Overview

One of Vogue Business 100 Innovators 2022

"The Power of Plus will leave you feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to push for real change, as well as confident and encouraged to embrace yourself, just as you are. This is essential reading for anyone who truly cares about the future of fashion, and for anyone who believes in the power of being yourself." —Versha Sharma, editor in chief, Teen Vogue

Plus-size fashion revolutionizes the way women view themselves and their bodies. 

Exclusivity runs within the foundation of fashion. While calls for diversity have intensified recently, long-held attitudes are only beginning to change. But through social media, plus-size people have been able to create supportive communities that show their confidence, strength, and beauty.

Plus-size fashionistas have been writing their own narrative for the past three decades, creating a market all on their own that is now worth more than $21 billion. The Power of Plus features interviews with trailblazers such as Tess Holliday, Emme Aronson, Gabi Gregg, and more as it follows the evolution of plus-size fashion from its start on small blogs to its current boom, examining the way this market has changed women’s relationships with their bodies and how plus-size fashion is integral to the future success of the industry.

Plus-size fashion is not a PR stunt. It is a culture-changing market created by and for the people who have always deserved to feel stylish but never had the visibility to be . . . until now. 

By honoring our progress so far, The Power of Plus celebrates the next stage of the plus-size fashion movement.

Reviews

“The Power of Plus is something I truly believe society will benefit greatly from. With this book, Gianluca has not only unveiled the truths of the fashion industry but also highlighted the importance of inclusivity, the impact it can have on our current culture, and the impression it leave on future generations.” —Hunter McGrady, plus-size supermodel and designer of fashion line All Worthy

“Gianluca Russo has been at the front of plus-fashion coverage. As plus fashion grows as an industry, he's carved out an important beat at Teen Vogue that focuses on this burgeoning movement. We can always rely on him to tackle trends that matter, uncovering fat discrimination in the industry or helping to reclaim our bodies to have fun with fashion.” —Samhita Mukhopadhyay, coeditor of Nasty Women and author of Outdated: Why Dating Is Ruining Your Love Life

“Gianluca has been a fresh young voice in the body positivity space, providing some much-needed scrutiny to an industry that deserves to be questioned. He brings energy and compassion to the conversation, spotlighting the needs of plus-size consumers and elevating a very important dialogue." —Gabrielle Korn, author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect

"After years of lip service regarding inclusivity and body positivity, we have a deep need to go beyond buzzwords when talking about fashion industry standards. This book does just that, through candid interviews, compelling research and analysis, and no-holds-barred storytelling about the real obstacles people face in this industry if they dare to have anything besides a thin body. The Power of Plus will leave you feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to push for real change, as well as confident and encouraged to embrace yourself, just as you are. This is essential reading for anyone who truly cares about the future of fashion, and for anyone who believes in the power of being yourself." —​Versha Sharma, editor in chief, Teen Vogue
 

“The fashion industry has long been exclusionary, prioritizing the thin ideal and whiteness as the pinnacle of beauty at the expense of the majority of people who buy clothes. But as Gianluca Russo chronicles in this magnificent book, fashion can’t deny its destiny: to become more inclusive. Gianluca, who has long held fashion accountable for its errors, and the lineup he curates for compelling roundtables, offer a beacon of hope that the future of fashion can be much different than its past, an industry that serves instead of excludes. Fashion is dawning on a new day, and Gianluca is leading the charge.” —Evette Dionne, author of Lifting as We Climb and Weightless

“The Power of Plus is an informative, nuanced, and empathetic look into the plus-size fashion industry and the trailblazers behind it. Gianluca has lovingly crafted an accessible and essential piece of fashion literature.” —Shannon Purser, actress on Stranger Things and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser

"[A]n illuminating chronicle of the fight to make fashion more inclusive for plus-size people. Fashionistas will be delighted." —Publishers Weekly

"Triumphant, unapologetic, and righteously angry, The Power of Plus is a stirring ode to the fat-fashion community" —Booklist

Author Biography

Gianluca Russo is a NYLON columnist and freelance journalist who has written for GQ, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Fashionista, HuffPost, Bustle, and Refinery29. His work has primarily focused on plus-size fashion and representation, and he has reported extensively on the subject, covering brand launches, exploring trends within the market, and investigating taboo topics within the plus-size community. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.