V MAGAZINE
Scroll for more Please try again.
The Real Catwalk Triumphantly Returns for NYFW 2021
The Real Catwalk Triumphantly Returns for NYFW 2021
Inclusivity, body positivity and diversity-first mindset.
Inclusivity, body positivity and diversity-first mindset.
February 23, 2021
The struggle for diversity in the fashion industry has been a long one, but the movement took a leap forward in 2018 when body-positivity model and advocate Khrystyana began hosting The Real Catwalk, an open-to-the-public fashion and lingerie runway which includes models of all shapes, sizes, creeds, colors, sexualities, and gender expressions. Normally a guerilla-style pop-up event, the original Real Catwalk took place out in the open and under the lights of Times Square, in front of hundreds of onlookers and with hundreds of models, both professional and novice. Initially inspired by former Victoria’s Secret CEO Ed Razek’s trans-and-fatphobic comments in a now-infamous
The former America’s Next Top Model contestant said it’s taken her years to finally embrace her figure. The sought-after model now wants to encourage other women to accept themselves, no matter their size.
Khrystyana grew up in Ukraine, where she claimed anything above a size 4 was considered overweight. After struggling to fit in, she later moved to the United States where she was scouted by a modeling agency.
The model later formed The Real Catwalk, where she and a group of friends got together and headed to New York City s Times Square where they launched a fashion show in bikinis. She said the goal was to show that everyone is worthy of walking the runway regardless of size, gender, sexuality or ethnicity. But Khrystyana insisted that her journey as a body-positive activist is only beginning.