‘I avoided fashion week for a long time because I felt I didn’t fit in. I felt that if a brand doesn’t make my size they’re not going to want me to be a part of fashion week. Personal style and catwalks should be accessible to all but fashion week made me feel like such an outsider.
When I built myself up to become more of a name through modelling I realised I had to show up. I started going to parties and off-schedule shows, but it took a while before I was ready to go to the official shows. I think it’s difficult because when you get invited you want to feel like you can be part of it. But, I’ve got a handful of friends that I always see on the front row and they will be dressed head-to-toe in that designer. But, when it comes to me, it’s like “what can we get to fit her?” and I might end up just wearing a pair of designer earrings. It’s really, really frustrating, I want to show up to their show, they want me to promote their show but all I can wear is a pair of bloody earrings. And there’s nothing I can really do about it because the designers don’t make my size. I still want to be there, I still want to show up and have a presence, and dress nice and I know if I don’t show up, if I don’t have a presence at fashion week there might not be anyone my size at the show.
I do feel used but there is a the battle of “what are my options?” I have to show up every single season and be like I am here, you need to make my size. I feel like I need to prove that I can get just as much press as everyone else on the front row. I feel like if I don’t do it who is going to represent? It’s simple, I need to be seen, be vocal, and make sure that my opinion is heard.
Fashion week can be quite intimidating. I get very stressed when working out what to wear to big events like fashion week because most of the other ‘influencers’ invited can wear anything that they want to within reason, anything. But with me, you know, most brands might go up to a 16 maximum. I find myself saying, “OK well maybe if it’s stretchy I might be able to get into it.” Most of the time though I end up wearing ASOS, River Island, Pretty Little Thing. I might love the high street but sometimes I get frustrated luxury designers don’t want to see a bigger body like mine in their clothes.
My message to fashion week would be: Be inclusive. The world is diverse, you should be appealing to everyone. Logically if we had different body types and people consumers are going to buy more things, we just want something we can relate to.
Sadly, I’m not sure fashion week is going to listen to me.'
This article was conducted as an interview and edited and condensed by the Grazia team.
Read More From Our Voices Of Fashion Series:
Tess Holliday: Fashion's Residual Plus-Size Representation Problem
Munroe Bergdorf: The Fashion Industry Needs To Treat Inclusivity As More Than A Trend