Research book - The journey part 1

The purpose of this book is to bring you along on my journey from BRAND ME where I have established who I am, to now where I am planning my final major project of my university journey.

If there is one thing that I have discovered on my final year of university, it’s that I have come a long way, further than I would’ve guessed and I think my younger self would be surprised to see where I am at right now. From the young girl who didn’t think she could get past her GCSEs let alone make it to her final year of university, it’s crazy to think how my beliefs have changed and how I have come from a place where I had self limiting beliefs about what I could achieve in the future to now where I am currently planning a campaign for my business of which I balance alongside university. Not only that but I feel as though I have reached a point where I know what I want to do in the future, and I feel very optimistic about it.

I feel very positive about my FMP and I think it is a great project to conclude my university journey on this course and is relevant to my goals after university. Throughout this book, I will move onto further research to establish my idea, solidify my plan and start putting it all into practice through test shoots, contacting models and sourcing material for the final photoshoot etc.

# S O U R C E D F O R Y O U R S I Z E

Having already established my idea in the 360 campaign book, I will now move on to establish and solidify my plan.

To recap, #sourcedforyoursize is the concept for my final project, and I discovered this concept from looking at a solution to the gap in the market. It is simply a reinterpretation of made to order, with made to order, an item is specially made according to the customers measurements and preferences, and I wanted to take this forwards as I thought it could work well with my idea, but with a twist to it. With made to order, the manufacturer will design the item once the customer has placed their order. #sourcedforyoursize takes the model a step forwards, my idea with this concept is to source clothing for the photoshoot based on the models’ sizing/ measurements, this is necessary for making the consumer who sees this campaign to feel included in a market where inclusivity is not a priority, but is also necessary for prioritizing the customers wants and needs.

As mentioned previously in the journey to 360 campaign book, I have decided to curate my final project around my business. The reason why I wanted to use my business to form my FMP is because I thought that it would be helpful as a stepping stone into industry as I will be working on my business full time once I graduate this year.

What started out as a way of getting rid of clothes I no longer wanted, turned into a business opportunity for myself to venture into doing something I enjoy doing, which is sourcing second hand vintage clothes from all over the world and selling them on. Using my knowledge from running a business within this market, I was able to identify a clear gap in the market and with a lot of help from asking people I know, what they think of this problem, the majority of them said that this was a big problem and an annoyance for them as it is a roadblock that stops them from being able to shop second hand, the problem as stated in the previous book is the lack of size inclusivity with second hand vintage fashion. Conducting further research, I struggled to find a solution to this as this market revolves around clothes and sizes that already exist and so, it’s not as simple as designing a larger size range. Vintage fashion is known to have very small sizing as people were a lot smaller back then, even in the early 2000s. Furthermore, I knew that made to order couldn’t be a solution, so I thought why not create my own interpretation of this approach. This is how I arrived at my concept for the project, and throughout this book, it is my intention to take it even further to explore new possibilities.

FIGURE 1

“I think it gives consumers the idea of exclusivity. These are ways for a person to feel special and original in a vast world that’s already full with mass production and cloned goods.”

(MICHAEL, 2021).

W H Y F O L L O W T H E M A D E T O O R D E R A P P R O A C H

I initially decided to follow this approach whilst doing my research for the 360 campaign as I found it to be a solution to the gap in the market, and I have since stuck with it as I think it could potentially be a solid approach to being size inclusive and sustainable.

Obviously, second hand fashion is, as we know sustainable due to the mere fact that it makes the industry more circular by bringing clothes back into the cycle. However, with second hand vintage fashion being so popular and in grave demand, consumers within this market are consuming endless amounts of vintage clothes because it’s cheap and there’s a lot of choice. As overconsumption is something that the industry needs to move away from, the second hand market is not helping with this.

I personally think that the second hand market could do with slowing down a bit with the rate that it has been growing at, therefore the made to order approach could be a solution to this. With made to order, a business is able to avoid waste and is able to make the customer feel valued by making it specifically for them, it will give the customer confidence that the item is going to fit and in turn reduces the worry and guilt about it not fitting.

