Abisola Omole on Designing a Collection With Rixo: “It’s a Choice to Not Be Size-Inclusive”
Fashion writer and creative director Abisola Omole designed a size-inclusive collection with Rixo, creating a simple blueprint for the fashion industry to follow.
Photo Courtesy of Nia Thomas
Season after season, Fashion Week always makes one thing clear: there is fashion and there is plus-size fashion. The latter seems to exist in its own sidelined universe, despite growing calls for more inclusion in the industry. Take for example the Valentino spring 2024 ready-to-wear show. Creative director Pier Paolo Piccioli often prides himself on his values of diversity, yet he took a step back with this season’s model casting—a trend also visible in his last few shows. There was no Paloma Elsesser, Ashley Graham or Precious Lee to advocate for bigger bodies; the catwalk presented 65 looks, none of which could be seen on a plus-size model. “There were so many nearly identical looks,” fashion critic Timothy Chernyaev astutely remarked in a TikTok review video. “And if you’re [not] gonna show variety, you can at least do something to show these clothes on different body types.”
The issue, as fashion podcaster Avery Trufelman points out in a recent episode titled Plus Sizes, is multilayered. On one hand, the technical knowledge required to make plus-size clothing isn’t widely available in fashion schools, which results in generations of designers, patternmakers, and retail buyers untrained in the matter. On the other hand, those who do specialize in the area often take the “one-size-fits-all” approach, testing samples on a singular plus-size fit model instead of a range of bigger bodies. But contrary to popular belief, making elegant or stylish plus-size clothing isn’t more expensive or labor-intensive than “regular” fashion.
It’s a realization creative director, fashion creator and my dear friend Abisola Omole had after designing a collection with Rixo, the UK-based label known for its fun prints and vintage-inspired designs. Omole is not one to hold her tongue when it comes to calling out the lack of diversity and inclusion in the industry. She has a track record of highlighting plus-size fashion on her platform and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as leveraging her influence to advocate for extended sizing. The capsule collection with Rixo gave her the opportunity to actualize her beliefs and increase the brand’s sizing for the first time to UK 26. “This process made it clear to me that it’s a choice to not be inclusive with sizing and not an absolutely impossible idea,” she said in an email interview. From bra-friendly straps and necklines to back-waist panels, Omole paid attention to every detail—setting an achievable example for others.
Ahead, Omole recounted the process and shared her hopes for the fashion industry. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
“I was beyond excited at the prospect [of designing a collection with Rixo], but also let them know that I’d have serious non-negotiables; the main one being as you can expect, sizing.”
NYCXCLOTHES: Tell us the backstory of this launch. How did it come about?
AO: Rixo reached out a few years ago to gift me some pieces during London Fashion Week, and though I had heard of them, I wasn’t too familiar as I wasn’t aware that their pieces were inclusive. At the time, I believe they had pieces that went up to a size UK18 or 20. And although I couldn't wear a lot of the pieces, I was able to wear the knitted or stretchy ones, so my love for their pieces began. Over the years, they’ve asked and listened to how they can be more inclusive and even worked with my friend and fashion and beauty editor Billie Bhatia to generally increase their size range. It’s been great seeing them steadily increase their sizing and ensure the newfound inclusivity is reflected in their e-commerce imagery, fashion week presentations and general brand activations.
In early 2022, Henrietta and Orlagh [the founders] reached out and said they wanted to explore working together on a collection. I was beyond excited at the prospect, but also let them know that I’d have serious non-negotiables; the main one being as you can expect, sizing. I said if we’re going to do this, I want the entire collection to be available in the full size range of UK 8-26/28 and we’re not just going to scale, we need to re-examine fit and ensure we really cater the styles for curvier figures. They agreed this was important and so the design journey began in June 2022 with mood boards, colors and figuring out what we wanted people to feel when wearing the collection, where they would be going in the pieces and how they might style them.
NYCXCLOTHES: What was the inspiration behind the pieces?
