Across the Spring/Summer 2027 menswear season, a new ultra-slim silhouette emerged. With second-skin garments and very skinny jeans spotted at Prada, Dior Men, and Gucci’s February co-ed show, it seems the GLP-1 effect that hit womenswear a few seasons ago is finally taking hold of men’s fashion, sparking much debate.
Meanwhile, there was a marked increase in jacked, muscular models on the runway, often dressed in ultra-short shorts and second-skin separates to show off their bulging quads and pecs, as the looksmaxxing movement continues to gain steam. The two extremes spoke to a rising tension in men’s fashion: where are the bodies that replicate those of paying customers.
Size inclusivity has never been a priority in menswear. In fact, across three years and seven seasons of Vogue Business menswear size inclusivity reports, representation of plus-size bodies on the men’s runway has stagnated, settling at 0.2-0.3% since FW25. But as the SS27 season has shown, not only is men’s fashion refusing to cater to, and represent, men with bigger bodies. It’s now moving the goalposts on body ideals further, as slim models get slimmer, muscle men get bigger, and shows reflect an untenable body image inspired by the looksmaxxing movement, which is unachievable for the average person without a helping hand from peptides and/or GLP-1s.
Is this a permanent shift in men’s body ideals that the industry needs to account for? Or just a phase, as audiences and designers reflect the culture swirling around them? We spoke to scores of industry insiders to get their thoughts on the matter, and more broadly, where they feel men’s size inclusivity stands today.
Louis Gabriel Nouchi, founder and designer
Men’s size inclusivity is not advancing at the same pace as womenswear. You will see a bright spot here and there, a runway that feels refreshing, different, but there’s yet to be the turning point we really need. I hope it’s coming.
Yasmin Mehmet, menswear buyer at Harrods
At Harrods, we’re seeing a shift away from oversized silhouettes toward more refined and tailored shapes. The SS27 runways highlighted slimmer proportions, stronger tailoring, and a renewed focus on the body. That said, our customers are not necessarily looking for clothes that enhance a muscular physique or cater exclusively to slimmer frames. Instead, they are seeking pieces that offer structure, sophistication, and a flattering fit. The strongest demand is for garments that feel modern and polished while remaining wearable across a range of body types. Size inclusivity has improved significantly over the course of my career. Brands today are far more aware of the need to serve a broader range of customers, with more considered size offerings and greater attention to fit.
Jo Fetto, photographer and director
I feel the conversation on inclusivity in menswear hasn’t really started yet, besides including street-cast models and talents who, in a few cases, manage to break away from the ‘twink’ model look. I feel that in menswear, inclusivity has less potential impact on men’s body image because the body is seen as something abstract — distant from the customer themselves. It is more an idealization of a form than a portrayal of who could actually wear the clothes day to day.
Like every “hot” topic, fashion somehow tries to assimilate it. Though looksmaxxing is based on aesthetic standards, I feel it has little to do with actual fashion and more with male performance; it has to do more with a focus on facial features than bodily shapes. Most fashion brands don’t really embrace muscular bodies, apart from brands like GmbH, Willy Chavarria, and LGN, which every season carry [different sizes].
Jack Sunnucks, executive editor of Dazed
I don’t think size inclusivity has evolved at all. I don’t think I’ve really ever seen plus-size male models. Even with [alternative] casting, it’s more likely to be a slim DJ than a regular person with a normal body. It’s really hard to fit into designer clothes. Not many things go above an XL. Over the last 10 years, the ‘Demnafication’ of fashion, leading to really oversized fits, was really great for fitting into things, even if the brand didn’t extend to your size. But if silhouettes are going to be teeny weeny and tailored, that bodes badly.
There are lots of people who want to wear designer clothes, not just carry accessories. The runway always reflects reality, eventually. We’re living in a skinnier time, due to Ozempic and its cousins, and that was always going to come for the runway.
Sophie Jordan, menswear buying director at Mytheresa
There is no standardized size range across the industry, and every brand has its own unique fit and silhouette. As a result, sizing varies widely, which is particularly challenging for a multi-brand online retailer, especially in menswear. The shift toward lower rise, slimmer silhouettes and the gym aesthetic has proven challenging for our customer. Where we have introduced these styles, we have seen a direct negative impact on return rates within those brands.
We often speak to brands about broadening their size ranges, most frequently to add more availability at the larger end of the spectrum. This is especially true for Japanese brands, where we need a wider range of non-numerical sizes and an extended womenswear size scale. We also have these conversations with European brands, where our data highlights clear incremental opportunities.
Declan Chan, stylist and creative consultant
SS27 feels particularly skinny — case in point, the silhouette at Prada. Also, we can see a resurgence of the Hedi Slimane skinny ideal for models across a lot of brands, in the pursuit of youth. The boys from [K-pop group] Cortis also set the tone in Paris on the celebrity front.
