ALL WALKS BEYOND THE CATWALK
Founded by Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O’Connor.
These are the activities we have undertaken as fashion activists and campaigners for positive body image and diversity.
MAY 2009
Caryn Frankin, Fashion Commentator, Contributing Editor i-D Magazine and Patron of Beat,
Debra Bourne, former Director of Lynne Franks PR and Creative Consultant,
Erin O’Connor, International model and founder of Model Sanctuary,
meet
Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive of Beat to discuss fashion on a range of body types.
Caryn, Debra and Erin craft and produce All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.
SEPTEMBER 2009
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, launches the first ready-to-wear fashion project celebrating diversity, which takes place at London Fashion Week with a party held at Somerset House and a key note speech by Sarah Brown. Eight emerging designers are selected to participate, including David Koma, William Tempest, Hannah Marshall and most notably remembered, Mark Fast, creating an outfit from their new collections, for a far wider range of professional models in size, age and ethnicity. Ages 17-65. Sizes 8 - 16. The project was purposefully inclusive, involving standard sized model shapes too. All Walks introduces Mark Fast to ‘plus size’ model Hayley Morley. Impressed by how Hayley looked in Mark’s dress, he decided to include her along with two extra models in his Spring/Summer ’10 catwalk show. The news story around this show ignited a media storm. All Walks media coverage was estimated at 33 million opportunities to view. (by Lexis PR).
www.allwalks.org All Walks website is launched.
Susan Ringwood and Beat depart from project but remain in support.
Caryn, Debra and Erin continue. Report here.
OCTOBER 2009
All Walks wins the Love Your Body award, by Cosmopolitan magazine, as part of their Fearless Women of the Year ceremony.
All Walks attends Award Winners Ceremony at 10 Downing Street.
FEBRUARY 2010
London Fashion Week.
All Walks mounts Every Body Counts project during London Fashion Week, at Vauxhall Fashion Scout.
A five day live portrait event and growing exhibition gathering opinions on why London should lead the way for diversity in fashion. Report here.
MARCH 2010
International Women’s Day
Mounted by Lynne Featherstone, MP and Jo Swinson MP, All Walks participates in launch of Lib Dem’s Body Confidence Campaign, at Portculis House, along with Susie Orbach, Dr Helga Dittmar.
All Walks works with Sarah Brown, wife of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to produce special international women’s day fashion special for Mirror supplement
JUNE 2010
All walks educational forum is launched at Graduate Fashion Week. Supported by Wendy Dagworthy,Professor at RCA, 61 British Colleges are invited to attend a half day forum to discuss the important role fashion educationalists could play in engaging the next generation of creative British leaders?
Resulting in 3 Colleges introducing modules around diversity into their courses from September 2010. It’s a start! Report here.
JUNE 2010
Lynne Featherstone is appointed as parliamentary under secretary for Equalities in new coalition government and invites All Walks to help form a steering committee for Body Confidence Campaign.
AUGUST 2010
All Walks approaches the National Portrait Gallery to create a public event exploring - how fashion has become the lens by which we now evaluate our own identities and consequent self esteem?
Agree to take place in February 2011.
SEPTEMBER 2010 NYC
Fashion Nite Out NYC
Working with Donna Karen and Sonja Nuttal’s new venture called Urban Zen. All Walks takes first small step in America with party to celebrate the message at their Greenwich Street Store.
SEPTEMBER 2010 London
London Fashion Week
All Walks enlists Fashion Heavyweights for follow up initiative called SNAPPED
Alice Temperley, Antonio Berardi, Betty Jackson, Giles Deacon, Hussein Chalayan, Mathew Williamson, Osman Yousefzada,Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood show appetizer from Spring/Summer 2011 on diverse range of models.
Live Group Shot with Rankin at Somerset House. Report here.
SEPTEMBER 2010 Westminster
All Walks attends first Body Confidence Steering Group meeting at Portcullis House.
Steering Group includes: CEO Mumsnet, Girl Guides UK, Susie Orbach, CEO YMCA, Founders- All Walks Beyond the Catwalk
FEBRUARY 2011
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Lateshift Public Event in partnership with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.
“Has Fashion become the lens by which we evaluate our identity?”
Attendance: record breaking 4000
Overview:
Lateshift Extra together with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk presents Snapped – a night of special events celebrating fashion, diversity and beauty. New unseen images by Rankin, panel discussion on beauty and fashion industry to life drawing classes looking at expression versus style and illustration. This promises to be a night to see and be seen.