#sourcedforyoursize follows the same approach as made to order but I had to change the name and take it a step forwards as my business works with clothes that already exist, so there is no design involved. The reason why I have focused on the sizing aspect of made to order is because that is where the gap in the market is. This concept #sourcedforyoursize, through following the made to order approach, means that I will only source clothes for the customer based on their size and measurements, meaning that there will be no waste and I am able to make the customer feel valued.

F U R T H E R R E S E A R C H T O U N D E R P I N M Y F M P

Beauty is beyond shape, as art is beyond frame. With my FMP being centred around being size inclusive in the second hand market, from previous research conducted for the 360 campaign, I have found that not only are resale platforms not inclusive, but they are also found to be a breeding ground for encouraging consumers to feel bad about themselves and how they look, and this brings about the topic of body image and eating disorders as it could potentially render triggers for consumers within this market. With my project being focused on the social media campaign, it is my intention to build a community space where consumers within this market can feel included and feel that their body is valued.

As I move through this book, I will be conducting further research to underpin my FMP concept, prior to the final photoshoot. In particular, I intend to take this inclusivity concept further through research into how body image and eating disorders became a hot topic for the fashion industry. With regards to the sustainability aspect, I intend to underpin why it is a part of my concept and how I will use it to connect with my audience. As my FMP is to be centred around my business, I will expand on what my business is about and my business model, who my target audience is and why I am targeting the current generation of consumers for my FMP in a seperate book.

“Anybody that uses body positivity to sell something is using it for their personal gain.” (2022).

Unfortunately, the reality is that fashion brands aren’t creating larger size ranges because they care about being inclusive, it is simply a new avenue for profit and something they do to avoid negative press.

With my FMP, it is not a new avenue for profit, as I am not creating a product, instead I am creating a space through a social media campaign, where consumers can feel accepted.

The phrase body positivity has almost become a trope. Brands will use it and tell women that they should feel beautiful no matter their shape, but the size range they offer will say otherwise. (Siddiqui)

The problem with size inclusivity lies in the fact that brands will talk the talk but won’t walk the walk because they simply don’t care.

Ultimately, in order for the fashion industry to be fully inclusive, as a collective, we need to stop putting labels on individuals based on how they look, plus size individuals feel seperate to smaller sized individuals as they’re given a different label and are excluded from certain activities such as fashion week, as the industry remains stuck in the ideals that thinness is associated as the best look.

PLUS SIZE CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT BE CATEGORIZED INTO A SEPERATE GROUP.

FIGURE 4

STOP LABELLING INDIVIDUALS BASED ON HOW CLOTHES FIT THEIR BODY.

S I Z E I N C L U S I V I T Y

For the fashion industry, designing a plus size range doesn’t solve the problem of the lack of size inclusivity. More needs to be done. Consumers want to feel valued and accepted for how they look, but with the fashion industry still holding onto the ideals of thinness, this ultimately excludes the consumers who don’t fit into what is deemed ‘the normal size range’ and seperates them into a different category because of how their body fits into clothes.

From my research, I have found that plus size consumers just want to feel like the brand actually cares, they want to see that brands aren’t just gaining a profit from making a plus size range as this is what is happening with most fast fashion brands.

‘They have to connect on a personal level with consumers who wear plus-size clothes.’ (Nittle, 2020).

The purpose of the social media campaign for my FMP is to create a space within the second hand market where consumers of all body sizes and shapes can feel accepted. I think that my concept, SOURCEDFORYOURSIZE works well as it centres around the consumer, I am thinking about my customers and rather than making up the largest size like most brands do or sourcing clothes that are all tiny in size, I will be sourcing clothes based on the individuals size and measurements. Not only does the social media campaign create a safe space, but it also enables me to be transparent and reach a new audience of consumers that connect with this idea.

