Is fashion inclusive?
I went to a New Zealand fashion week event last week. It was the Breast Cancer Cure Designer Showcase, and it was kinda great because any of the clothes that were sent down the runway, you could basically head out to the shops and buy them that day (in theory).
There was a huge variety of well known Kiwi designers including Trelise Cooper, Moochi, Storm and more.
It was also great because It was the first “fashion week” I have attended, and it was quite fashiony. Lots of people dressed up and excited, including me.
It went for nearly an hour and the music, the lights, the designs and the models were all amazing and professional. It wasn’t hard to notice twhen there was diversity and when there wasn’t, though.
Like any industry, the fashion industry needs to reflect the community of people around it.
So did the clothes, the models, the looks, reflect the community of people who would buy these clothes? Or the people who came to support breast cancer? The people in the audience who could effectively walk across the road from the big shed into the city of Auckland and shop the brands?
Hmmmm……
I would say top marks for:
Age diversity of models. There was lots of young beautiful women and a smattering of stunning women in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and maybe one in her 60’s.
The thought was given to diversity of race and culture of the models.
There may have been one non-binary model, but I can’t say for sure.
The downside?
There was one model who would have been bigger than a size 8. She was maybe a size 14 to 16 and stunning. I reckon at least 50% of the audience would have been over a size 14, and would have liked to see the clothes on different sizes.
There was a one model with a visible disability. She came down the runway in her wheelchair twice, which was great, but a little tokenistic, but also great. You know?
All around me I have been seeing billboards and videos promoting an RNZ docuseries called Cutting the Curve that seems to have been realised to coincide just in time for NZ Fashion week. I’m looking forward to watching because it seems to target the lack of body diversity I saw:
“Cutting the Curve is a bold, intimate docuseries that asks, 'What is the cost of being visible only when it's marketable?' In an era of Ozempic bodies and curated tokenism, curve and plus-size women speak with fierce honesty about visibility, rejection, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up when your body is no longer trending.”
Last week was also a podcasty kinda week. I recorded with the fab Megan Dougherty and talked about the business of podcasting (cause she knows all the things). I’ll let you know when that episode is out. I also interviewed Dr Amanda Sterling on her recent survey on Women in Leadership. You can download her Women in Leadership: Insights to Action Report 2025 here and her episode will be out soon.
Her research with over 200 women in leadership found that one of the top factors of women’s leadership success is formal leadership development, along with supportive managers, partner support and flexible work.
When I have attended leadership programs they always seemed to come at the right time. When I was struggling. When I wasn’t sure where my career was heading. When I needed some clarity and confidence.
Not only have I had organisations invest in me attending leadership programs, which helped me be successful, but the women’s leadership programs I run with Xplore, are often life changing for the participants, and the organisations that invest in leadership programs are more likely to retain and promote their female talent, at each level of the talent pipeline.
Want to know more? Let’s chat.
Lisa xx