Diversity NOW! Competition Launches at GFW 2012
A selection of student visions of a diverse fashion future
Fashion is a powerful communicator to people about their identity. Here at All Walks, we believe that this power can be used for good, to promote individuality and self-esteem through creativity and diversity.
NOW! is the time for creatives to boldly vision a fashion future which steps beyond stereotypes, redefines boundaries and celebrates a wider range of beauty and body ideals in age, size and race. A fashion future that empowers and emboldens people, which envisions impactful, emotionally considerate practice in all areas of the industry.
Today at Graduate Fashion Week 2012 in London, we launched Diversity NOW!, a national student competition to discover those creatives who will lead the way toward this diverse fashion future.
Students are invited to take their lead from industry visionaries such as Vivienne Westwood, Nick Knight, Mark Fast, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Kayt Jones and Chen Man, but to show us what THEIR vision of this fashion future looks like. We are looking for students to create a piece of work that embodies our philosophy of fashion for all walks, using individuality and diversity in body and beauty ideals as a starting point for creativity.
We’re looking for directional, aspirational work showcasing fashion on a range of bodies types and individuals. Think exciting, striking and cutting-edge images, film, design or prose.
Womenswear
Menswear
Fashion Film
Zines
Photography
Journalism
Illustration
View the full Diversity NOW! terms and conditions and submission details.
Dir. Mal Burkinshaw on the Centre of Diversity’s First Year
Since the Centre of Diversity launched at Edinburgh College of Art last year, we have achieved much recognition for our work, both nationally and internationally. I was fortunate enough to have a paper selected for the 2012 International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI) conference, about the educational delivery of ‘emotionally considerate design’ at ECA, which I presented in person at the Pearl Academy in Jaipur, India.
During ECA's Innovative Learning Week we were delighted to work with UCA Epsom Journalism students. The combined student group took to the streets, and to the Scottish Parliament, protesting for more diversity in fashion design and imagery. The students demonstrated a level of passion for the All Walks philosophy which far surpassed my expectations.
Our 2nd year students collaborated with the Scottish National Galleries to develop a design project which gave historical context to body and beauty diversity. They applied this knowledge to their ‘Fashion and the Muse' project, creating a contemporary collection for models representing a diverse range of body shapes, ages and beauty ideals. The project was showcased during our Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Shows at the university's Playfair Library, Edinburgh.
I am also delighted to be launching a major new academic research project. Academic researchers within the broad discipline of fashion design will work in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), All Walks Beyond the Catwalk and multi-disciplinary University research programmes to inspire, educate and celebrate diverse body and beauty ideals through innovation-led design and visionary craft skills. Working closely with gallery educators, curators and historians, the project will extract vital research and inspiration from the Reformation to Revolution gallery at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (SNPG) and the World Class Renaissance collections at the Scottish National Gallery. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has confirmed approval for the research to be exhibited in a creative showcase, opening at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh from October 2014 – January 2015.
We have demonstrated that not only should educators be developing the creative brains of our future designers, but they should also be leading new methods of teaching students about the end contexts for their work: the diverse customer. Vitally, the students have embraced the philosophy of designing for diversity and have now started to catalyse these ideas as part of the natural creative process underpinning all of their design work.
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Mal Burkinshaw Director of the All Walks' Centre for Diversity, Edinburgh College of Art See Mal's profile on the Academic Team page. |
University of Diversity: A Student’s View of the All Walks’ Seminar Tour
All Walks Co-Founder Caryn Franklin at Epsom University
It’s easy in this day and age to be blinded by the spotlights of a catwalk, or the glamorous glare of a premiere, but it’s organizations like All Walks Beyond the Catwalk that shed real light on the oppressive and myopic corners that exists within the fashion industry. The dominance of 'Size Zero;' the promotion of unhealthy ideals, of manically manipulated beauty and of images air-brushed beyond belief; to name just a few of the damaging practices that seem to now be so engrained that nothing can counter them. 'Not so!' Caryn Franklin argues in her stimulating lecture, leaving all who listen inspired, empowered and self-assured.
The seminar currently being presented by Caryn Franklin, co-Founder of All Walks, is an eye-opener for anyone that feels angry, confused or self-conscious when it comes to the visual culture surrounding us today and the homogenous nature of what purports to be an appealing industry. The current parameters defining what is 'beautiful' are exclusive to particular sizes, races and ages, and exclude women that in reality make up society.
It is a refreshing talk to say the least. To hear that someone within the industry not only feels differently, but takes this message all over the country, talking to young women (and men), and inspiring change for the future, is a positive step that if truly realised will amount to a big leap. Franklin challenges the strict specifications that exist for all models seeking editorial or catwalk work, and the casting directors who enforce them, creating a void where acceptance and diversity ought to be.
The damaging images and discourses we are exposed to in our youth not only breed self-conscious young girls, but produce women that forever question whether they have reached ‘perfection.’ No group of women is exempt from the pressure and scrutiny that’s so forcefully projected towards us, often by fashion magazines. We all, at some point or another, find ourselves questioning our image or size, and in that moment instantly become the victim of the impossible ideal that we constantly see from pin thin thespians, singing sensations and fashion felines. It is for this exact reason that people are crying out for an honest and more accurate representation of women in the industry.
The world of fashion is exciting; it defines eras, gives birth to new trends and, most importantly, showcases the talent of hard working and intelligent creatives. It is disappointing that the industry is now characterized by such manic manipulation and exclusion, with diversity and individuality as virtual a concept as the digital prints coming out of fashion houses. However, with the work of ‘All Walks’, and powerful groups of women, we CAN bring about a change to the world of fashion and the production of imagery that exists today.
