8 Ways Fashion Brands Can Be More Size-Inclusive
‘Plus-size’ has gained over 32 billion views on TikTok and the plus-size market a compound annual growth rate of 5.7%*. These simple figures suggest how being more size-inclusive is becoming a market goal but also a social necessity.
The Most Inclusive Brands According to Gen Z
Gen Z is by far the most ecological and social sensitive generation, making it the most conscious consumer group. Zoomers know which are the most inclusive brands to choose, new research by UNiDAYS unveils.
Valentino Transforms the World of Haute Couture
Kristen McMenamy, an icon in the fashion industry since the '90s, opened Valentino’s Haute Couture fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. That moment, everyone knew the Italian luxury fashion house had started a revolution in the industry.
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Valentino embraced body diversity during the Paris Haute Couture Week, hopefully inspiring other designers to follow their example.
The World Of Haute Couture
Haute couture is the world of high fashion. If we were to translate it literally, it means "high dressmaking". In other words, it refers to custom-made garments, designed by world-renowned designers and made from high-end, expensive fabrics and stitched with the utmost attention to detail by companies of the highest quality.
Haute couture fashion shows are a form of art. They are just like staging a play or choreographing a performance. From designing the garments to choosing the right models to deliver the message of the collection to selecting the music of the show. When all these little details come together they create a breathtaking fashion show. One of the most anticipated couture fashion shows is the Paris Haute Couture Week.
Valentino Is Redefining The Meaning Of Haute Couture
The world of haute couture consists of custom-made dresses with six-figure price tags and because it symbolises perfection it is seen as an unlikely conduit for modernity. Piccioli thinks otherwise, he sees the symbolic power of the diversity represented at one of the world's most important events as solidifying the winds of change. The shows during Fashion Week have always been about young, perfectly-looking, thin models walking down the runway displaying the garments. This year the creative director of Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli decided to follow a different path and go with something that has not been seen before. Models with grey hair and women of all sizes walked down the runway wearing the new collection of the brand.
The Meaning Behind The Show
When asked why Piccioli took on this approach to the show, he shares: “I wanted to break these rules and embrace the idea of different proportions of body, different sizes, different ages. But it was impossible to do this with just one house model. So, I broke the rules and got 10 house models with differently proportioned bodies”.
The runway show immediately stood out from all the others. It featured different body types and models of all ages such as Kristen McMenamy, Marie Sophie Wilson and Violeta Sanchez. In an interview with Vogue, Piccioli shares that those same models who walked on the runway were previously discouraged from even entertaining the possibility of walking couture. That is at the heart of the meaning of the collection. It is not made for a specific body type, more like for a variety of women with different body types and ages. The designer encourages the idea that there is no one definition of what beauty is.
Piccioli is on his way to redefining the way runway shows are heading by breaking down the stereotypes in the industry. He is starting a conversation among people in a position of power in the industry and fashion enthusiasts. One thing is certain – women of different ages, shapes and sizes deserve to be portrayed on the runway.
Beauty in 2022? Tia Roqaa's exclusive predictions
No crystal ball is needed to predict the biggest beauty trends for next year! We have Tia Roqaa, beauty expert and founder of beauty subscription box Roccabox, doing the job for us and sharing her expertise.
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What has the beauty industry in store for us in 2022? Roccabox founder and CEO, Tia Roqaa, foresaw the hottest beauty trends we will see and wear next year.
Tia knows well which products and beauty trends will be hot next and you should not be surprised by her foresight. Tia Roqaa is a real beauty expert, a woman who turned her passion for cosmetics and experience in PR into a curated and elegant beauty experience. In this blog, Tia delighted us with her 2022 beauty predictions.
Themes
Ph. Rodnae Productions, Pexels
“Inclusivity across beauty is really gaining pace, which is great to see. From race to gender, identity to ability, the beauty scene is finally responding to our very unique sets of needs and we’re seeing certain brands becoming genuinely more inclusive – rather than just talking the talk. It’s a conversation consumers have been having behind the scenes for a while, and it’s great to see brands are joining the narrative. At Roccabox we champion and support this movement, having already worked with some beauty brands such as Jecca Blac – a gender-free make-up collection that’s truly authentic and innovative in its brand mission of inclusivity.”
