Dolce & Gabbana becomes first luxury fashion house to extend sizing to UK 22

A spokesperson says the brand 'has been supportive of curvy models for years'

(Dolce & Gabbana)

Dolce & Gabbana has extended its size range up to UK 22.

The Italian label is the first luxury fashion house to extend its range up to that size, which is the equivalent of a size 54 in Italy, making it one of the most inclusive designer brands for women.

The extension begins with Dolce & Gabbana’s pre-fall collection, which is on sale now, and the brand has confirmed that it will continue to cast plus-size models in its campaigns to reflect the move.

“Dolce & Gabbana has been supportive of curvy models for years,” a spokesperson for the label tells The Independent.

“With this project we would like to draw special attention to the brand’s commitment to women’s diversity.”

The spokesperson added that the size extension reflects one of the brand’s key mission statements, that “women’s beauty is not a matter of clothing size”.

Ashley Graham walks the runway at Dolce & Gabbana's spring/summer 2019 fashion show at Milan Fashion Week on 23 September 2018. (Getty Images)

“Extending the sizes of the women’s collection is a natural evolution for Dolce & Gabbana,” they said.

“The brand has always emphasised women’s silhouettes regardless of the measurements.”

In previous years, Dolce & Gabbana has cast women of all ages and sizes to walk its runways, including actor Monica Bellucci and models Ashely Graham and Tess McMillan.

Dolce & Gabbana's decision comes days after Nike unveiled plus-size mannequins in its flagship Oxford Street store to promote body positivity.

But the move follows a spate of negative press surrounding Dolce & Gabbana, who came under fire in November amid accusations of racism, leading to the cancellation of the brand’s runway show in China.

The label had released a campaign video featuring an Asian model attempting to eat Italian food with chopsticks.

Following the backlash that it received, Dolce & Gabbana later revealed that "The Great Show" catwalk that had been scheduled to take place in Shanghai had been cancelled and later posted an apology video on Twitter.

“We have always loved China; we have visited many cities... and certainly we still have much to learn," said co-founder Domenico Dolce, speaking in Italian.

In the subtitled video, Stefano Gabbana added: “We offer our sincerest apologies to Chinese people worldwide.”