The lecture doesn’t just tell of a campaign, it tells of a story, and one in which we can all write the ending. It is us, as consumers of products and of imagery, who can choose to stand up; to pick up the phone to the ASA, for example, to make a complaint to ensure that the worst offenders are caught out. It is small actions like this, which make that major difference. We’re past the point of tutting and frowning. We need change to happen. And if runway trends can define an era, why can’t our challenge for diversity within all aspects of the fashion industry do the same?
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Post by Grace Quinn
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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| Grace Quinn is in her second year at Nottingham Trent University and is a budding fashion journalist. She writes for a life and style publication in the South and is a regular contributor to her university's online magazine. Follow her on Twitter @GraceQuinn2010 |
Beautiful Minds Think Alike:
Vogue’s Health Initiative, New Research & Parliament’s Body Image Report
The world's most famous fashion magazine, the UK Parliament and a fashion research academic have this past month made high-profile announcements relating to diversity and body confidence. The Vogue Health Initiative, the first of its kind in the high-fashion magazine industry, has been drawn up in order to
"encourage a healthier approach to body image within the industry". Ben Barry, the CEO of a diverse model agency in Canada, has published research showing that women's buying intentions (how likely they are to buy something) are positively affected when they see models who more closely represent them in terms of age, size and ethnicity. Also published this month, the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Body Image gives important context to the movement for improving body confidence by exploring the far-reaching effects of negative body image on the UK population.
All Walks co-founders Caryn Franklin and Debra Bourne have been regularly attending the APPG on Body Image, led by Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson, at Westminster. The group's recently published report gives an overview of the state of body image and body confidence in the UK today, revealing that negative body image is widespread and that it can have hugely detrimental effects on an individual's personal and social relationships, including at work and in schools. Here are a selection of the report's key findings:
- 60% of adults report that they feel ashamed of the way they look
- 70% of adult women and 40% of adult men report that they have felt pressure from television and magazines to have the 'perfect body'
- 34% of adolescent boys and 49% girls have been on a diet to change their body shape or to loose weight
- It is estimated that roughly two thirds of adults suffer from negative body image
- 42% of girls and young women feel that the most negative part of being female is the pressure to look attractive
- A third of men would sacrifice a year of their life to achieve their ideal body
"For an industry that should be about empowering women of all shapes, sizes and ages, too often the image of attractiveness it has projected has been entirely at odds with that message."
The Vogue Health Initiative then, is an acceptance of the responsibility that comes with their power, as Alexandra Shulman of British Vogue acknowledges in her June Editor's Letter, in which she states:
"As one of the fashion industry's most powerful voices, Vogue has a unique opportunity to engage with relevant issues where we feel we can make a difference."Jonathan Newhouse, the international chairman of Conde Nast, expanded on the reasoning behind the initiative, stating that:
"Vogue believes that good health is beautiful. Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the wellbeing of their readers."The Vogue Health Initiative, signed by all 19 international editors, is made up of the following six key points:
In order to achieve point number five, Vogue may want to present the research findings of Ben Barry to designers reluctant to alter their sample sizes.
- We will not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder. We will work with models who, in our view, are healthy and help to promote a healthy body image.
- We will ask agents not to knowingly send us underage girls and casting directors to check IDs when casting shoots, shows and campaigns.
- We will help to structure mentoring programmes where more mature models are able to give advice and guidance to younger girls, and we will help to raise industry-wide awareness through education, as has been integral to the Council of Fashion Designers of America Health Initiative.
- We will encourage producers to create healthy backstage working conditions, including healthy food options and a respect for privacy. We will encourage casting agents not to keep models unreasonably late.
- We encourage designers to consider the consequences of unrealistically small sample sizes of their clothing, which limits the range of women who can be photographed in their clothes, and encourages the use of extremely thin models.
- We will be ambassadors for the message of healthy body image.
Ben Barry, founder and CEO of a diverse model agency in Canada, has recently published the findings of his academic research into how body and beauty representation in fashion advertising affects a woman's likelihood to buy a product. It has often been assumed by the marketing industry that a woman's insecurity about not looking like the model in the advert has led her to buying the product in order to become closer to that ideal. Ben Barry's ground breaking research proves that this simply isn't the case. The author explains:
"My study found that women increased their purchase intentions by more than 200 percent when the models in the mock ads were their size. In the subgroup over size 6 [UK 10], women increased their purchase intentions by a dramatic 300 percent when they saw curvier models. Conversely, when women saw models who didn’t reflect their size, they decreased their purchase intentions by 60 percent, and women over size 6 dropped their purchase intentions by 76 percent.It is clear that the celebration and promotion of diverse body and beauty ideals in the fashion industry and beyond makes sense not for ethical reasons alone, but for business reasons too. It is no longer a tough call to do the right thing, it is a no-brainer that will hopefully now be realised across the industry at an accelerated pace.
My results weren’t limited to the issue of size. Consumers increased their purchase intentions by over 175 percent when they saw models who reflected their age; in particular, women over the age of 35 increased their purchase intentions by 200 percent when they saw older models. When models didn’t reflect their age, consumers decreased their purchase intentions by 64 percent. Furthermore, black consumers were 1.5 times more likely to purchase a product advertised by a black model.
When one mature woman saw an older model, she explained: “[The model] does more than make me feel beautiful; she inspires me to go out and get this dress and celebrate my beauty.”
