Three plus size models have just entered the history of fashion at Versace. Jill Kortleve, Alva Claire and Precious Lee became the first plus-size models to walk for the brand.
Versace's turn to be part of the representation of all body types and types of beauty. This Friday, September 25, the Italian house presented three models outside of traditional fashion templates, for the Spring-Summer 2021 collection at Milan Fashion Week. Jill Kortleve, Precious Lee and Alva Claire appeared alongside Mariacarla Boscono, Adut Akech and Joan Smalls. In a marine setting dubbed "Versacepolis" by Donatella, Jill Kortleve wore a bodycon pencil skirt and a bright cropped shirt, while Alva Claire and Precious Lee sported daring dresses studded with starfish.
© Versace
An inclusive parade that Jill Kortleve made a point of highlighting in an Instagram post: “It's such a historic moment and I can't believe it really happened. I'm still shaking. I'm so proud of us @alvaclaire @preciousleexoxo. It’s so amazing to work with brands that I have always dreamed of working for. I hope that we are opening the doors to a new generation who shares the same dreams but who have never seen themselves in magazines or advertisements. Thank you for this emblematic moment ”.
This is not the first time that the model has made fashion history. In March 2020, the 26-year-old Dutchwoman became the first "plus size" model to parade for Chanel. New darling of the catwalks, Jill Kortleve who displays a size 40 (in other words, the size most worn by French women) is considered "plus size" in the so conformist fashion industry, which advances at its own pace. Alva Claire was spotted at Rihanna's Savage x Fenty fashion show. Precious Lee recently became the face of Miu Miu's latest campaign and featured on the cover of Italian Vogue.
With this inclusive cast, Donatella Versace seems to want to mark a new turning point. “The world has changed and we have changed,” she told Vogue. I wanted to do something disruptive and break the rules because in my opinion what worked a few months ago just doesn't make sense anymore. " To embrace this idea of renewal even more, Donatella Versace took as a basis the patterns of the “Treasures of the sea” collection imagined by her brother Gianni in 1992, available in all-over, in placed patterns and in accessories.
A renewal that seems to seduce. “Versace has always been synonymous with the image of the 'sexy' slim woman that society has normalized, so it makes me so happy to see Precious Lee, Alva Claire and Jill Kortleve break away from that image and show that there is more types of sexy than what has been made conventional ” can we read in particular on Twitter.