Size inclusivity doesn’t seem to be on the brands’ minds, because, culturally speaking, we are still in the weight loss era powered by different injections and medications. There are brands like Willy Chavarria, Louis Gabriel Nouchi, GmbH, which demonstrate more size inclusivity because of their narratives and the characters they create.
Tomo Koizumi, designer
As long as oversized silhouettes remain in fashion, I can usually find clothes that fit me, so it doesn’t feel like a major issue. But I worry that as the oversized trend fades, I’ll once again struggle to find clothes in my size. This is especially noticeable with Japanese menswear designers, where the size range tends to be very limited.
As an adult, the looksmaxxing movement feels somewhat absurd to me. But if I’d been a teenager growing up with it, I don’t think I could have ignored its influence. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve your appearance. The problem is that it promotes such a narrow definition of what ‘better’ looks like. I think fashion should encourage many different kinds of beauty, rather than pushing everyone toward the same ideal.
Gert Jonkers, editor-in-chief of Fantastic Man
I know there’s been some debate about the slenderness of the Prada models. To be honest, I was intrigued by the Prada collection, I love seeing designers researching an idea — in this case, taking the five-pocket jeans and denim jacket and rendering it in all kinds of materials but denim, I thought that was great to see. Because of it, I looked at the clothes and the details, and not at the models or their individual [characteristics]. I was just too distracted by the clothes. And that’s what I want from a fashion show. The clothes at Celine were amazing, too. Yes, often quite skinny, which indeed is a direction menswear seems to be taking, but we all pick from it what suits us, no?
Beyond that, there’s body diversity to be found, such as in Ouest’s great presentation in Paris, which explored the good old gay clone look through a hot array of men looking great and looking themselves. Soshiotsuki, Willy Chavarria, too. I think it was a great and exciting mix of proposals and varieties this season. The looksmaxxing, however, I find that a bit sad and focused on the outside. Let’s hope it’s a temporary thing.
David Martin, editor-in-chief of Odda
Size inclusivity in menswear is non-existent. From my point of view, the menswear is either for the very young audiences with slim bodies, or otherwise the very classic and old-school elegance with a more mature physique and muscled appearance. There is a missing mark in between both of those demographics, and I feel there’s a misunderstanding between what we see and what men need. Standards of beauty have been settled for long enough, but, as the world expands and fashion is now a global force, we may need to re-understand how products adapt for all body types, and not just body, but taste and cultural background. Men’s sales are a big chunk of business for many of the brands out there.
Jack Collins, stylist and consultant
Some brands really get [size-inclusivity] right, it feels authentic and tied into their image. It doesn’t feel like box-ticking, and it doesn’t feel contrived. For me, slender was a relatable body shape when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. I was happy to see other bodies that looked like mine, so I understand why people can feel offended when they don’t see themselves. I think the key for this is authenticity, and making sure we’re not doing it to check a box, because that doesn’t feel sincere either.
Willy Chavarria does a great job with this, you really believe his models are a part of the brand and it’s family — you can just tell he loves the casting and is so involved. As a stylist, when a model or talent isn’t sample size, it pushes you. You have to often think outside the box. It’s clear that a lot of stylists will decline jobs when a model or talent is bigger, taller, shorter, smaller, as it’s often deemed ‘harder’ or ‘more work’. Considering the framework isn’t there to cater for size inclusivity all the time in terms of what you can physically put on a person, it makes you think of different ways to work.
Achilles Ion Gabriel, designer
Fashion isn’t meant to be a mirror of society. It’s allowed to be aspirational. But aspiration shouldn’t be excessively exclusive. The industry hasn’t changed that much since I started almost two decades ago. Every now and then, you see a model with a more average build, but overall, menswear is still very focused on slim bodies. Recent collections in Milan and Paris have even shown a return to much skinnier silhouettes after years of oversized fits.
Historically, men weren’t under as much pressure from fashion itself. Today, though, the pressure is coming from somewhere else. Social media, dating apps, fitness culture, and algorithms have become much bigger influences on how men see themselves beyond the runway. That’s why I think size inclusivity matters just as much. Fashion will always create ideals, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. But today, it’s competing with platforms that optimize appearance every minute of the day. It’s important to remind people that good design can exist for different bodies without giving up aspiration.
Paul Maximilian, stylist
I think menswear is still far behind when it comes to size inclusivity; it’s just less obvious than in womenswear. On the runway, you rarely see real size diversity, and when you do, it’s usually younger independent or queer designers pushing that conversation — not the big luxury houses.
The thing is, most major fashion houses show large collections, often 70 or 80 looks, so there are usually at least a few pieces in there that can work on someone who isn’t sample size.
As a stylist, you learn how to cheat a fit and work around those limitations. This can mean opening inseams with a tailor on-set, or leaving a shirt unbuttoned to hide where the waist doesn’t close. It makes the issue less visible, but it also shows how much of the system still depends on adapting the body to the clothes rather than the other way around. With silhouettes getting slimmer again, the conversation feels more urgent. SS27, in particular, feels much narrower across the board.