- Elle Canada
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RELATED: Read All Walks co-founder Caryn Franklin's challenge to Vogue
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Words Charlotte Gush
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Charlotte Gush is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, CAVACOMA.com, with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte |
Happiness in Magazines: Curvy Fashion Title SLiNK now in Print
Issue Six Cover
Photographer: Joseph Sinclair, Model: Grace Brackstone @ Hughes
With a refreshingly healthy attitude towards body image, SLiNK Magazine is an innovative publication dedicated to promoting diversity within the fashion industry. Featuring curvy models exclusively and retailers that stock a spectrum of sizes, this unique glossy provides a breath of fresh air in the staid and, at times, discriminatory world of fashion. Editor in Chief Rivkie Baum explains her motivation in launching the publication:
“Working in plus size retail and reading the international plus size publications that I felt lacked the aspirational quality of the glossies, I wondered why there was a whole market that the industry was ignoring.Supporters of the magazine since its launch, All Walks is thrilled that SLiNK has moved from an online-only publication to a print magazine. The title continues to provide a positive option among generic fashion magazines, express individuality, creativity and personality, as well as bringing trends to a market of women often skipped over by the fashion industry.
Plus size is a continuous hot topic in the media, yet it still carries so many negative connotations. I wasn’t sure how the industry would feel about a plus size glossy, but so far, the feedback has nearly all been incredibly positive.”
- Rivkie Baum, Editor-in-Chief
To celebrate the ever increasing success of the magazine, we’ve gained a sneak-preview of the hotly anticipated Issue Six.
Photographer: Joseph Sinclair
Model: Grace Brackstone @ Hughes
Photographer: PZ @ Zownir Productions
Model: Whitney @ Milk Management
Female Model: Grace Brackstone @ Hughes
Male Model: Adam @ Nevs
Photographer: PZ @ Zownir Productions
Model: Whitney @ Milk Management
Photographer: Elliott Morgan
Model: Ania @ 12plus Models
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Post by Charmaine Ayden
Images courtesy of SLiNK
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Charmaine Aydenis a Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University. An avid admirer of all things ‘glossy’, she set her heart on a career in Fashion Journalism from a young age. Having undertaken work placements with Vogue, WSGN, ASOS, Drapers and Glamour Magazine, Charmaine is currently working as Copy and Features Writer for Brownsfashion.com. Check out Charmaine’s blog The Good is the Beautiful and find her on Twitter @CharmaineAyden |
Illamasqua ‘Paint our World Colourful’ with New Diverse Beauty Campaign
Soho’s notorious Illamasqua make-up store was the setting for the launch of 'Paint My World Colourful,' a new campaign promoting diversity in fashion and beauty imagery. The campaign’s founder, third year Southampton Solent student Bethany Norman, credited a University visit from All Walks' co-founder Caryn Franklin with having inspired her to begin her venture:
“I love All Walks; I was overwhelmed when Caryn came to my University and immediately sought a way in which I could channel All Walk’s incredible energy in to something of my own.”Norman chose to push her creativity to the limit, orchestrating what can only be described as a marathon run of editorial photo shoots which featured every type of model conceivable:
“Every model I have used for this project has been alternative or not ‘the norm’ - I have used bald models, tall models, plus size models and even cross dressing models...all of them are from different backgrounds and ethnicities, all of them are beautiful.”
A vision of multicoloured polkadots and fringed necklaces, Norman embodies her creative campaign down to a T:
“Image is important to me, I am a stylist so I just love playing with textures and colours - collaging! People say you shouldn’t put certain things together - I think it is about finding the right shades and textures. It is the same with models, one of the models here today is a size 16 and she is amazing! That is just not the norm in the fashion industry.”So after having been practically stampeded at the Illamsqua store - what’s next?
“I think the more up-and-coming creatives who get involved in this, the more likely it is that there will be a shift. We can have a brighter fashion industry, one that caters for every one. I hope to keep pushing the boundaries...”Bethany, I think you may find that you have inspired a fair few people yourself!
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Post by Monica Beatrice Welburn
Film: The Inaugural Body Confidence Awards
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF THE NOMINEES AND WINNERS
Film by Lee Jones
Illamasqua want YOU to Model in their ‘Beauty before Age’ Campaign
"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it"- Confucius
In a culture where we've been conditioned to find beauty where we're told to expect it, there is too much beauty that goes unseen; those of us who appreciate beauty in all its forms will agree that any beauty that falls outside dictated mainstream parameters should be celebrated rather than neglected. Few companies understand and champion this belief better than British cosmetics brand Illamasqua, whose message is underpinned by the ethic of
beauty without limits.
For their latest campaign, "Age Before Beauty", Illamasqua will be holding an open casting for models of all ages. Believing that age should never define an individual, Illamasqua encourages men and women of all ages to continue exploring their unique beauty:
“Why should it be the case that you hit 40 and morph into a dull, boring version of your original self? Bombarded by products to hide your age rather than celebrate your experience and vitality.”- Joseph Corrė –Illamasqua Joint MD
“Lauren Bacall said ‘think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that’ - I agree. What makes one person unique from another is in their soul and what is projected through their eyes, their wisdom, life story, experience, individuality and presence.”- Alex Box - Illamasqua Creative Director
Illamasqua's products are specifically created to be tailored for self-expression, a truly fun aspect of makeup which can too easily overlooked in favour of a utilitarian approach. Julian Kynaston, Illamasqua Founder and Joint MD, says:
“From day one we said that Illamasqua could never be defined by social demographics, age or sex, but simply by a mindset. Our customers come to us to seek out permission or gain confidence to wear make-up louder and prouder.”Illamasqua works to change attitudes, not only to make-up, but to individual beauty, and the 'Beauty Before Age' campaign is one in which everyone is literally invited to participate:
"If you’re someone who never lets age define you, or you know someone who fits that description Illamasqua want to encourage you to nominate your mothers, aunts, grandmothers or any strong person in your life to be part of their next campaign in a glamorous beauty shoot celebrating all ages and diversities. As well as individuals, we are looking for pairs – from mothers and daughters to nieces and aunties, to grandmothers and grandsons. The combinations are endless."Nominate yourself or someone else at Beauty Before Age application from 25th April 2012 and if chosen that person would need to be available to attend an open casting mid-May 2012 and be part of the shoot taking place end of May 2012.
