Plus-size model Ashley Graham, 36, still faces resistance from some designers when she asks to design clothes for her. “There are still some designers who say, ‘Sorry, we can’t, we’re just not going to design something for a fuller body,'” she told People magazine at the Good casting event on Saturday American” at “The Row” in Los Angeles.
“Things have changed enormously in some ways, but in others they have come to a complete standstill,” she continues. “And that’s why I’m not going to stop talking about my body and dressing people in larger sizes because that’s still not the norm.”
Graham believes that most designers want to create clothes for them, especially if they represent a younger brand. But the way the industry is currently structured, it costs more money to design clothes that fit and flatter people with larger bodies, she explains.
The star model also admitted that she sometimes pays for the extra fabric herself so that designers who don’t have money but would like to design an outfit for her have the opportunity to do so. “It’s not a bad thing by any means, but it’s just the way we are in society,” Graham says.
She explained that the grading system, or the way the cost of fabrics is determined, is a big factor for larger-bodied women in the fashion industry. Much of the industry’s infrastructure is simply not geared toward plus-size women. Graham stressed that while the industry is changing, more progress still needs to be made.
“If you look at the runways, not much has changed,” she continued. “If you look at the designers, some of them dress other body types, but that’s not the norm.”
According to Grahams, designers are missing out on a lot of money when they refuse to dress people, especially women of larger sizes. She named Good American co-founder Emma Grede as one of the only designers offering clothing for this demographic.
“Is it fatphobia? Is it because they are afraid of looking like they are addicted to commercialism? Is it because they are unable to understand what the correct gradation is for different body types when it comes to Chest, stomach, butt and cellulite? I don’t know,” Graham thought out loud.
