Tess Holliday has said she finds it difficult to be “ethical” when selecting outfits for red carpet events because she “has to wear fast fashion“.
The model – who recently walked the runway for American fashion label Chromat at New York Fashion Week – explained that plus-size fashion is not yet as sustainable as other areas of the fashion industry.
“I have to wear fast fashion and high street to major red carpet moments, and that’s great, but I want the option to wear high end items of my choosing and it’s not available,” Holliday told Elle UK.
The body positivity advocate stated she wants to be “conscious of not contributing to fast fashion because of how wasteful it is”.
“But it’s either that or I run around naked. Plus-size fashion is not there yet,” Holliday said.
Fast fashion culture involves shoppers regularly buying cheap clothes, which they then wear on a small number of occasions before discarding.
Buying new clothes on a frequent basis can have a damaging effect on the environment, due in part to the quantity of clothing which ends up in the landfill and the carbon emissions which are produced when clothing is transported around the world.
According to a study recently released by global poverty charity Oxfam, while three in 10 people are shocked by the detrimental impact fast fashion has on the environment, they would be reluctant to change their shopping habits.
Meanwhile, one in 10 people said they are “not bothered” at all about how their shopping habits may cause damage to the environment.
During her interview with Elle UK, Holliday said that despite being a well-known model in the fashion industry, she habitually misses out on opportunities because of her “height, size and tattoos”.
“I have the value of name recognition, but then they worry about their brand,” the 34-year-old said.
“People are still afraid and I hope that will shift. I don’t know why it’s controversial to talk about the fact that plus-size women should be able to take up space – literally – wear clothes, be fashionable and feel good in their bodies.”
Holliday praised Rihanna and the singer’s Savage x Fenty lingerie brand for being a “perfect example of actually giving a s*** about diversity”.
For all the latest news from the fashion industry, click here.
