Tess Holliday strutted her stuff on the runway at the Chromat fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 7. The plus size model didn’t just use the chance to look incredible. Her dress made a point about the way the fashion industry treats plus size bodies. The 34-year-old wore an ultra revealing white gown that was emblazoned with the words “sample size.”
Tess revealed on Instagram that Saturday’s show marked her first time “walking for a major designer” at New York Fashion Week. “I can’t think of anyone better to experience this with than @chromat!” she explained. “Thank you [Becca McCharen-Tran] — you’re changing the industry one runway at a time.”
Chromat, which turned ten this year, is known for its all-inclusive runway shows, which use models of all sizes, ages, races and abilities. One of this year’s swimsuit models was visibly pregnant and Tess was far from the only plus size model in the show.
1 of 7
Photo credit: Megan Cencula/WWD/Shutterstock
Tess posted a photo with all the models from the event, calling the night, “one of the most memorable and emotional moments of my entire career.... hell, my life!”
2 of 7
Photo credit: Megan Cencula/WWD/Shutterstock
“This is what diversity looks like, this is the future. We have always been here, but no one paid attention or cared because most of us pictured are outside of [the] status quo of what’s considered traditionally ‘beautiful,’” she explained.
3 of 7
Photo credit: WWD/Shutterstock
“We deserve to take up space, and trust me, we will. To know that I’ve spent my entire career advocating for more diversity in the fashion industry, and to be able to share the runway with so many others with the same mission was a feeling I will never forget,” she wrote. “Representation matters.”
4 of 7
Photo credit: WWD/Shutterstock
The “sample size” writing on Tess’ dress was a critique of the common fashion industry practice of only making dresses for collections in the smallest sizes. That keeps plus size models from walking in runway shows and it makes finding outfits for awards shows extremely hard for larger celebrities, since designers only want to lend samples.
5 of 7
Photo credit: MEGA
6 of 7
Photo credit: MEGA
Tess’ dress, then, reframes the idea of sample sizes to include all bodies, no matter their size.
7 of 7
Photo credit: MEGA
Tess posted a photo with all the models from the event, calling the night, “one of the most memorable and emotional moments of my entire career.... hell, my life!”
Photo credit: Megan Cencula/WWD/Shutterstock
“This is what diversity looks like, this is the future. We have always been here, but no one paid attention or cared because most of us pictured are outside of [the] status quo of what’s considered traditionally ‘beautiful,’” she explained.
Photo credit: Megan Cencula/WWD/Shutterstock
“We deserve to take up space, and trust me, we will. To know that I’ve spent my entire career advocating for more diversity in the fashion industry, and to be able to share the runway with so many others with the same mission was a feeling I will never forget,” she wrote. “Representation matters.”
Photo credit: WWD/Shutterstock
The “sample size” writing on Tess’ dress was a critique of the common fashion industry practice of only making dresses for collections in the smallest sizes. That keeps plus size models from walking in runway shows and it makes finding outfits for awards shows extremely hard for larger celebrities, since designers only want to lend samples.
Photo credit: WWD/Shutterstock
Tess’ dress, then, reframes the idea of sample sizes to include all bodies, no matter their size.