Are we looking back at this era too idealistically? An integral part of the Y2K aesthetic was the glamorisation of the ‘heroin chic’ look – pale skin, thin bodies, dark under eyes. There was an obsession with the appearance of looking unhealthy, which can be linked to the evident spike in anorexia. These toxic beauty standards aren’t buried in the past. They breathe and thrive on platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, where the search of the ‘Y2K’ tag unleashes endless images of white, skinny women. (Moamar, 2021).

It seems that although the fashion industry has become more inclusive and diverse, the era of thinness being associated with beauty has morphed the perceptions of todays society, the younger generations in particular struggle with eating disorders and body dysmorphia as a result of these ideals that originated in the 80s.

In particular, what has incited these ideals of beauty to resurface, of the many platforms, Depop has evidently prompted this resurgence, Depop sellers are selling on original pieces from the early 2000s such as mini skirts and baby tees, of which were worn by the likes of Kate Moss in the 2000s.

As we have discovered this resurgence of Y2K fashion and the resale of it, this has brought about the conversation of a lack of size inclusivity in the fashion industry, in particular the second hand market. Owing to the fact that people were a lot smaller back then and so the sizing reflected that, brands designed clothes to fit small bodies as being thin back then was deemed as beautiful or perfect, but we have carried this idea of perfection being linked to how your body looks into the present day, meaning that people still hold onto this idea that they need to be skinny in order to be good enough for society. Furthering this discussion, because of how clothing from this era is very small in size, this straight away removes anyone above a size small from being able to buy into the market of vintage/Y2K fashion.

FIGURE 6

T HE Y 2 K T R E N D

The return of the Y2K style is problematic for the fashion industrys size inclusivity problem. These items are designed to fit an extremely specific type of thin body. As a society, we have progressed past this phase, or so we thought, creating an inclusive fashion industry with a greater range of sizes and models. It all seems to be disappearing though. (Bray, 2022).

“I think the main problem with Y2K trends, like low rise jeans, is that the person’s body becomes an accessory, and it is only perceived as fashionable if that body fits society’s beauty standard: skinny!” “The reaction a thinner person would get from the general public for wearing low jeans and a baby tee is way better or different than a plus-sized person wearing the exact same thing. The problem is not so much the clothing themselves.” She explains that while the items themselves are cute, they come with deeply ingrained fatphobia. (Bray, 2022).

Finally, it is important to recognize that these fashion trends do not only idolize thin women but thin, white women. The lack of inclusivity is intersectional, and the rise of Y2K fashion means a focus on white models. (Bray, 2022).

The problem with the Y2K trend doesn’t lie in the hands of the clothes from that era, it simply lies in the morphed perceptions and ideals from the 2000s. People would believe that this type of clothing only looks good on slim, white women, but the only way we can change these perceptions is by having more brands that sell Y2K clothes to have a more diverse cast of models. With my concept, my social media campaign will do exactly that, I want to be able to influence my audience into thinking that Y2K clothes can be worn by anyone.

M A R K E T I N G I N T H E 2 0 0 0 s

Since advertising began many years ago, women have been objectified and been insulted in so many levels it left women massive barriers to overcome and at the same time drop their self esteem. In plenty of advertisements, they try to present what an “ideal woman” must look like and must do. This affects the women because they will feel pressured and try to become that “ideal woman”. (Ismail)

Even at the height of ‘women’s liberation,’ products aimed to female consumers were actually marketed to men. (Garber, 2015).

THIS IS NO SHAPE FOR A GIRL. Warners, the ad announces, can take your misshapen body and remold it into something socially acceptable! Why suffer in pear-shaped silence, when you can buy your way to an hourglass? (Garber, 2015).

From looking at these advertisements from the 2000s, it is clear that the fashion industrys problem with inclusivity has derived from the ideals and perceptions of beauty. With the promotion of these advertisements, it’s no wonder why women have always been scrutinised for how they look. Although advertising has changed since the 2000s, society still seems to have carried these perceptions of how women should look and dress into the 21st century. In particular, society has always had a problem with being inclusive with every body size and shape, and from looking at the ad above where it says, take your misshapen body and remold it into something socially acceptable!, not only was the perfect body what everyone desired but it was also socially unacceptable to not have an hourglass shape.