Trends
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“There are plenty of trends within the clean beauty movement that show signs of becoming even bigger and more exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing waterless products grow and innovate. Waterless products are products where the water has been removed which make them more sustainable. Water within a product requires a preservative to prevent bacteria from forming, so immediately you’re taking away the need for this preservative, making a cleaner product. You’re also reducing the need for plastic packaging, making them naturally more environmentally friendly. The result is a formula that is more potent as it’s undiluted.
I also love the growing trend for emo-beauty: products that have an additional impact on our emotional wellbeing as they perform their beauty function. It’s a beauty space with so much potential: in fact, we’re planning a limited edition emo-beauty Roccabox for 2022. I also think our fairly recent interest in scalp-care and our shift in perspective on the importance of treating our scalp for better hair health will continue to grow.”
Trends To Leave In 2021
“TikTok will remain a fun outlet for showing off beauty tips but I don’t think the beauty trends emerging on the platform will continue to hold much weight. They provided a fun distraction during the 2021 misery of lockdowns but I think in 2022 as lives get busy again we will leave those behind.”
Blue Light
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“Just as we came to understand how the sun damages our skin, and now protect it daily, it’s time to now consider other ways our living environment is impacting our skin and how to better protect it. We work in such a technological era - we’re sat in front of multiple screens for most of the day - so it’s time to adapt our skincare to protect ourselves from its potentially skin-damaging effects. Blue light is now proven to increase inflammation, prevent collagen production, and increase hyperpigmentation, particularly in darker skin tones. Both mainstream and smaller niche brands have already brought out some great protective products but I think we will soon start to see blue light protection added commonly to our daily moisturiser – in the same way, SPF is often added. I also think additional protective products, such as serums that offer blue light protection will become far more available, with brands offering us greater choice.”
Nostalgia Beauty
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“The emerging makeup nostalgia trends seem to be all about being as extra as possible: I think it’s a natural reaction to us all socialising again, and wearing all the make-up we sent into hibernation for a year! In 2022 I think we will see elements from different decades that favour high-octane glamour, look-at-me colour and playful looks. So for example high-shine plastic-looking glossy lips will be huge next year: a look that is borrowed from the ‘90s, ‘80s and the disco ‘70s. High-shine nude, lacquered red, vinyl berry tones: we’ll see it all next Spring. Victoria Beckham does a great line in super-glossy clear lip gloss, which we’ve been raving over at Roccabox, as does Fenty Beauty. I also love MAC’s range of lip glosses, including their classic Lipglass.”
Less Is More
“For many reasons, we’re seeing consumers looking to scale down their skincare and reduce the amount of products they use. We’re craving a ‘less is more’ approach to skincare right now and I believe this will continue. It’s going to call the beauty industry into creating more streamlined product lines, for sure, but just because we’re favouring a more simple and more gentle approach to skincare doesn’t mean we don’t expect to see the same results. So I expect brands will create more hybrid multi-functional products and will create cleaner formulas to reduce the chemical load we’re applying to our skin.”
Shopping Online
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“The online beauty shopping experience has definitely improved - online beauty retailers really had to up their game over these last 18 months and now shopping for both make-up and skincare online is no longer as challenging as it once was. Ingredients-search tools are always a handy way to navigate skincare purchasing and a good starting point for skincare shopping. Sites with visible independent reviews of products play an important role too, as customers often want to know how other consumers found the product in real life.
Colour-matching can be tricky online but I’ve seen some really innovative and effective colour-matching options on independent brand websites – the ‘find my shade’ option on ILIA’s website for example is particularly effective: it cleverly gives examples of hair and eye colour, as well as undertone, to help you determine your most seamless skin tone match.”
In 2022, the beauty industry will continue along the path toward inclusivity and holistic wellbeing seen during the pandemic. How Roccabox will reflect the new state of things in 2022? We asked Tia again...