AO: We knew it would be a summer collection but I also wanted the collection to be playful, sophisticated and easy to wear. With those factors as a foundation, it was really easy to start final sketches on the styles as I basically attributed the different pieces to different activities. For example, the Maddison dress is the perfect hostess dress. I imagined holding a bowl of citrus fruit and setting up a table for a summer dinner party; whereas the Abisola Dress and matching Bolero, is the perfect option for a romantic summer evening. As I developed stories and settings, figuring out the pieces we wanted came so naturally and then the colors and fabrics followed too.
NYCXCLOTHES: What are the small dress details that show consideration for bigger bodies that most brands could learn from this collection?
AO: On the blue Madison and black Lois dress, we have adjustable waist belts, meaning you can really wear the pieces in the best way that suits you depending on the day. The yellow Benedict dress has a hidden bra strap tie so you can keep your bra in place; it also has slightly wider straps to account for the typically wider strap bras plus-size women wear; it also had ruching on the back so that it can adjust to really fit you depending on your bra size. The back of the Apple skirt is elasticated so you can just throw it on with ease. These are just some of the little adjustments we made to make the collection truly comfortable and inclusive
“When Zara launched their collection for pets, I thought ‘Wow, this brand really doesn’t want to dress bigger people but they’ll design and dress our pets.’”
NYCXCLOTHES: What are you hoping this collection adds to the ongoing fashion inclusivity conversation?
AO: I’m really hoping this collection truly shows that it’s all possible. Combine talented teams with individuals like myself who really know what plus-size women want more of, and you’ll find yourself with an authentic yet fashion-forward collection that does well. I chose Rixo as they actively were already increasing their sizing, so it wasn’t performative. They weren’t just coming to me to help increase their sizing; they were already doing that and almost wanted this collection to be one that solidified them as a truly inclusive brand.
I just hope this collection removes the excuses that brands make on why they can’t increase their size range. Don’t get me wrong, Rixo is a successful and great brand, but they’re not huge. They’re still relatively small and so there’s really no excuse for similar and bigger brands to not be more inclusive.
NYCXCLOTHES: You are very vocal about the lack of fashion-forward plus-size options in the fashion industry. Can you share moments or personal experience that made this realization painful clear?
AO: I mean there’s a lot but a “funny-ish” one was when Zara launched their clothes collection for pets. I thought, “Wow, this brand really doesn’t want to dress bigger people but they’ll design and dress our pets.”
NYCXCLOTHES: Is this your first foray into fashion design? When did you know you wanted to work in fashion?
AO: Yes it is and I loved it and I definitely want to do more. I’ve wanted to be in fashion since I was a kid, though I didn’t think fashion design was specifically for me but having a design team to bounce ideas off of really helped and empowered me to feel more confident in my design decisions.
“This process made it clear to me that it’s a choice to not be inclusive with sizing and not an absolutely impossible idea, as some make it out to be. ”
NYCXCLOTHES: Having worked on this capsule collection, can you debunk some myths around providing extended sizing? Many designers say that it’s expensive for example; what would you respond to that based on insights you’ve gained from the experience?
AO: Well Rixo, this cool London based brand has clearly shown the world that it’s not impossible. I would hear brands say “oh we don’t have the budget” or “the factory won’t make plus size”; I’m not saying every single brand can afford to do what Rixo did with this collection and beyond but a lot can and don’t. This process made it clear to me that it’s a choice to not be inclusive with sizing and not an absolutely impossible idea, as some make it out to be.
NYCXCLOTHES: What’s something that surprised you along the way?
AO: The ease of it all. Don’t get me wrong I had a full team beside me ensuring it was all going to plan, but generally speaking when we did fittings and would change things or I had new ideas I wanted to implement, it wasn’t impossible. It takes hard work like everything does but if you have passionate and talented people on your team, like Rixo does, nothing was ever really impossible, so there’s no excuse from other brands. It’s all possible.
NYCXCLOTHES: Lastly, any advice for influencers looking to collaborate with brands in this way?
AO: Use your influence; don’t just partner with a brand for the sake of it. You have the power to change things so don’t use excuses and only go up to a UK18/US14. Ensure your collection is inclusive; ensure the marketing is inclusive; ensure your collection represents who you are whilst trying to cater to as many different sizes of the people as possible. You truly have the power to change things so don’t sell yourself short.
“Use your influence; don’t just partner with a brand for the sake of it. You truly have the power to change things so don’t sell yourself short.”