FIGURE 8

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

Within my FMP, sustainability is an element of my business and is something I can use to promote my brand to my target audience via the social media campaign. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable change with Gen Z attitudes towards clothes. Even though we live, or maybe because we live in a highly consumerist world, this generation shifts increasingly from buying fast fashion towards second hand clothes, buying second hand clothes is a choice this generation makes in order to protest fast fashion, and to make their fashion choices more sustainable. (Zouitina, 2021). With my FMP concept, I will be able to promote sustainability within my business to a larger audience as I will be targeting a different audience, meaning that I can bring in more traffic to my business, in turn enabling me to encourage more people to buy second hand to play their part.

Through the social media campaign, it is my intention to promote my FMP concept whilst also giving light to the sustainability aspect of my brand.

BUY LESS covers the topic of overconsumption and how it is just as harmful as buying fast fashion. With my concept #sourcedforyoursize, overconsumption is something of which I have already ruled out for the final photoshoot seen as I will be sourcing clothes based on the models size, which means that instead of buying a bunch of clothes and not knowing whether they will fit the model, I will only source the clothes and sizes that are needed, which in turn avoids waste and of course the clothes I source will be second hand from the charity shops.

G R E T A T H U N B E R G

“You say you love your children above all else – and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes,” (Reichert & Farber, 2019).

Furthering my research and development and how I can portray/tell the story through the social media campaign, I thought I would research Greta Thunberg, paying particular attention to how she captures her audiences attention as I feel that this would be beneficial for informing how I can connect with my audience.

Greta doesn’t play any oratory games. Her words are simple and to the point. Her words cut to the core of her emotion. “How dare you?” she says of leaders who pin their hopes to the future generations. She begs them to understand the severity of the situation, refusing to believe they are choosing not to act. “That would make you evil. And I will not believe that.” (Serlin, 2019).

She grabbed the media’s attention by speaking boldly in support of her cause and protesting against what she sees as irresponsible actions that are hurting the environment that her generation will be left with, long after those in leadership today are gone. (Krausz, 2022).

For connecting with her audience, Greta uses the right media channels, one of which is Instagram which I believe is the most engaging for capturing the audiences attention. An integral part of a good organic social strategy is to know who your target market is and what platforms they are using. For Greta, this meant reaching her peers on platforms they frequently use. (Myhr, 2021).

M A R K E T I N G T O G E N Z

Having previously mentioned that my target consumer is Gen Alpha, I have since changed my mind on which generation I think my concept would target. With further thought about how I can market to my consumer, I have realised that my concept would be something of which would naturally grab the attention of Gen Z as size inclusivity with second hand vintage is a major concern and hindrance for this generation.

Finding a solution to this gap in the market was tricky seen as my business works around clothes and sizing that already exist. But through further research, I found that most consumers of this market simply want more brands to spread light to this issue and talk about it more, and so this lead me to my idea of creating a social media campaign to generate awareness around this problem. Through the social media campaign, my intention is to hopefully be able to change perceptions surrounding the Y2K style being associated with the slim, white woman ideal to the all body sizes and shapes ideal.

With regards to marketing to Gen Z, Having grown up with smartphones, the internet, and social media, these digital natives are more likely to buy from brands that have established clear values, are inclusive, and have a strong online community. Attention spans are becoming shorter through the generations, Gen Zers have an uncanny ability to filter content. With a short attention span, “you have around 8 seconds to essentially tell us why we should pay attention before we move on.” (Thomas, 2022). As a result of this, my intention is to create an Instagram Reel for my marketing film to ensure that my consumer remains engaged, the best way to do this is to ensure that the film provides some form of entertainment or some sort of fantasy that stops the consumer from scrolling onto another video. With this element of fantasy, I thought it would be a good idea to use the Instagram Reel filters, potentially using a vintage filter to tie into my brand.