The deadline is Monday 14th May 2012 before 11:59pm GMT
In return, all those featured in the campaign receive £500, a new Illamasqua make-up kit worth £500 and a framed photo of yourself like you've never looked like before!
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Post by Meera Innes
Editor Charlotte Gush on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Meera Innes works in beauty as a Marketing Executive by day and freelance writer and editor by night. Although she works in cosmetics, she feels just as passionate about beauty in all forms and strives to work together with like-minded people to open eyes and broaden minds in a mainstream media-driven society. Meera is from all over the place with previous spells in Japan, India and Singapore, but for now she is settled in the UK. She has a somewhat neglected blog, Meera Meera On the Wall, and you can find her tweeting all things beauty and some things mundane @Meerabel |
BODY CONFIDENCE AWARDS: Celebrating Industry Champions of Diverse Beauty
Today, more than ever before, we face an almost constant bombardment of images, messages and ideals, from the websites we visit, the adverts we see, products we buy and magazines that we read. The representation of the human form delivered to us by these sources has a huge effect on the way we percieve our bodies and our appearances, and when a homogenous vision of the 'ideal' form is presented to us hundreds, even thousands of times a day, it can be very damaging to our body confidence if the way we look differs from this very narrow conception of beauty.
Of course, this phenomenon is a widely acknowledged one and most of us are now well versed in the language of body dismophia, fear and even hatred. It seems now to be a weekly occurance that some brand or other is pulled up by the advertising standards agency for using misleading images, or even by individuals petitioning their favourite magazine or company to represent them - their customer - by celebrating diversity and diverse beauty. Of course, identifying and understanding those instances of media that could be damaging is part of the path toward a brighter, healthier, more diverse future, but it is also hugely important to recognise those who have already followed that path and are pioneering a new way, a better way of communicating what it means to be human.
The inaugural Body Confidence Awards aims to do just that, highlighting the efforts of industry and community thought leaders who are re-writing the rule book on how to communicate in a responsible, considerate way that promotes healthy body and beauty ideals. As All Walks Co-Founder Caryn Franklin remarked to attendees of the ceremony, people in the fashion industry - and in the creative industries generally - genuinely want to promote and celebrate health, happiness and beauty, both inside and out. These awards are an opportunity to show them how it's done, to offer a guide to best practice and to assure them that their efforts will be received joyfully by both their industry colleagues and their customers.
There is another way, a better way, and this is how it's done:
ADVERTISING AWARD
| WINNER | Dove "Growing Up" TV Advert
| THEY SAY |
In 2010, Dove commissioned its biggest global study ever “The Real Truth about Beauty Revisited”. This study revealed some shocking statistics:
• 53% of girls in the UK have avoided certain activities because they feel bad about their looks.
• 22% didn’t go to the beach or pool.
• More than 1 in 5 girls in the UK avoided physical activity or exercise because they feel bad about how they look. Almost the same number avoided shopping.
• 16% didn’t offer an opinion.
• 1 in 10 didn’t go to the doctor.
• Nearly 1 in 5 didn’t go on a date.
To support the brand’s Social Mission, Dove will continue to equip girls with self-esteem education through workshops and the online tools that are available. Dove has reached over 800,000 young people in the UK so far and aims to reach 1 million by the end of 2012 with your help.
Dove will invest a minimum of £250,000 in the provision of self-esteem education in the UK in 2012. If more than 20 million packs are sold, Dove will contribute an additional £10,000 for every 1 million extra units sold in the UK from 26th March 2012 to 15th May 2012.
The self esteem education will be delivered via a 1 hour workshop in schools in partnership with Beat, who will facilitate their delivery, and teachers can apply for teacher training and/or self esteem workshops via the Dove website.
| NOMINEES |
BEAUTY AWARD
| WINNER | Boots No7 ‘Ta Dah’ Range
For their decision to eschew retouching and for celebrating the idea of real beauty.
| THEY SAY |
"No7 has always been a brand committed to making all British women look and feel beautiful. This dedication requires a deep understanding of British women, their thoughts and feelings towards beauty.
What we want to show with the 'Ta-Dah' campaign is a moment in time that all women have, when they know they look and, perhaps more importantly, feel their absolute best."
- Amanda Walker, head of No7
| NOMINEES |
 Illamasqua
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 Look Good... Feel Better
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 MAC Cosmetics
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BROADCAST / PRINT / PUBLISHING AWARD
| WINNER | Caitlin Moran for her book ‘How to be a Woman’
 Caitlin Moran accepts the Publishing Award for her book 'How to be a Woman' at the inaugural Body Confidence Awards, April 2012 (Image, Annabel Staff) |
| NOMINEES |
 Beautiful Magazine
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 Gok's Teens, The Naked Truth
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 Guardian Weekend, Fashion For All Ages
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CAMPAIGNER AWARD
| WINNER | Changing Faces
Changing Faces' Alison Rich accepts the award (Image, Annabel Staff)
| THEY SAY |
Changing Lives| NOMINEES |
We aim to help individuals lead full and satisfying lives. We give practical and emotional support to adults, children and their families. We also provide training, support and advice to professionals in health and education. Find out more about our services for adults and families.
