Paloma Elsesser has walked the biggest runways and appeared on the biggest covers. Now, she's just made history as the first curve model to win at The Fashion Awards.
'Wow, I'm very very shocked and very very grateful,' was the first thing she said as she stepped up to the mic, thanking her peers who were nominated for Model of the Year: 'I wouldn't be able to endure how beautiful and hard this industry is without all of you,' she said. (Incidentally, she chose to wear a simple yet scene-stealing gown by Ferragamo, a house that she refers to as 'her family' on Instagram.) As soon as she said, 'I'm the first curve model to win this award,' the applause was so resounding that she had to stop speaking for a good 20 seconds.
Size inclusivity might be a buzzword in fashion right now, but that doesn't mean it's actually entered the mainstream. While some brands - and they tend to be independent labels with young designers at the helm like Sinead O'Dwyer - have always made a point of championing a range of bodies, a lot chose to simply show the same figure again and again and again. Elsesser winning at an event like The Fashion Awards, where she's previously lost out to Bella Hadid, is a step in the right direction. Let's hope that all the cheering and whooping makes more brands think about the real women who buy their clothes.