FIGURE 11

CONSUMER C A S E S T U D Y

For the consumer case study, I wanted to focus on the ‘Gen Z Y2K girl’ as that is what I picture when I think of the type of consumer that buys into my brand. The era of fashion that so many Gen Z members are obsessed with. From what I know of the typical consumer of this type of fashion, they love a good bargain in the charity shops, picking up individual Y2K pieces to either resell or keep for themselves, it can be seen as a hobby for some of this generation, charity shopping is like an investment in my opinion. Observing one consumer in particular of whom is an influencer and regularly buys unique pieces off Depop, known as @susiegarvie on Instagram. From watching her youtube videos she talks about the fact that she refuses to buy into fast fashion and only buys off of resale sites or from small, independent and sustainable brands. This tells me that this type of consumer is aware of the harmful impact that fast fashion has on this industry and wants to take responsibility for their buying habits, not only that, but for this consumer, fast fashion can be associated with blending in with the crowd and looking the same and this is something that the consumer of Y2K tends to stay away from.

I N F L U E N C E R S W I T H I N T H I S M A R K E T

Furthering the discussion of the typical consumer within this market, I wanted to further this by looking into influencers within this market and how they influence consumers to shop sustainably, through buying second hand.

For example, as mentioned previously, influencer @susiegarvie can be seen as a positive influence for her audience as she is in full support of sustainability and as someone who follows her, I can say that she definitely influences me to buy second hand vintage through how she puts her outfits together with styling tiktoks. She also uses her platform to make tiktoks and youtube videos of her new buys from Depop or Vinted, whilst also promoting small sustainable brands that her audience might not have heard of. She brings back the Y2K trend and makes it look cool and stylish, appealing to a generation of consumers that want to look different to others. Second hand fashion used to be associated with people who cant’t afford to buy new, but influencers like @susiegarvie have changed this narrative by influencing her audience into thinking it’s cool. Because of her influence, this generation are obsessed with vintage second hand and most think that fast fashion is trash.

FIGURE 13

The skimpy chic of 20 years ago has been co-opted today by a new generation of youths who are making no apologies for their propensity to show off skin. (Jalal, 2022).

It seems that brands are embracing the ideals of beauty from the 2000s. With the resurgence of the Y2K style, this brings about brands to recreate the clothing from this era. The return of the mini skirt also brings back the topic of these ideals of perfection, straight away excluding those that don’t fit into this category.

Brands romanticise this aspect of a womans beauty, they are designing clothing that encourages men, to this day to view women as sexual objects because of how they dress. It is apparent that the issue we have with body diversity and the sexualization of women lies in the perceptions of the previous generations.

Those of us who’ve lived through the OG micro-mini skirt days can recall the fatphobia and “thinspiration” that also dominated the fashion narrative back then. As a result, some are not too thrilled about the return of the 2000s trend and its body-shaming discourse. And unfortunately, Miu Miu’s recent runway show missed an opportunity to show off the revisited low-rise looks on larger bodies, consequently reverting to the untrue idea that only thin people can sport a skin-bearing wardrobe. (Michie, 2021).

Certainly, the micro mini is more appropriate to flaunt in some spaces than others. But in the end, isn’t it really about having the right to wear what you want? Sometimes you just want to wear something without over-analyzing its implications. You just wear it because it makes you feel cute! And although it might sound silly, in a drab, institutionalised setting, the length, and style of one’s skirt may be one of the very few ways to express individuality in a uniformed environment. Perhaps the fault isn’t in our skirts but in society itself. (2023).

Producing the label mini skirt ultimately makes people associate that item with an individual with a smaller frame, because that is how the mini skirt had been portrayed in the 2000s. The problem isn’t the clothing when it comes to body diversity and the sexualization of women, it is all a result of societys’ views and perceptions and that is something I aim to change, it is my intention to change the narrative surrounding everything I have discussed. Fashion from the 2000s may have made a return, but the 2000s as an era has not. We are in 2023, and yet as a society we are still holding onto pointless ideals of the past. If the Y2k style is to remain in the fashion industry, then we as a society need to reimagine it through a different lens, one in which looks at fashion without labels and stereotypes, one that does not over analyze and attach meaning to different types of clothes.