Changing Minds
We aim to transform public attitudes towards people with disfiguring conditions. We promote fair treatment and equal opportunities for all, irrespective of their appearance. We campaign for social change: advocating for more integrated health services; influencing schools and workplaces to create more inclusive environments; and lobbying for anti-discrimination protection and enforcement.
CENTRAL YMCA HEALTH SPORT AND FITNESS AWARD
| WINNER | Virgin Active’s Oomph Campaign
For showing a range of shapes, ages, sizes and ethnicities in their campaign, and for promoting the more intrinsic benefits of being physically active.
| THEY SAY |
"We are thrilled that Virgin Active's Oomph campaign has been recognised by these awards. One of our core beliefs is that the health club industry should be inclusive no matter what gender, age or level of fitness. We pride ourselves on offering something for everyone at the clubs and outside at events such as the Virgin Active London Triathlon."- Steve Dick, Sales and Marketing Director at Virgin Active
| NOMINEES |
 Curves
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 Dance UK
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EDUCATION AWARD
| WINNER | ‘Body Image in the Primary School’ by Nicky Hutchinson and Chris Calland
For recognising that there was no material for teachers to use in the classroom to confront body image issues, and for writing an invaluable book allowing schools to deliver high-quality lessons on this topic.
| THEY SAY |
"Children face exposure to the media on a far greater scale than ever before. They watch up to 40,000 adverts every year. Although there are initiatives to address body image with adolescents, we were aware that there was very little available to support younger children. Primary schools have a critical role in helping them develop a healthy body image through positive intervention."- Nicky Hutchinson
"When we watch television or look at magazines with our children we should encourage them to question the images they see. We should reassure our children about their appearance and talk positively about them. It's important not to make negative comments about their weight or over-emphasise the importance of looks. We shouldn't make negative comments about other people's physical appearance or complain about 'fat' or 'ugly' parts of our body in their hearing."- Chris Calland
| NOMINEES |
ALL WALKS BEYOND THE CATWALK FASHION VISIONARY AWARD
| WINNER | Mark Fast, Designer
For using models varying in size, shape and ethnicity in his catwalk shows at London Fashion Week since September 2009.
| THEY SAY |
"I'd like to thank the Body Confidence Awards for acknowledging me. As a designer I care about the women that wear my clothes, and big thanks to All Walks Beyond the Catwalk for their encouragement. It is very important to deliver the technical aspects - a 'look' and a quality of make - but I also want to make each wearer of my clothes feel empowered and affirmed. I want to celebrate women and make them feel good in my clothes."- Mark Fast, fashion designer
| NOMINEES |
 Vivienne Westwood
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 Giles Deacon
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MUMSNET AWARD FOR PROMOTING BODY CONFIDENCE IN CHILDREN
Voted for by Mumsnet members
| WINNER | Pink Stinks
| THEY SAY |
"Pinkstinks is a campaign that targets the products, media and marketing that prescribe heavily stereotyped and limiting roles to young girls. We believe that all children – girls and boys - are affected by the ‘pinkification’ of girlhood. Our aim is to challenge and reverse this growing trend. We also promote media literacy, self-esteem, positive body image and female role models for kids."
| NOMINEES |
 Cerrie Burnell, CBEEBIES Presenter
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 Eleanor Simmonds, Swimmer
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 Gok Wan
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RETAIL AWARD
| WINNER | Debenhams
For their ongoing Inclusivity Campaign showcasing imagery that is inspirational and realistic by using models who are older, curvier and, in Shannon Murray's case, visibly disabled to inspire modern day British women.
| THEY SAY |
“We cater for women of all shapes and sizes, young and old, non-disabled and disabled so we wanted our windows to reflect this choice."- Michael Sharp, Debenhams’ Deputy Chief Executive
| NOMINEES |
 ASOS Curve
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 La Redoute 'En Plus'
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 Vivienne of Holloway
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CELEBRITY AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR AWARD Decided by public vote
| WINNER | Davina McCall
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Charlotte Gush is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, CAVACOMA.com, with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte |
Fierce Debate follows model Vodianova’s Comment “It’s Better to be Skinny than Fat”
If there is one topic guaranteed to cause controversy, it is most definitely that of body weight, and even more so when the discussion is linked to the fashion industry. When Natalia Vodianova proposed to a panel of fellow models at the Vogue Fashion Festival, "Come on, guys, it's better to be skinny than to be fat!", it was perhaps inevitable that fierce debate would ensue.
In the aftermath of the comment, Natalia took to her Facebook page to defend her choice of words, explaining that the point she was trying to make was that 'being skinny' – by which she meant looking after her body - was far healthier than being obese, a growing issue in Britain, she pointed out. She quite rightly noted that this would have come across a lot better if she had planned a speech, choosing her words more carefully.
Misinterpreted or not, her statement generated an enourmous and empassioned reaction, with comments flooding in from seemingly every corner of the internet, with a multitude of different opinions:
"The ideal is "healthy"; not fat nor skinny. Obsession with body image is unhealthy"
"No one should be promoting "skinny over fat," promotion should be on HEALTHY weight."
