TED Salon The Macallan
Becca McCharen-Tran: Fashion that celebrates all body types -- boldly and unapologetically
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Fashion designers have the power to change culture -- and Becca McCharen-Tran is using her platform to expand the industry's narrow definition of beauty. Sharing highlights of her work, McCharen-Tran discusses the inspiration behind her norm-shattering designs and shows how she's celebrating beauty in all forms. "I want the consumer to know that it's not your body that needs to change -- it's the clothes," she says.
Becca McCharen-Tran - Fashion designer
Becca McCharen-Tran is creating a world where people of all shapes, sizes, gender expressions, ages, ability levels, races and ethnicities are empowered on the runway and beyond. Full bio
Becca McCharen-Tran is creating a world where people of all shapes, sizes, gender expressions, ages, ability levels, races and ethnicities are empowered on the runway and beyond. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
As fashion designers,
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our decisions have the power
to change our culture.
to change our culture.
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We choose who is cast
in our runway shows and campaigns,
in our runway shows and campaigns,
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and ultimately, who is celebrated
and considered beautiful,
and considered beautiful,
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and who is not.
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Having this platform is a responsibility.
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One that can be utilized to exclude people
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or to empower others.
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Growing up, I was obsessed with fashion.
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I pored over all different types
of fashion magazines
of fashion magazines
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at my local Barnes and Noble.
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To be fashionable was to be tall,
skinny, with long, shiny hair.
skinny, with long, shiny hair.
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That's what I saw as the ideal,
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and it was reinforced everywhere I looked.
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And to be honest, it still is.
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I wanted to be like the models,
so I stopped eating.
so I stopped eating.
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It was a dark time in my life;
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my eating disorder consumed me.
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All I could think about
was counting every single calorie,
was counting every single calorie,
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and waking up early
before school every day
before school every day
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so I could run a few miles.
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It took me years
to finally release the grip
to finally release the grip
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that the eating disorder had over my life.
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But when it did,
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it freed up so much brain space
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to think about what I was truly
passionate about.
passionate about.
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For so long,
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the fashion industry has worked hard
to set an ideal of beauty
to set an ideal of beauty
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that celebrates thin,
young, white, cisgender,
young, white, cisgender,
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able-bodied models as the ideal.
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It's impossible not to be bombarded
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with images of models
that have been photoshopped
that have been photoshopped
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to where there's not a single pore,
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fat roll or stretch mark in sight.
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You don't need to look hard
to find examples.
to find examples.
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This definition of beauty is damaging,
dangerous and destructive,
dangerous and destructive,
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and we need to explode it immediately.
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(Applause)
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I'm glad you agree.
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(Laughter)
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One of the worst things
I've realized over the years
I've realized over the years
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is that my experience
with disordered eating
with disordered eating
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is not an anomaly.
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In fact, it's par for the course.
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I think there's a study that says
91 percent of women,
91 percent of women,
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and likely those of all gender identities,
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are unhappy with the way they look.
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It's unforgivable
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that we live in a society
where it's normal or expected
where it's normal or expected
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for teenagers to grow up
hating themselves.
hating themselves.
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We've been fighting for fat acceptance
and women's body autonomy since the '60s.
and women's body autonomy since the '60s.
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And there has been headway.
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We have plus-size models
like Ashley Graham
like Ashley Graham
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and musicians with body-positive messages,
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like Lizzo, breaking into the mainstream.
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Thank God.
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(Laughter)
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There's brands like Area
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that have released campaigns
without any Photoshop retouching.
without any Photoshop retouching.
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But we're still inundated
with unrealistic expectations.
with unrealistic expectations.
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I love this quote by Lizzo, who said,
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"Body positivity only exists
because body negativity is the norm."
because body negativity is the norm."
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So how do we change the stigma
around looking different
around looking different
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or not fitting into this narrow
definition of beauty?
definition of beauty?
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I believe it's by celebrating beauty
in all different forms,
in all different forms,
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bold and unapologetically.
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But many fashion designers
continue to reinforce
continue to reinforce
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this narrow definition of beauty.
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From the way they are taught in school
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and into the real world,
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they drape on mannequins
that are only size four,
that are only size four,
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or sketch on bodies
that are super stretched out
that are super stretched out
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and not anatomically proportioned.
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Different-size bodies
aren't taken into account
aren't taken into account
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during the design process.
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They're not thought of.
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So who are these designers designing for?
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But the conversation
around exclusivity in fashion
around exclusivity in fashion
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doesn't begin and end with size.
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It's about seeing people
of all different gender expressions,
of all different gender expressions,
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different ability levels, different ages,
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different races and ethnicities,
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celebrated for their own unique beauty.
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In my own work as a fashion designer,
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I started a brand called Chromat,
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and we're committed to empowering
women, femmes and nonbinary #ChromatBABES,
women, femmes and nonbinary #ChromatBABES,
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of all shapes and sizes,
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through perfectly fit garments
for every body.
for every body.
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Swimwear has become a huge focus for me,
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because of the power
that this single garment can have
that this single garment can have
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over the way people feel about themselves.
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We wanted to take our focus
on celebrating all body types
on celebrating all body types
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to a garment that's fraught
with insecurity.
with insecurity.