“What is propagated and supported is always in proximity to being able-bodied, to being thin, white, and cis. That shit is absolutely not lost on me. The idea for this story for i-D was based around what could live on after me and become a new point of reference. So we wanted to create images that could be new references, the next textbook, or could expand people’s minds about what beauty could be. And that is hard. How do you feel about whether there have been, or can be, genuine changes?”

“For me, it’s been about finding purpose and maintaining connection, and strangely my body has been the platform for it. What this story was about was reclaiming perceptions of what people think plus size bodies are capable of; how we’re supposed to look, or supposed to exist and occupy space in this world.” (Hart, 2022).

Going back to the discussion of the return of the mini skirt and how that flares up the topic of body diversity, looking at plus size model Paloma Elsesser. As I have mentioned before about the clothes not being the problem and that it is all in the perceptions, it seems that I am not the only one that thinks that way. In this interview that I have been looking at, Paloma tells the interviewer that she is not going to wear something that society tells her she should based on her size, she has instead, embraced the Y2k mini skirt trend, sporting the Miu Miu mini skirt on the front cover of a magazine. This is exactly what the fashion industry needs to be doing, for a brand to design clothes or feature a plus size model covered up or wearing clothes that have more coverage suggests that the fashion industry remains stuck in the ideals that mini skirts or clothes that are a bit more revealing belong on women with a slim and toned figure.

reclaiming perceptions of what people think plus size bodies are capable of; how we’re supposed to look, or supposed to exist and occupy space in this world. (Hart, 2022).

To influence my size inclusive campaign, I thought it would be relevant to research plus size model, Paloma Elsesser, following on from my research into the ‘out of body issue’ for i-D magazine.

With this research, I have found that Paloma partnered up with Miaou to create a size inclusive collection. This collection featured the classic vintage corset. This marks the first time Miaou – the fashion girl’s 00s-inspired label of choice – has dipped its toe into plus-sizes. “We wanted to create a collection that resonated with more body types and made each of our muses feel sexy, iconic, and empowered. (May, 2022).

I thought that this particular partnership would be relevant research for helping to form the bigger picture of my concept. For example, the idea of including corsets in the collection with a more inclusive size range is going to change perceptions. with my project, it is my intention to source the type of clothing that most people would say belong on a smaller body frame such as mini skirts.

P E A C H Y D E N

“Peachy” comes from the fact our designs are form fitting and made to sculpt your body — and booty. I then added “Den” as I wanted the brand to create and build community - inspired by our “peachy people”, friends of the brand and real women. The name encompasses our playful approach to fashion and a feeling of community. (Street, 2020).

B R A N D I N F L U E N C E

For my FMP, I want to take forwards this idea that clothes fit the way they fit on each individual body. A size is just a number and nothing more, one thing I have learnt from buying second hand vintage is that despite being labelled a size due to your body size and shape, it doesn’t really hold any significance. For example, A size 10 in jeans would be more like a size 6 in vintage jeans. Size labels are pointless and cause more problems. They make the consumer believe they have put on weight, but realistically, it’s just simply that the clothes are tiny in size and don’t truly represent the size that’s labelled.

Size labels add to the stress and guilt of shopping. Mindsets need to be shifted, and the industry needs to abandon size labels. I have come to the point where I don’t label myself as a size as I fit into different sizes depending on various factors such as the design of the clothes, what type of clothing it is, the material, and what brand I am buying from.

With my FMP, following the #sourcedforyoursize concept, there won’t be any labels such as ‘plus size’ or ‘size small’. The clothes I source will instead be sourced in accordance to the models size. Similar to ‘designed to fit’, the clothes I source will be ‘sourced to fit’.

E B A Y C A S E S T U D Y

eBay serves as a resale platoform to connect buyers and sellers together through auction style listings of second hand clothes, electrical goods, home furniture etc.

