On the surface, size inclusivity improved for the Autumn/Winter 2025 menswear season, but there’s more to the data than meets the eye.
The uptick was mostly thanks to an increase in mid-size models, most of whom have a more muscular build. Experts say the rise in muscle across male body standards is likely due to a cultural shift towards conservatism.
Vogue Business assessed the 59 AW25 menswear shows and presentations using image catalogues published on Vogue Runway, and contacted each brand to verify the findings (brands were given 48 hours to respond). Out of 2,579 looks across Milan and Paris, 94.9 per cent were straight-size (under EU 48), down from 98.3 per cent last season; 4.8 per cent were mid-size (EU 48-54), up from 1.3 per cent last season; while plus-size (EU 56+ or over XL) made up 0.3 per cent of looks, up slightly from 0.2 per cent last season.
Four of the 59 brands (6.8 per cent) included at least one plus-size model, up from three brands (4.6 per cent) last season, though the figure is still smaller than it was for SS24 (six brands or 8.3 per cent) as well as AW23 (eight brands or 11.5 per cent).
Like usual, Milan showed very little signs of size representation: 92.4 per cent of looks were straight-size with 7.4 per cent mid-size and 0.1 per cent plus-size. However, the figures are an improvement on last season when there was no plus-size representation at all and just 1.1 per cent of looks were mid-size.
Magliano, which ranked first in Milan and seventh overall, was the only brand to include a plus-size model in Milan. A handful of brands included some mid-size representation: seven out of 95 looks at Giorgio Armani were mid-size (the brand ranked eighth overall), along with three out of 57 at Zegna and two out of 110 at Emporio Armani. Brunello Cucinelli ranked at the top, crediting the fact all of its samples for the presentation were between EU 48 and EU 52, which straddles straight and mid-size — however, the brand did not give any indication of the size of the models who wore the samples.
