Paloma Elsesser on Her Boundary-Breaking Supermodel Season

Fashion may be forward-looking, but when it comes to inclusion and diversity, the runways of Europe have long been lacking. For many of the world’s biggest brands, the vision of luxury represented within their collections has remained unchanged for decades; models are still predominantly white, thin, and under the age of 20—but during the fall 2020 shows, there were significant signs of improvement. Awakened to the idea that women of all ages and sizes should be celebrated, Old World houses have begun to broaden their concept of beauty. The shift was embodied by modeling star Paloma Elsesser who, after four years of booking magazine covers and high-profile campaigns, is experiencing her first big season. “It’s a profound honor, my section of the modeling industry has largely been excluded from these sorts of opportunities,” she shared on the phone from New York. “We weren’t considered, and if we were it wasn’t for “high fashion,” so to do a show in Milan or Paris is super-new, exciting, and scary. I experienced a whole different set of emotions.”

At Fendi’s liberation-themed collection, Elsesser broke ground with her Milan Fashion Week debut, walking alongside legends like Liya Kebede and Carolyn Murphy. Her winning streak continued in Paris where she made appearances at Alexander McQueen and Lanvin. Such accomplishments would be impressive for any model, but Elsesser’s position in the industry is unique. As one of the few stars over a sample size to feature prominently within the luxury sector, she regularly books the kind of prestige work that has traditionally been reserved for her straight-size peers. In a business where eating disorders are prevalent, weight is taboo, and size often dictates a model’s trajectory, her achievements are radical, a fact she’s keenly aware of. “In every aspect of my career thus far it’s been about being focused but also being provided with opportunities and leaning into them,” she says. “I have to tap into the service element. If I have complaints about the way the runway has historically operated and I’m being provided with these opportunities [to change things] I have to take them on, despite my fear or lack of experience. I want to do this work so that one day I won’t have to complain.”

That mindset emboldened Elsesser this season. Directly booked for Fendi, she headed into Milan with the knowledge that she would be a part of something special. “They wanted the whole cast to just be models that they absolutely loved,” she explained. For casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro, Elsesser’s presence was essential. “Paloma was one of the first models we discussed as soon as the concept of the show’s casting was defined,” he says. “We knew immediately that she would be key to the casting. The entire show was about beauty and femininity and the atmosphere during the fittings was quite amazing. Each woman felt very empowered and comfortable in their looks and they brought their own confidence and beauty on the runway.”

Behind the scenes, Elsesser was pleased to find that the team was equally inclusive. “It wasn’t a situation where you go in, and the cast is diverse, but everyone on the backend looks the same,” she says. “It was amazing to be surrounded by curvy women who work for the company, whether they’re designers or in the marketing department. Women who all wear Fendi and believe in the force of change. It was truly an authentic and caring moment.” That feeling of unity and female-driven progress was exactly the vibe creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi was going for. “In a moment where we talk more about feminism than femininity, it made me want to analyze the concept of the feminine wardrobe,” she says. “It’s liberating for me to portray these clothes in a different way, on different sizes.”

That sensibility carried into the Paris collections, where Elsesser reunited with stylist Carlos Nazario, an early champion of her career, at Lanvin. “He’s been a major advocate, not just for me but for a lot of girls who are the minority within the fashion industry,” she says. Creative director Bruno Sialelli proved equally encouraging. “He just has this truth to his perspective; when we met I felt like we already knew each other.” At Alexander McQueen, immersed in Sarah Burton’s poetic femininity, Elsesser experienced an a-ha moment. “I just felt so honored and so lucky,” she says. “To be a flash in her vision and in everyone else’s vision. Sarah was so warm, involved, and meticulous, and everyone else came to it with the same level of dedication.”

The statements of Venturini Fendi and Del Moro speak to the changing perspective on size within fashion circles. The strides made by the body-positivity movement have impacted all aspects of culture, and consumers are no longer content with the tokenism of brands including larger models in ads while excluding them from the runway. It’s a shift that Elsesser’s agent, Mina White, has seen firsthand. “Having Paloma walk for Fendi, McQueen, and Lanvin this season brought the conversation around size inclusivity in luxury to the forefront and we’re extremely proud of her,” says White, who also handles stars at the center of the movement like Ashley Graham and Alessandra Garcia. “All women want to see themselves represented and should have the same access to luxury brands. IMG has been pushing this conversation forward for many years by de-bunking misconceptions around the plus-size consumer and educating brands of the opportunities presented by the plus-size market.”

Elsesser has done her share of teaching, her visibility putting her in positions where—fairly or not—she’s had to represent an entire community. “My identity is that of a plus-size woman. Putting me on a runway isn’t a cop-out because I’m not just slightly larger than the other models, I am a size 14 woman. [Still] there needs to be a spectrum of diversity,” she says. “I can’t represent everyone or speak for everyone but that isn’t the point. I hope to speak for someone, to allow people who have never seen themselves in this context to see a representation of who they are.” Ultimately the responsibility falls to brands, who will have to evolve to remain relevant. For Elsesser, those that fail to embrace different sizes are sending a message. “What this month taught me is that if they want to do it, then they can do it,” she says. “Which was also painful to realize because the past four years when I haven’t been included, it’s been an unconscious yet conscious choice.” Still, Elsesser remains optimistic about the future and fashion’s ability to include everyone. “Gone are the days when you can have a show with one black model and claim diversity. I hope that we don’t go back on this progress. I don’t want this to be a flash in the pan,” she says. “Whether it’s me having a successful season or a whole other range of body sizes that can be represented it would be such a disservice to go backward.”