Ebay was the first platform to take off in the resale market, and although resale platforms such as Vinted and Depop have taken over in popularity, Ebay will always hold its position and will always be known as the original pre-loved platform. Ebay is not just a third party app that connects buyers and sellers together, it has been the platform to change misconceptions surrounding buying pre-loved. A recent partnership with Love Island has been a big move for reaching a larger audience and encouraging audience memebers of the show to buy second hand, in fact there is a section on the Ebay app dedicated to ‘shop the islanders looks’. Where as previously there had been a lot of misconceptions surrounding buying second hand as it was classed as ‘dirty’ or was looked down upon as it would be something that only poorer people would do. In this case, Ebay have shifted mindsets and have made consumers realise the benefits of shopping second hand outweigh the false stigmas that came with it.

C H A N G I N G T H E N A R R A T I V E

Thin models have been the female beauty standard worldwide for centuries. – thinness was always associated with beauty and although mindsets have changed towards this, many people still associate being thin with being beautiful and model material. This practice of having thin models sent an unhealthy message to young people, and in some cases triggered mental health struggles with depression and eating disorders. (Walker).

“I sometimes think about how different the plus-size fashion industry (and therefore the plus-size shopping experience) would be today if it had been decided more than a hundred years ago to put standard and plus-sizes on the same shelf.” Rather than creating separate plussize capsule collections, I would therefore like to see mainstream brands expand their product lines so that standard and plus-size women can shop on the same rack. Only when this happens do I think we can say that the fashion industry is truly inclusive.” (Garel, 2020).

In the made-to-order space, plus-size shoppers don’t have to take it or leave it. Suddenly faced with an abundance of options, they can decide what hems they want and what sleevelengths work best for their bodies. It’s freeing, and it’s also far more practical than placing an order and hoping for the best. When a piece is crafted to your exact measurements, you can pretty much count on it actually fitting when it arrives.

“Made-to-order companies without size limits are the only brands that can call themselves size-inclusive — and actually live up to it.” (Huber, 2021).

While resale marketplaces, from Depop to Vestiaire, are booming in popularity and sales, plus-size customers are getting left out. This lack of size-inclusive preloved clothing pushes many to continue to rely on fast fashion brands, often leaving them to face criticism for opting out of the more environmentally-conscious shopping method. She says that while plus-size clothing has always existed, it’s still a challenge for them to source size-inclusive vintage garments. “Because those clothes were not valued and plussize people were told to not wear certain things, there’s almost a gap in the history of vintage fashion. (Sola-Santiago, 2022).

F M P P R O P O S A L

In summary, from researching the made to order approach, I have reached the conclusion that the best way for me to truly be inclusive with my FMP is to follow this approach with my own version being #sourcedforyoursize.

My intention with the social media campaign is to create a safe space in which consumers can feel accepted for however they look. With no labels, I am able to make my target consumer feel valued in a market where plus size is not valued.

Part of the reason why buying second hand is not solving the industrys waste problem is because plus size consumers who want to be sustainable and shop second hand are unfortunately having to resort to fast fashion where they can find something in their size. As I have mentioned previously that sourcing vintage clothes in larger sizes is difficult, I do however think that a lot of vintage resellers aren’t making the conscious effort to try and source clothes in larger sizes. Although vintage clothes were made for smaller individuals back then, larger sized clothing does exist and is out there for resellers to source.

For the final FMP photoshoot, I want the clothes I source for the shoot to be the kind of clothes that most people would say, belong on smaller individuals, such as mini skirts. By having a mini skirt modelled on a plus size model, my hope is to change perceptions and make people believe that they belong on every body size and shape.