“The National Portrait Gallery’s Collection includes portraits that depict women from the late Middle Ages to the present day. The Gallery is delighted to be part of ‘All Walks Beyond the Catwalk’, to encourage debate around contemporary portraiture in fashion photography, and also as part of our remit to promote and debate portraiture in all media.” National Portrait Gallery.
Report here.
JUNE 2011
All Walks 2nd Futures Forum @ Graduate Fashion Week 2011.
One year on. More colleges sign up for All Walks presentations
All Walks launches the All Walks Centre of Diversity with Edinburgh College of Art.Britain’s first Centre of Diversity to look at emotionally considerate design and practice and the importance of individuality.
“People constantly talk about the economics of emerging markets – Brazil, India and China. Surely it’s time to join the dots between commercial thinking and emotional understanding. We live in a diverse world. The fashion industry can send out a more conscious message, develop a more emotionally considerate practice in pursuit of a more lucrative business proposition. It all begins in education.”
Report here.
All Walks, Co Founders Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O’Connor.
SEPTEMBER 2011
All Walks embarks on a nationwide educational campaign, featuring a 2 hour seminar to undergraduates, many followed up by collaborative projects.
Ravensbourne Collge of Art, University of Leeds. The Arts University College Bournemouth, Southampton Solent, London College of Fashion, Plymouth Art College, Edinburgh College of Art, University of the West of England Bristol, Nottingham Trent University School of Art & Design, Cleveland College of Art and Design, Glasgow School of Art, Winchester School of Art, Kingston University, Central St Martins, Ryerson University Toronto
FEBRUARY 2012
All Walks co-hosts MissRepresenation screening at House of Commons with The All Party Parliamentary Group and Central YMCA, to bring together key media professionals with the aim of kick starting a debate around the lack of role models in general media – leading more young women to look to fashion’s narrow ideals for a narrative on femininity.
FEBRUARY 2012
All Walks collaborates with MP Jo Swinson to help deliver the first ever Body Confidence Awards at Parliament. The All Walks Fashion Visionary award is presented to Mark Fast for his use of realistic body shapes on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.
Report here.
JUNE 2012
All Walks 3rd Future Forum at Graduate Fashion Week
With additional symposium and case histories from collaborative universities.
ANNOUNCED: Diversity NOW! 2013 A nationwide competition with i-D Magazine in student design. Sponsored by Succeed Foundation, All Walks invites the next generation of creative ‘influencers’ to envision and design for a fashion future, beyond stereotype. A future that challenges boundaries and truly celebrates individuality. Registration through Arts Thread
Covering the following sectors:
- Fashion Film
- Photography
- Zines
- Journalism
- Womanswear and
- Menswear design
September 2012
Lectures up and down the UK. All Walks recruits more educationalists and students to the call of Diversity. Curriculums begin changing. Students make their feeling known Report here.
November 2012
All Walks co-founders win Red Magazine’s ‘Pioneering Women Award,‘ at the Red Hot Women annual awards. Report here
March 2013
Co founder Caryn Franklin collects and MBE for her lifelong dedication to the service of positive Body Image and Diversity through projects for independent retailers and co-chair post at Fashion Targets Breast Cancer and of course the Marvellous All Walks Beyond the Catwalk. Report here.
June 2013
All Walks 4th Future Forum at Graduate Fashion Week. Results of Diversity NOW!
The results of a year long competition with 34 participating colleges and universities across the UK are announced at Graduate Fashion Week. Deemed a huge success by education and students alike. Curriculums are changing. Full report here.
Pop-up studio with i-D Magazine and photographer Daniel Sims produces Mix it up Campaign. Full report here
Sept 2013
Diversity NOW! 2014 is launched and Caryn and Debra undertake UK wide lecture circuit to promote Diversity, working with i-D Magazine and Arts Thread. In line with a nationwide drive to change curriculums with the help of committed educationalists All Walks are INVESTING IN EDUCATION.PRODUCING VISIONARIES. SPEARHEADING A PARADIGM SHIFT IN FASHION. Report here.
Dec 2013
All Walks collect award: H Club 100. Full report here
March 2013
26 Colleges request All Walks Lecture on Diversity in preparation for competition. Deadline Late April. See list of top colleges here