- Comments on Stuff.co.nz
“It is true that in the western world obesity is a massive crisis – I don’t get why people have to be one way of the other? How about you’re on the lean side or curvier, as long as you maintain a healthy BMI”
- Comment on Vodianova's Facebook Page
“She makes it seem like the food industry is a bigger problem without acknowledging the fact that the fashion industry plays a huge role in how women feel about their bodies. ”
- Comment on NYmag.com
Perhaps, because fashion so often presents only one type of beauty, all discussions about bodies and health become polarised to the extremes. So, when Vodianova says it's better to be 'skinny' than to be 'fat', because she (an the majority of models) are so thin, people think that what she considers 'fat' is probably a normal size. It certainly is better to be healthy than to be obese, which is unhealthy by definition, but it must be acknowledged that being thin doesn't automatically make you healthy. The use of the provocative, loosely-defined terms 'skinny' and 'fat' certainly does not lead to an enlightened understanding of what is a very complex issue.
Here at All Walks, we want to see a range of healthy bodies in the images created by the fashion industry. So that health becomes an important part of beauty, displacing the current narrow size ideals.
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Words by Hanna Fillingham
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Hanna Fillingham is a second year Journalism student at Cardiff University. During the summer of 2011, Hanna worked as an intern for Caryn Franklin. Hanna has a blog here, and is on Twitter @hannafillingham |
Franca Sozzani: An All Walks Fashion Hero
“I like to be risky every day, changing minds every day”- Franca Sozzani
Very few people have influenced the fashion industry more than Franca Sozzani; Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue since 1987, she’s redefined fashion photography and helped to establish the phenomenon of the supermodel.
During her reign as the powerhouse behind Italian Vogue, Sozzani has very rarely shied away from controversy. Pioneering the contentious 2008 ‘Black’ issue of Italian Vogue, she’s also ‘commissioned provocative studies of subjects such as the paparazzi and rehab clinics that have fearlessly taken on the obsessions, addictions, and crises of contemporary culture’, not forgetting her radical response to the 2010 BP oil spill, where she featured model Kristen McMenamy wearing a fur coat drenched in oil. Quite simply, France Sozzani has confirmed that the fashion industry has an influence that is far greater than fleeting trends and unnecessary extravagance.
Notably, Interview Magazine documented Franca’s career and expressed their appreciation for her work concerning diversity:
"Franca has transformed the magazine into a platform for celebrating the power of the image and of photography. In the process, she has helped re-imagine the medium of the fashion magazine as a kind of cultural lightning rod, and has consistently used both fashion and fashion imagery as a vehicle for tackling social, political, and even environmental issues."
Last year Sozzani continued to preempt the zeitgeist by featuring three plus-sized models on the cover of the June 2011 issue. Stephen Meisel shot models Tara Lynn, Candice Huffine and Robyn Lawley embracing their curves in sultry black lingerie. Continuing her battle against pro-anorexia websites and blogs, Sozzani has also launched a ‘curvy’ section on the Vogue.it website:
"I did some research and found that there are countless pro-anorexia websites and blogs that not only support the disorder, but also urge young people to be competitive about their "body shape". Fashion has been always blamed as one of the culprits of anorexia, and our commitment is the proof that fashion is ready to get on the frontline and struggle against the disorder."- Franca Sozzani
More recently, Franca made an appearance at Harvard University to discuss the conflict-ridden issues of body image. Appearing alongside Huffington Post president and editor-in-chief, Arianna Huffington, and supermodel/actress, Amber Valetta, Sozzani took to her blog to muse over her forthcoming appearance at the event:
“I spent so many hours studying each and every lecture given on eating habits, anorexia, obesity and so on. It's a commitment and nothing must be left to chance. You speak and know that each word carries weight and consequences. It's a matter of seriousness, especially in front of a young audience. You may influence or annoy them, but you must in any case keep them interested”
Addressing some of the most contentious issues affecting the contemporary fashion industry, Franca Sozzani has joined an a elite group including Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, and Natalia Vodianova who have also addressed Harvard regarding parallel issues. Complete with integrity, humour and intelligence, All Walks says ‘All hail Franca Sozzani’.
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Post by Charmaine Ayden
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Charmaine Aydenis a Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University. An avid admirer of all things ‘glossy’, she set her heart on a career in Fashion Journalism from a young age. Having undertaken work placements with Vogue, WSGN, ASOS, Drapers and Glamour Magazine, Charmaine is currently working as Copy and Features Writer for Brownsfashion.com. Check out Charmaine’s blog The Good is the Beautiful and find her on Twitter @CharmaineAyden |
All Walks’ salutes designer Mark Fast at the Body Confidence Awards
Mark Fast accepts the All Walks' Fashion Visionary Award from Caryn Franklin
Image by Annabel Staff
Mark Fast, the King of Knitwear, made a rare appearance at Parliament last week to receive a well-deserved award.
The first ever Body Confidence Awards in association with Bare Minerals, presented by Jo Swinson MP, acknowledged Mark as a fashion leader for showing a range of body and beauty ideals within his London Fashion Week catwalk casting.
The All Walks Beyond the Catwalk Fashion Visionary award has landed! We are of course delighted and applaud Mark Fast as a creative genius and just as importantly, a thought leader.
His desire to create inclusive fashion messaging was something we all celebrated, back in May 2009, when Mark was amongst the first to accept the All Walks challenge to design a sample garment for a curvy model. Award winning photographer Kayt Jones recorded the iconic picture of Hayley Morley for i-D Magazine seen below, along with 7 other images featuring diverse models in dresses from designers like William Tempest and Hannah Marshall. It might have ended there, but Mark took things further.