R E F E R E N C E S

MARIANNA MICHAEL. (2022, February 21). IS MADE TO ORDER THE NEW SUSTAINABLE NORM?. Not Just A Label. https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/made-order-new-sustainable-norm

Gen Z and Body Positivity: What Should Brands Know? (2022, May 26). Fanbytes. https://fanbytes.co.uk/gen-z-and-body-positivity/#:~:text=Lizzo%2C%20who%20is%20notorious%20for

Yusra Siddiqui. (n.d.). Let’s Talk Body Positivity in Fashion—Here’s What the Industry Can Do Better. Who What Wear UK. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://www.whowhatwear.co.uk/body-positivity

Nadra Nittle. (2020, November 2). Selling plus-size clothing isn’t only about pleasing shoppers. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200211-selling-plus-size-clothing-isnt-only-about-pleasing-shoppers

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I M A G E S

FIGURE 1: Peachy Den. (2021). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www. instagram.com/p/CVVbjKuKeEI/

FIGURE 2: Michael, M. (2022). [Online Image]. IS MADE TO ORDER THE NEW SUSTAINABLE NORM?. Not Just A Label. https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/made-order-new-sustainable-norm

FIGURE 3: Peachy Den. (2023). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www. instagram.com/p/CoXJBdEKGOZ/?hl=en

Peachy Den. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/CeeIoxoK7lM/?hl=en

FIGURE 4: Depop. (2022). [Screenshot of article]. Plus Size Free Fees Promotion June 2022: T&Cs (UK & US Only): https://depophelp.zendesk. com/hc/en-gb/articles/7000475598481-Plus-Size-Free-Fees-Promotion-June2022-T-Cs-UK-US-Only-

Isabelle Coheen. (2021). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVIzcK_oEGu/?hl=en

FIGURE 5: Brennan, G. (2019). [Online Image]. Greg captured Kate Moss leaving the theatre and falling down the stairs. The Sun. https://www. thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/10183649/never-before-seen-shots-adele-katemoss-greg-brennan/

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FIGURE 6: Kate Moss Agency. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www. instagram.com/p/Cip2_MdsGnP/?hl=en

Kate Moss Agency. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/Cf10FAksBTe/?hl=en

Kate Moss Agency. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/CPgQ7I0FwCp/?hl=en

FIGURE 7: Garber, M. (2015). [online Image]. Advertisements in the 2000s. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/06/advertising-1970s-womens-movement/395897/

FIGURE 8: Pradella, E. (2018). [Online Image]. Vivienne Westwood SS19Photography Hedvig Jenning. https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/41350/1/vivienne-westwood-ss19-lookbook-campaign-film-buy-less-dress-up

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De Pressigny, C. (2019). [Online Image]. THERE IS NO PLANET B. i-D. https:// i-d.vice.com/en/article/pajdyg/greta-thunberg-by-harley-weir-intereview

FIGURE 10: Peachy Den. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEI7v7q-Mi/?hl=en

Peachy Den. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeeIoxoK7lM/?hl=en

Emma Chamberlain. (2021). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/CSmeJ8vlEKc/?hl=en

FIGURE 11: La Solitude Vintage. (2021). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www. instagram.com/p/CX8TM55NFkz/?hl=en

La Solitude Vintage. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/CdLJkVMs3In/?hl=en

La Solitude Vintage. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram. com/p/CdQa2m1t8kJ/?hl=en

FIGURE 12: Susie Garvie. (2023). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CnKqOIYqJxW/

Susie Garvie. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/ CmjJCxTqItM/

FIGURE 13: The Editorial Team. (2022). [Online Image]. Miu Miu fall-winter 2022-2023 show. Numero. https://www.numero.com/en/fashion-week/miu-miu-fallwinter-2022-2023#slide175767

FIGURE 14: Hart, E. (2022). [Online Image]. Out of body. i-D. https://i-d.vice. com/en/article/qjbw93/paloma-elsesser-interview

FIGURE 15: May, N. (2022). [Online Image]. Paloma Elsesser teams up with Miaou for a size-inclusive summer capsule range of dreams. Stylist. https://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/paloma-elsesser-miaou-plus-size/659451

FIGURE 16: Peachy Den. (2023). [Online Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CoXJBdEKGOZ/?hl=en

FIGURE 17: Amy Bannerman Stylist. (2022). [Online Image]. Instagram. https:// www.instagram.com/p/Ci-ZWNLtxjf/