What will it take for fashion to become a more size-inclusive industry, from runway to shop floor? ELLE UK shines a light on the designers, models and advocates reimagining the body in fashion and pushing for a more size-inclusive industry for all.
If you’ve noticed a sudden urge to spend any and all celebratory occasions in some variation on a feather-trimmed kaftan, then you have one brand to thank: Taller Marmo.
Established in 2013 by design duo and best friends Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea, Taller Marmo's founding principles are ‘laid-back fabulousness and glamour’. And unsurprisingly, everyone from Salma Hayek and Rossy de Palma to Kylie Minogue and Iris Apfel wants a piece (or preferably, 10).
‘Women don’t want to be uncomfortable,’ posits the Argentinian-born Goicoechea. ‘For a long time, eveningwear was either princess-y and classic, or super-elastic to show off your whole body. You had to stand very straight and wear the big underpants and sit down slowly and be careful with the delicate fabric. How can you have fun when you are so worried about looking perfect? We want to make clothes that are our clients’ friends, not their enemies.’
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As attitudes to dressing changed post-pandemic and a newfound sense of freedom took hold, so too did women’s desire to enjoy dressing up without any of the oft-associated suffering – and Taller Marmo’s designs hit that sweet spot perfectly. Their signature pieces feature sweeping silks, fluid crepe and dramatic one-shoulder silhouettes with plush ostrich feathers and fringe details, unlocking instant star power for every wearer.
‘Our clothes are not for work, they are only for play,’ explains Goicoechea. ‘We avoid structure and we don’t do tailoring. Everything is fluid and forgiving; it flows and falls over the body like a shower. It’s very easy to wear and it should be a relaxed process – you just put on the dress, look fabulous, feel fabulous, go and enjoy yourself and don’t think about it too much.’
This is effortless chic at its very finest – and even more so since the majority of clothes are made to fit a range of sizes. ‘Our path towards size inclusivity was very natural,’ says Goicoechea. ‘From the start more than half our dresses and kaftans were “one size fits most”, going from an Italian 36 to 50. The rest of our styles go up to a 48, and last year we made some of our best-sellers up to a 54 [a UK 22], which was very successful.’
‘Our job is to make women feel chic and fabulous regardless of their age, size or any other characteristic,’ he continues. ‘Our design process starts with sourcing a beautiful fabric, and then we have the tradition of trying each style on the women in the office to ensure the design looks amazing on all different sizes, body shapes and heights.’
Ausidio and Goicoechea’s vision for Taller Marmo has been the same ever since its inception, when they were just 19 years old and had recently dropped out of the prestigious Istituto Maragoni in Milan. Inspired by their shared love of luxurious fabrics, vintage style and the decadent aesthetic of the Sixties and Seventies, the duo dreamed of making eveningwear worthy of the ‘extraordinary women’ who surrounded them – and decided to use their saved tuition money to make their first collection and take it to Dubai.
‘We had no idea what we were doing,’ they laugh now, looking back. But their drive, potent mix of Italian and Argentinian passion, and unique designs were an instant hit in the Middle East. ‘Back then, a lot of the fashion we were seeing was very much about the designer t-shirts, the big logos and the hype,’ explains Goicoechea. ‘Our idea was to create timeless pieces that are amazing quality and that you’ll never throw away and even pass on to the next generation. If a dress is beautiful, a dress is beautiful – and that’s not something that after six months will be obsolete.’
Indeed, Taller Marmo’s designs hark back to a golden age of glamour that has an eternal allure. Think Diana Vreeland, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins and Diana Ross draped in ‘exotic’ silks, dripping in diamonds, and lounging at some fabulous party, champagne in hand; or Italian pop icons Raffaella Carrà, Mina and Dalida with their big blow-outs, larger-than-life get-ups and oversized sunglasses.
Though Ausidio and Goicoechea were still decades from being born during those icons' hey-days, each Taller Marmo collection is designed with these ageless divas in mind. Something they all have in common is a penchant for easy-breezy yet ultra-luxurious dressing – no matter their body type.
‘In the past few decades, there has often been the association of a certain body type with success or coolness,’ says Goicoechea. ‘But being fabulous isn’t about having the “perfect” body. It’s an attitude. Dividing people into categories like “petite” or “plus size” has only contributed to the lack of inclusivity, and it’s good to see that this whole model is now becoming an obsolete way of thinking. It’s up to the new generation of creatives who are in charge of pivotal decisions in companies to change the system from the inside.’
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