Hayley Morley wears Mark Fast for All Walks
Image by Kayt Jones
Launching Hayley Morley, along with other similarly voluptuous models like Laura Catterall, the Special K model, on his London Fashion Week catwalk the following September, Mark made national and then global News. In fact, the resultant press tsunami took everyone by surprise.
The small All Walks HQ was inundated and after appearing three times in one day on the BBC News, Debra, Erin and I then realized the only way ‘fashion forward’ was to grow All Walks into the well connected organization it is today.
As a result of that first campaign All Walks has launched the Centre of Diversity at Edinburgh College of Art and has gone on to create many more initiatives.
And with lectures up and down the country, engaging student designers with the idea of conscious choice, emotionally considerate design and why designing for a range of body shapes is, in these difficult times, a lucrative business proposition, we know we can look forward to more high profile Body Conscious designers like Mark Fast, in years to come.
“Over the years,” say’s Mark, “I have been privileged to work with some of the most beautiful and shapely women in the world and it is true to say that even the most beautiful (by any standards) have moments of doubt and insecurities.
As a designer it is very important to deliver the technical aspects a “look” and a quality of “make,” I also want to make each wearer of my clothes feel empowered and affirmed. I want to celebrate women and make them feel good in my clothes.
" I had the most fantastic compliment the other day when a supermodel mentioned to me that she was feeling tired and a little down and just by putting on one of my FASTER range she felt energised and invigorated."
And more power to you Mister Mark Fast, for such stylish action. We know you will continue to win awards, but we hope this All Walks award has a special place on your studio shelf. We think you have heart and we think that you, like us, believe that Inclusivity and Diversity equals Body Confidence.
Read more...
Full list of the Body Confidence Award winners.
Caryn’s piece on why the awards are important for every one, for The Huffington Post.
Susie Orbach’s Guardian Feature on the Body Confidence Awards.
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Post by Caryn Franklin
Images individually attributed
Editor Charlotte Gush
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Caryn Franklin Co-Founder Former fashion editor and co-editor of i-D Magazine for 6 years in the early eighties, Caryn Franklin has been a fashion commentator for 29 years. She presented the BBC’s Clothes Show for 12 years and BBC’s Style Challenge for 3 years as well as producing and presenting numerous documentaries for ITV on designers including Vivienne Westwood, Philip Treacy and Matthew Williamson. Working in education throughout her career as external assessor and lecturer in colleges like Central St Martins, London College of fashion and Royal College of Art, she is also an ardent fashion activist and has co-chaired the award winning Fashion Targets Breast Cancer for 15 years and proposed the London College of Fashion Centre of Sustainability and is its ambassador. Follow Caryn on Twitter: @Caryn_franklin |
All Walks announce the inaugural Body Confidence Awards and nominees
We are delighted to announce, alongside the other members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image, that the inaugural Body Confidence Awards will take place this Thursday, 19th April 2012, at the House of Commons.
The awards will recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of those who promote body confidence within various industries. A judging panel made up of representatives from B-eat, the Centre for Appearance Research, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, AnyBody, Stephanie Heart Enterprises, Mumsnet, and the Central YMCA along with Jo Swinson MP sifted through countless nominations to come up with the shortlists.
The nominees were chosen for a number of reasons including aspirational diversity in size, age and skin tone; responsible use of body imagery and the consideration of diverse body sizes, shapes and beauty; promotion of active and healthy lifestyles and less sexualised imagery.
Commenting, Jo Swinson MP for East Dunbartonshire said:
“With these awards we want to publicly recognise positive steps taken by industry groups, businesses and campaigners. In highlighting their leading work and body confidence initiatives hopefully they will inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”
Susie Orbach from AnyBody said:
“It influences us all and affects the well-being of young women and men so it is important to acknowledge examples which promote body confidence and counteract the damage. Advertisers and marketers can be so imaginative. These are examples of the direction to aim in.”
All Walks' Co-Founder and Fashion Commentator Caryn Franklin said:
“Fashion design can be a huge force for good when individuality and diversity are celebrated. At All Walks, we love fashion for all ages, sizes and skin tones.”
Commenting on his nomination, fashion designer Giles Deacon said:
“I am thrilled to be nominated for a Body Confidence award. Since launching my eponymous label in 2003 I have worked with a wide range of ages and body types and a particular highlight for me was working with Verushka who modelled in my in Spring Summer 2011 collection closing the runway show age 73. I like to work with this wide range of women as body confidence and character pervade.”
Commenting on his nomination, fashion designer Mark Fast said:
“Over the years I have been privileged to work with some of the most beautiful and shapely women in the world and it is true to say that even the most beautiful (by any standards) have moments of doubt and insecurities. I want to celebrate women and make them feel good in my clothes.”
And the nominees are:
Advertising
‘The Woman’ by Breast Cancer Care; ‘Growing up’ by Dove; ‘100 Days of Summer’ by New Look; ‘Fotoshop by Adobé’ by Jesse Rosten
Beauty
Boots No7 ‘Ta Dah’ range; Illamasqua; Look Good... Feel Better; MAC
Broadcast/Print/Publishing
Beautiful Magazine; Caitlin Moran for How to be a Woman; Gok’s Teens: The Naked Truth; Guardian Weekend Magazine: Fashion for all ages
Campaigner
Body Gossip; Changing Faces; Katie Piper; Miss Representation
Central YMCA Health, Sport and Fitness Award
Curves; Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme; Virgin Active’s Ooomph campaign
Education
Body Gossip’s ‘Gossip School’ education programme; Body Image in the Primary School by Nicky Hutchinson and Chris Calland; Girlguiding UK’s Peer education initiative
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk Fashion Award
Giles Deacon; Mark Fast; Vivienne Westwood
Mumsnet Award for promoting body confidence in children
Cerrie Burnell from CBeebies; Ellie Simmonds; Pink Stinks; Gok Wan
Retail
ASOS Curve; Debenhams; La Redoute; Vivien of Holloway
Celebrity Ambassador of the Year Award
Decided by public votes. To be announced at the ceremony
All Walks’ Erin O’Connor Cleans Up in Catalytic Clothing’s Eco-Friendly Fabrics
Watch All Walks Co-Founder Erin O'Connor in Catalytic Clothing's film, Herself:Catalytic Clothing - Herself from Helen Storey Foundation on Vimeo.
