Rewriting The Rules: The Brands That Changed Plus-Size Fashion In 2017

2017 was a groundbreaking year for plus-size fashion. Unless you hit the snooze button for all of September, it was hard to miss the headlines about plus-size models walking for household names like Michael Kors and Anna Sui, as well as labels that have adopted inclusivity for a while now, like Christian Siriano and Chromat. Beyond the runways, Victoria Beckham’s sold-out Target collection was available in sizes 0 to 24 (all of which were, for the first time, sold in stores), and Project Runway finally got on the inclusion bandwagon, moving from the “Real Woman” challenge to hiring plus-size models for the full season.

The same was reflected in real life: Britney Young played Carmen Wade on GLOW, Chrissy Metz continued playing Kate Pearson on This Is Us, and the podcast She’s All Fat saw a meteoric rise in listeners and fans. Model Paloma Elsesser starred in Glossier’s “Body Hero” campaign, as well as in Fenty Beauty and Pat McGrath ads, and topped it her stellar year off by telling the world: “Fat is not an insult.”

We also saw more plus-size brands launch in 2017 than any other year, bringing inclusive fashion and, more importantly, choices to plus-size women. The four we spotlight ahead, all of which were founded in 2017, ignore outdated and restrictive rules about what plus-size people “should” wear, and acknowledge and incorporate the body politics that come with their customers into their clothes. They’re unapologetically putting fashion first, and leading the way to show that fashion can — and should be — truly for every body.