Image courtesy of Roccabox
Roccabox 2022
“We’ve confirmed some of my personal favourite brands for 2022 – including Murad and Oskia. We have some incredible limited edition boxes in the pipeline – I can’t reveal much but they include some brand exclusives with a handful of hero brands that I think many of our customers will be really surprised to see! Our monthly boxes will continue to introduce our customers to really effective, results-driven skincare brands. This will include cosmeceutical brands, such as Doctors Formula, which we’ve already started to introduce our customers to – their products are second to none for seeing a genuine change in your skin. We know our customers might not otherwise have discovered this type of beauty brand, or they might have been reluctant to invest in their products given their higher price point, so we think what we do and whom we introduce customers to is really important.
We also plan to introduce our customers to the skincare ingredients that are set to be huge in 2022 – niacinamide is one that springs to mind – with ingredient-focused products that our team of experts have chosen for our boxes because they truly live up to the hype. I’m also really excited about the themes of our boxes for next year: I don’t want to give away any spoilers but the concepts we’ve chosen really tap into what customers are looking for in their beauty purchases right now.”
Meanwhile, In This Month's Roccabox...
Image courtesy of Roccabox
December Roccabox is the editors' wishlist in a box. This month's beauty box contains three full-sized products from brands Laritzy, Doctors Formula and Figs & Rouge, and two deluxe mini samples. This skincare and makeup chest is worth £180 and available for just £15. The beauty experts at Roccabox put these five products together after a year of testing and digging into the best and newest from the industry. December Roccabox 'Winter Wishlist' is all a beauty enthusiast would like for a glowy complexion ready to party and face the cold.
Roccabox monthly boxes and limited-edition boxes are available to purchase online starting from £15. (roccabox.co.uk)
Them - PrettyLittleThing celebrates everyone this holiday season
PrettyLittleThing helps us get into the right festive spirit with its latest campaign: ‘Them’. The new PLT collection celebrates everybody during the holiday season with models including he/she/they A’whora, known to the public for competing in the second season of Drag Race UK.
OPV Beauty launches on ASOS and Cult beauty
Beauty: a celebration of our truest selves through the playful use of colours. This is OPV Beauty, the house of all-inclusive and kaleidoscopically explosive makeup palettes.
Radiqal Tat SS22: Positive Otherness And Escapism
Radiqal Tat, a London-based brand headed by artist-come-designer Veronica Fox, debuted its collection with Fashions Finest on the 18th of September as part of LFW.
Photographer Mikey San
Featuring only plus-sized models, Radiqal Tat opened Fashions Finest’s LFW show. The explosive beat of ‘90s house music marked the beginning of the event.
One by one, the models showcased Radiqal Tat's SS22 collection which combined mesh, foam padding, deconstructed sports tops, a classic pencil-skirt silhouette and a skin-tone palette.
Completing the look, the models were styled with vibrant peach-coloured wigs. The collection is committed to playing with conventional ideas of fashion. Opting for what Fox calls an “almost run-of-the-mill” look, with bits missing and “bits not quite covering what should be covered”, the collection successfully transports the spectator away from the everyday.
Fox’s declaration of positive otherness and escapism in her work, she says was greatly inspired by '80s performance artist and maverick, Leigh Bowery, as well as Bowery’s collaborator dancer Michael Clark and designer duo BodyMap. All together they challenged the mainstream notions of fashionability through costume, music and movement.
Speaking to the event’s Creative Director, Tanya, she noted that the theme for the day was confidence and to ‘Bring the Fire’. Diversity in all forms was also key: 'Diversity is crucial because it opens up a different dimension to the world.' And Radiqal Tat certainly did this.
Fashion agency CeeDee debuts to celebrate the heritage and culture of Africa
In this fashion era where the beauty of multiculturalism is celebrated and exalted, a new fashion agency makes its entrance. CeeDee has recently debuted to celebrate the 'heritage and culture' of African style with its selection of independent fashion brands.
Fight ocean pollution a bag at a time with grüum
grüum, Manchester-based skincare and haircare brand, launched a new range of sustainable wash bags to help fighting ocean pollution thanks to a toiletry essential.
BFC Changemakers Prize, the nominees
The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced the nominees for the recently launched BFC Changemakers Prize in partnership with Swarovski, a new project which aims to discover and celebrate positive individuals within the fashion industry.