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Google searches for Lauren Chan spiked dramatically in late April 2023.

The online interest aligns with the Brantford, Ont.,-born multi-hyphenate’s milestone-setting appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

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Chan, a plus-sized model, clothing brand founder, former magazine editor, TV personality and ambassador, was the first plus-size and openly queer woman to appear in the swimsuit edition.

Since then the Canadian, who now lives in New York City, has become a major voice in the conversation surrounding body positivity and size inclusivity in the fashion industry.

It’s a title role she’s just fine to be aligned with.

“I have a purpose and a North Star, and that is to make women who have felt excluded by fashion and thereby our culture feel included and therefore capable and then powerful,” Chan says. “I feel that I’ve done that as a model through representation. I feel that I’ve done that as an editor through content and conversation. As a brand founder through product. And now, I’m in an era of ambassadorship and being a TV personality.

“So I’m learning to do that with my voice, myself, by kind of stepping out from behind someone else’s image, or the pages of a magazine, or a product — and showing up.”

Despite a long history of the fashion industry catering to straight-size shoppers — defined as those who wear a women’s size range 00 to 12, while plus-size typically runs from sizes 14 to 32 — recent years have seen a welcome uptick in size inclusivity.

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As a longtime industry insider, Chan says the shift toward a more realistic depiction of the variety of shapes and sizes of women’s bodies is long overdue. And she knows firsthand how damaging a lack of size representation can be for people who don’t fit into the outdated one-size-fits-most approach.

“I have been many a size in my life, but always bigger than my peers. And I never felt, not only proud of that, but OK with that until I got signed as a plus-size model after university,” Chan says. “That’s when I was able to look outside of myself and see the other women represented at that agency — Precious Lee, Ashley Graham, Tara Lynn, Marquita Pring — and say, well, they’re iconic. They have star power. They’re beautiful. And I wish I could be like them.

“And, when I flipped that logic on myself, I became extremely proud to even stand in the same corner of the room with them. That really healed a lot of my body image. And since then, I’ve been able to use that pride to be vulnerable and connect and build a community of people who also feel the same way.”

While the industry has made important strides thanks to people like Chan pushing the conversation along, the return of low-rise pants, midriff-baring tops and other aughts-era fashion have prompted red flags about glorifying the age old obsession with thinness.

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“We all have this visceral reaction to backtracking because we all remember how horrible it felt to be growing up in a time where there was one beauty standard and it was one person, probably one singular person you could think of. The beauty standard was tall, thin, blond, curvy in the right places. And white,” Chan says.

But the fact that a perceived reduced visibility of all body shapes is being flagged is a positive sign, Chan says.

“I think that if we remove that emotional aspect from it, and we look at it as an industry trend, I think that 10 years from now inclusivity will be up. I don’t think that line will be linear. It’ll look like the S&P. It will look like the stock market …” Chan says. “We might be in a little bit of a crash, or maybe it’s just a dip.

“It’s kind of up to us to ensure that it’s not more than that. The reason that the past 10 years have been such a hockey stick growth moment for inclusivity is because we have social media. We have the ability to build community, speak our voices, share imagery, demand power, show our data in terms of followers, and that’s something that we have to continue to harness.”

Speaking after a fashion event in Toronto with the Montreal-headquartered retailer Reitmans — pronounced right-mens rather than reet-mens — for which Chan is an ambassador and model, she noted that working with an accessible and inclusive brand feels like a top priority for her at this point in her career.

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“I wanted to be at home for my first fashion ambassadorship. That meant a lot to me,” Chan says. “And I wanted to do it with Reitmans because we both have such a passion for encouraging women to be multi-faceted and buck the idea of having to choose or be or live just one thing or way.”

The retailer’s fall collection features versatile suiting pieces like pinstripe blazers — “The blazer is my favourite clothing item. It always will be,” Chan says — and long vests, as well as soft knits, lounge pieces, skirts and more.

“We really care about fashion as a form of self expression,” Chan explains. “I particularly care about that for size inclusivity, as I always have. But in my past life, with my own brand (Henning, now part of Universal Standard), it was done at a luxury price point. That was feedback that I received as I was focused on that market at the time.

“But I, of course, want to be able to speak to everyone. And so Reitmans is an affordable staple.”

Pointing to a few personal favourites among the fall release such as the asymmetrical grey pinstripe skirt and the three-piece menswear inspired navy suit, Chan said the most important point for people to take away from fashion is how it can make them feel.

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“I want to use that learning to encourage people to use clothes as self expression, to stop using them just to minimize your body or look more palatable to other people,” Chan says. “We’re supposed to be using fashion as a form of bold self expression. And that comes at any size, any age. That’s for everyone.

“Fashion does not stop, sense of style does not stop, sense of self, and self discovery and expression does not stop after size 12.”

Lauren Chan’s 8 travel must haves

As a busy model, Chan spends much of her time on the go.

“I’m on the road a lot this fall. It’s TIFF, it’s New York Fashion Week. It’s London Fashion Week. I have some galas between New York City, Chinatown, and the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards,” Chan says. “So packing for that, feeling great for that is a challenge. But I guess I’ve gotten good at it, if I do say so myself.”

We asked the multi-hyphenate to dish on her travel must-haves. Here’s what she came up with.

Away The Carry-On Flex ($430) 

“My essentials are Away luggage,” Chan says.

Dieux Skincare The Full Ritual ($253) 

“It’s like a three-step skincare line that’s super easy to travel with, and hydrates my skin well enough for plane travel and late nights and early mornings. And taking makeup on and off,” Chan shares.

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Lumify Eye Drops ($32.99) 

“Because my eyes get so red from being so tired. They’re essential,” she says.

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish ($65) 

“If there’s going to be a camera in my face, I don’t want to look shiny and like my makeup melted off during the day. So that is something that I carry in my travel. Even if my makeup has been done, I’ll have that on the side.

Glossier Balm Dotcom ($22) 

“So that my lips don’t get dehydrated,” she shares.

Chanel Boy Brow Eyebrow Pencil ($56) 

“It’s the best eyebrow pencil,” Chan says.

Reitmans Long-Sleeve Ribbed Bodycon Sweater ($59.90)

I love the knits from Reitmans,” she says.

Naturalizer Kelly Mary Jane Flat ($145)

“I wear Naturalizer shoes to travel in, because they’re built for comfort and they are styled for fashion. So the shoe that I’m obsessed with is a Mary Jane cute Naturalizer. I literally get stopped in the street about it.

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