Age Diversity on the Runway

Keen fashion aficionados spotted a trend on runways this spring, and it went beyond the bevy of slouchy suits and belted overcoats. In several of the Autumn/Winter 2024 Runway shows many designers chose to work with more mature models. What makes this stand out was that it went beyond having a few token older women scattered amongst otherwise teenaged representatives; some shows exclusively featured women over 40, and many of them had models who were well into their 70s and 80s. 

Why the Shift?

Typically, fashion designers use younger models for runway shows both to project a youthful image with their brand, and due to an obsessive adherence to sample size restraints. (Fashion’s unhealthy preference for women shaped like coat hangers is a discussion for another day.) Some designers finally are shifting away from waifish ingenues and instead are striving to represent women in a more powerful light. As Vogue wrote in its article on the trend back in April, “If fashion is supposed to be aspirational, and aging is an inevitable part of life, then these are women we can trust to show us the way.”

Savvy designers realize they need to appeal to their typical, real-life customer. After all, teens aren’t usually the ones shelling out hundreds of dollars for a single sweater. By targeting women in their 40s and older, designers can appeal to an audience that is more likely to have financial independence and a certain level of disposable income.

Another aspect that is likely impacting this move is the rise of “fast fashion.” Fast fashion is essentially low-quality apparel produced rapidly to follow current trends in the industry and sold at rock-bottom prices. Unfortunately, this method of appealing to the masses has resulted in the market being flooded with poorly-made items designed to be worn a handful of times at most. Women over a certain age, however, remember what it was like to purchase clothing at a slightly higher price point that was intended to last a lifetime. It’s why vintage clothing is so highly coveted amongst those in the know: the garments are better constructed and use higher quality materials. 

A Designer to Watch:

One notable designer is Batsheva Hay, who used exclusively “older” models for the Autumn/Winter 2024 New York show of her eponymous line, Batsheva. Every single woman who walked down the runway was over 40, and many of them weren’t career models, either. The show opened with Molly Ringwald, of Brat Pack fame, and featured a slew of other fashion designers, photographers, and muses. According to Cultured, the crowd favorite was Hay’s 75-year-old neighbor, who “fluttered her way across the concrete floor, performing a swan song that stirred even a fashion-week weary audience.”

Hay, 42, has often said that she wanted to see women like herself on the runway, and it started with an identity crisis around getting older. In a February interview with Vogue, she said, “In fashion, aging is like death — you’re not part of the aesthetic life.” But, she continued, “getting older is actually amazing. There is a completely different type of vitality. There’s a completely different sense of stability and comfort and play and freedom and all of that stuff that no one gets to express. I want to express it.”

Why Age Diversity Representation Matters

Coco Mitchell, a 65-year-old model who walked in the Batsheva show, was thankful for the opportunity to feel glamorous for once. She’s been modeling for over 45 years, and her commercial jobs these days “have a lot of elastic waistbands,” she says in the Vogue article. “When you get to a certain age, you’re in the forgotten stage — invisible,” she says, joking, “Don’t worry about them; just give them the Pima cotton.” 

In the same article, Molly Ringwald says that Hays’ vision of inclusivity gives her hope for all generations. “It’s really, really great messaging for younger people to feel like they have that to look forward to. That they can go through these stages of life, but there’s not an expiration date.”

So many fashion designers (and consumers) look to New York and Paris for their inspiration. If the 2024 Fashion Weeks are any indicator, women “of a certain age” can look forward to some exciting looks and a break from invisibility. 

Top image: courtesy of Terri Jacobsen via Midjourney

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