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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Paloma Elsesser: The Model Who Overcame Otherness

‘I’m leaving pictures so maybe a girl hates herself a little bit less,’ says the plus-size, mixed-race muse who has pushed designers to produce clothes in bigger sizes and suffered ‘fatphobia’ and ‘tokenisation’ to become a symbol of body positivity.
Paloma Elsesser in Dress Marni. Pants Vintage Helmut Lang c/o David Casavant. Shoes TOTEME.
In the last two seasons, Paloma Elsesser has walked more high fashion shows than any other plus-size model in the world. (Ari Marcopoulos)

NEW YORK

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About the author
Robert Cordero

Robert Cordero is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. He is a New York–based editor and advisor working at the nexus of fashion, sports and culture.

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