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On our runways, you see curves,
cellulite and scars worn proudly.
cellulite and scars worn proudly.
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We're a runway show, yes,
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but we're also a celebration.
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I didn't start designing 10 years ago
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with the mission to change
the entire industry.
the entire industry.
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But the models we cast at the time,
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who just happened to be my friends
who had begged to be in my shows,
who had begged to be in my shows,
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were so radical to some people,
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and, unfortunately,
still are different or strange to some,
still are different or strange to some,
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that it became a huge part
of what we're known for.
of what we're known for.
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However, inclusivity means nothing
if it's only surface level.
if it's only surface level.
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Behind the scenes,
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from the photographer,
to the casting director,
to the casting director,
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to the interns,
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who is making the decisions
behind the scenes
behind the scenes
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is just as important.
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It's imperative to include
diverse decision-makers in the process,
diverse decision-makers in the process,
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and it's always better
to collaborate with different communities,
to collaborate with different communities,
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rather than trying to speak for them.
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And this is an important
piece of the puzzle
piece of the puzzle
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that many young designers
may not think about
may not think about
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when they're first starting their careers,
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but hiring a plus-size
or a transgender photographer,
or a transgender photographer,
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or a woman of color
as your casting director,
as your casting director,
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or a black makeup artist --
hey, Fatima Thomas --
hey, Fatima Thomas --
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who intimately understands
how important it is
how important it is
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to be able to work with all skin tones:
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it's essential to creating
a holistically inclusive output,
a holistically inclusive output,
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like this one.
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As a fashion designers
that do a lot of swim,
that do a lot of swim,
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we wanted to rewrite the rules
around having a bikini body.
around having a bikini body.
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So we cast a team of babe guards
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to enforce guidelines around inclusion
and acceptance at the pool.
and acceptance at the pool.
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Instead of "no diving" and "no running,"
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how about "celebrate cellulite,"
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"body policing prohibited,"
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and "intolerance not tolerated."
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And this was enforced by babe guards
Mama Cax, Denise Bidot,
Mama Cax, Denise Bidot,
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Geena Rocero, Ericka Hart and Emme,
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all activists in their own right.
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I've always felt it was important
to show a range of different bodies
to show a range of different bodies
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in our runway shows and campaigns.
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But it actually wasn't until recently
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that we were able to expand
our size range in a major way.
our size range in a major way.
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We first launched our curve collection
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five years ago;
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we were so excited.
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But when it launched, it fell flat.
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Nobody was interested.
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None of our department stores
stocked above a size large,
stocked above a size large,
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and if they did, it was somewhere else
in the building entirely.
in the building entirely.
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In fact, one time our sales team said,
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"You know, it's so cool
you have trans models
you have trans models
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and curve models on the runway --
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I love what you're doing.
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But when the buyers come in
to see the collection for market,
to see the collection for market,
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they want to be sold a dream,
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they want to see something
that they aspire to be."
that they aspire to be."
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Implying that our models weren't that.
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But I've realized
it's so much more important
it's so much more important
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to open up this dream to more people.
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I want the consumer to know
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that it's not your body
that needs to change --
that needs to change --
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it's the clothes.
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(Applause)
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There needs to be more fashion options
at all sizes and in all retailers.
at all sizes and in all retailers.
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So finally, in 2018,
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Nordstrom actually
placed an order up to 3X.
placed an order up to 3X.
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And this was a huge game changer for us
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to have a major retailer invest
in adding these units,
in adding these units,
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so we could go to the factory --
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now we go up to 4X,
which is about a size 32.
which is about a size 32.
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Having that investment
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helped us to change and realign
our entire design process.
our entire design process.
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We now have different-sized bodies
to sketch and drape on in the studio.
to sketch and drape on in the studio.
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And if more fashion schools
taught these skills,
taught these skills,
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more designers would have the ability
to design for all bodies.
to design for all bodies.
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(Applause)
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So as fashion designers,
it's our job to utilize our platform
it's our job to utilize our platform
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to explode this narrow
and restrictive definition of beauty.
and restrictive definition of beauty.
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My goal is that one day,
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teenagers growing up don't feel
the same pressure that I did to conform.
the same pressure that I did to conform.
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And I hope that our work contributes
to the fashion industry's opening up
to the fashion industry's opening up
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to celebrate many different identities.
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Thank you.
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(Applause and cheers)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Becca McCharen-Tran - Fashion designerBecca McCharen-Tran is creating a world where people of all shapes, sizes, gender expressions, ages, ability levels, races and ethnicities are empowered on the runway and beyond.
Why you should listen
Becca McCharen-Tran is the founder and creative director of the future-forward bodywear label Chromat. With a degree from the UVA School of Architecture, McCharen-Tran fuses a technical background with a focus on the body to create designs for boundary-breaking women like Beyoncé, Madonna and Nicki Minaj. A Forbes "30 Under 30" pick for "People Who Are Reinventing the World," McCharen-Tran speaks about the fraught impact that fashion had on her own upbringing -- motivating her to reshape the industry into a more inclusive and accessible space.
Becca McCharen-Tran | Speaker | TED.com