New look in the modeling industry: Plus size male models
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Plus size models are now part of the norm when it comes to women's fashion, but what about men?
A major modeling company is breaking down barriers for male models, with the new face for plus-size men.
"I'm 6 foot 6, 275 pounds, like a 42-inch waist," said model Zach Miko.
Not the typical size of a fashion model. But then again, that's the point.
"There always has to be something that sets it off, like some sort of tipping point that sets the change in motion," Miko said. "If I"m lucky enough to be that tipping point, that's amazing and I'm very humbled and honored to be a part of that."
Part of a bold move in an industry that's traditionally not open to change.
"Somebody had to start a conversation and we're going to do that," said Ivan Bart, who runs IMG Models and just launched a new division called "Brawn".
Zach Miko is the face of it. The agency will scout out men who are larger than a sample size.
"This is a liberating moment for the industry, for myself to just simply be who you are and be comfortable in your own skin," said Bart.
Zach has appeared in beer and sporting ads, but this is his big break in the fashion industry.
"Fashion and modeling is where I found to be confident in who I was right now, who I am in the moment, not who I want to be if I lose weight of if I gain weight," he said.
But the 26-year-old is candid about his life-long struggle with weight.
"Every large guy has a mini panic attack even in this day as an adult, every time somebody says the word husky, it just brings you back to your mom dragging you into the husky section," Zach said.
So what's next for Zach? Let's think Fashion Week, possibly a runway show. At this point, the sky's the limit.
"As soon as the male community bands together the way the women community has, I think we can open up the conversation to everybody," he said. "As a society, Its almost like an enlightenment of beauty in a way."
In this web extra, Miko goes more in-depth about trying to create a conversation within the fashion industry, and how he hopes to encourage others with this new journey:
