The necessity for being skinny is frequently justified by those in the industry, claiming that it helps the clothes hang more nicely and that it helps the buyers picture how they would appear in stores. If buyers are unable to envision clothing without the presence of incredibly skinny models, as well as if designers are unable to design and create clothing, inclusive designs, that fit a range of sizes, then what claim can the fashion industry have to creativity (Hoskins, 2022)?
What exactly is inclusive design?
The Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) is a global community, that proactively has been working on effectuating inclusive designs in our society since 1994 (Inclusive Design Research Centre, n.d.). IDRC describes inclusive design as; “…design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference.” (Inclusive Design Research Centre, n.d.). IDRC’s perspective on design recognizes human diversity while respecting that everyone is a unique individual and acknowledges that we all may have varied interactions with the same design interface or product depending on the situation (Costanza-Chock, 2020).
The Spanish fashion designer, Cristóbal Balenciaga designed clothes that were meant to suit a variety of sizes in women. Balenciaga's clothes were in fact repeatedly modeled by short and stocky women. He was ahead of his time, with inclusivity. One of Balenciaga's fitters even comforted clients with ‘Monsieur Balenciaga likes a little stomach’ (Hoskins, 2022).
(Soeren Le Schmidt SS24, Left: Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Right: Dar Salim, Images by Camilla Vodstruo-Øverup, retrieved: https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/soeren-le-schmidt-ss24 November 2023)
Another more contemporary designer who is known for his inclusive designs is the Danish fashion designer Soeren Le Schmidt. The 35-year-old designer’s designs are often associated with red-carpet designs for celebrities in Denmark as well as internationally (Soeren Le Schmidt, n.d.). Le Schmidt is also known for designing pieces for the Danish royals, such as Crown Princess Mary.
His collections are honoring diversity by emphasizing gender fluidity and culture (Soeren Le Schmidt, n.d.). Le Schmidt’s fashion show titled ‘The Final Dance’ for Copenhagen Fashion Week 2023, was very inclusive in the way that he chose to present his new collection with several different well-known and famous people. For instance, the first model to open the show was the former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, followed by other famous Danish musicians, actresses, and recognized people within the world of fashion. Le Schmidt stated in Vogue Scandinavia that his designs; ”...match all genders, all types of personalities, all body types... So I decided to include personalities in the cast that have been supporting me since day one. People that I admire.” (McInerney, 2023). With this said, you can say that in some way, other than supporting inclusivity, he also opens up a political debate regarding what the individual celebrity stands for.
Bibliography:
Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Chapter 1, Design Values: Hard-Coding Liberation? In S. Costanza-Chock, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need (pp. 32-68). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Hoskins, T. (2022). Chapter six, The Body Politic. In T. Hoskins, The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 158-194). London: Pluto Press.
Inclusive Design Research Centre. (n.d.). Inclusive Design Research Centre, About Us. Retrieved November 2023, from Inclusive Design Research Centre: https://idrc.ocadu.ca/about/
Inclusive Design Research Centre. (n.d.). Inclusive Design Research Centre, About, Philosophy. Retrieved November 2023, from Inclusive Design Research Centre: https://idrc.ocadu.ca/about/philosophy/
McInerney, C. (2023, August 15). Vogue Scandinavia, Fashion, Soeren Le Schmidt - SS24. Retrieved November 2023, from Vogue Scandinavia: https://www.voguescandinavia.com/articles/soeren-le-schmidt-ss24
Soeren Le Schmidt. (n.d.). Soeren Le Schmidt, About, BRANDING PORTRAIT. Retrieved November 2023, from Soeren Le Schmidt: https://www.soerenleschmidt.com/about