of around 700 million tonnes, and a drop of around 3.8 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP.
Qiang said the targets took into account the need to leave room for structural adjustments, risk prevention and reform in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30) period, to lay a solid foundation for improved performance in the coming years. Government at local level should, taking into account their own conditions, make solid efforts to deliver positive outcomes, he added.
Analysts said the 2026 target reflects a pragmatic approach in recognising structural and cyclical challenges facing the world’s second-largest economy, while pursuing reasonable growth in line with high-quality development.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (JP)
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