Fashion and science made a unique duo at this years Edinburgh International Science Festival. Artist and designer Helen Storey MBE from the London College of Fashion and scientist Professor Tony Ryan OBE from The University of Sheffield, the dynamic patnership behind Catalytic Clothing, revealed their exciting vision of air purifying jeans and kilts.
Catalytic Clothing is a refreshing and clever initiative combining fashion and science. The idea is simple, but powerful. By treating the garments with a unique blend of titanium dioxide, they act as a catalyst to clean the air around them. This means that each one of us can help neutralise air pollution simply by walking around. Not only does the air become cleaner, but our clothes do too. With the help of sunlight, the catalysts will neutralise the dirt from the air pollution around us that would otherwise end up stuck to our clothes, meaning fewer trips to the launderette will be needed, saving energy.
Speaking about the project, Prof Helen Storey said:
“Catalytic Clothing is the most challenging, globally relevant project I have ever attempted. Behind almost all human advancement, lies science. Through my work, I try to share and involve the public with these possibilities.”
Since launching in June 2011, the campaign for clean air has spread across the globe and has reached over 300 million people. The Catalytic Clothing film stars All Walks' Co-Founder Erin O’Connor and has gone 'viral', continuing to be downloaded all over the world.
If everything goes smoothly, we will not have long to wait long before we see this initiative come to life. Current testing indicates that Catalytic Clothing will be ready to launch to the market as an Ecover laundry product by 2013.
Click here to see a film charting the story so far.
To keep up with all the latest developments, follow Catalyst Clothing on Twitter @ProfHelenStorey.
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Words by Hanna Fillingham
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Hanna Fillingham is a second year Journalism student at Cardiff University. During the summer of 2011, Hanna worked as an intern for Caryn Franklin. Hanna has a blog here, and is on Twitter @hannafillingham |
Actress Ashley Judd wins feminist plaudits for articulate response to ‘Puffy-Face-gate’
The face that launched a thousand rumours
Now imagine that scenario again, but this time under the intense, unforgiving and gleeful scrutiny of the media, whose idea of a great headline is your 'Bad Face Day'; then imagine this circus turning into a character assassination, the condemnation of your lifestyle choices and the underlying moral implications of your credibility as a human being and role model.
Thankfully, this isn’t something most of us have to deal with on a daily basis – but we are all too familiar with it. We may be so used to it that we are desensitized to it and, even worse, we may even participate in it. It is so easy to critique the appearance of someone in the public eye that we can entirely overlook the fact that we are involved in shaping and perpetuating the media-endorsed standards we impose not only on celebrities, but on one another, on ourselves. How has it become OK to tear someone apart based on their appearance, and what does this say about us?
Ashley Judd wants to know the same thing. I remember hearing something recently about the actress’ “puffy face” – I noticed, in passing, enough headlines to register some outrage over an apparently offensive change in her appearance, but I didn’t give it a second thought at the time. As it turns out, Ms Judd’s face created enough of a phenomenon to prompt an unexpected response: a supremely measured, articulate, and quite frankly, kick-ass piece of feminist writing. Being put in a position where she felt obliged to justify her weight gain (a sedentary lifestyle and steroid medication will do that to a girl, I can tell ya), she goes on to counter-analyze the culture that so viscerally analyzed her appearance.
Whereas I’d previously felt quite indifferently towards Ashley Judd the actress, I’m now pretty much in awe of Ashley Judd the feminist icon and humanitarian activist (who knew? I didn’t, ’til it came to light after she had to publicly defend, um, her face). It would be a travesty for this to be just another headline that we vaguely recall having seen one time – it is such a vital dialogue in a society where media reinforces perceptions of humanity based too often not on what people do, but what they look like. Please do read Ashley Judd’s full essay.
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Post by Meera Innes
Editor Charlotte Gush on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Meera Innes works in beauty as a Marketing Executive by day and freelance writer and editor by night. Although she works in cosmetics, she feels just as passionate about beauty in all forms and strives to work together with like-minded people to open eyes and broaden minds in a mainstream media-driven society. Meera is from all over the place with previous spells in Japan, India and Singapore, but for now she is settled in the UK. She has a somewhat neglected blog, Meera Meera On the Wall, and you can find her tweeting all things beauty and some things mundane @Meerabel |
The All Walks message goes global at the first UN Summit on Body Image
For the very first time, the issue of body confidence and its relation to the media has been discussed at the United Nations. The 2012 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was held between the 27th February and March 9th, and, on the topic of body image and the media, both the UK Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone MP and writer and psychoanalyst Dr Susie Orbach addressed the commission.
Whilst accepting that issues such as poverty, starvation, violence and FGM [female genital mutilation] are at the top of the agenda, Featherstone explained that we are facing a new global crisis where huge numbers of women "feel compelled to conform to a distorted vision of beauty," resulting in "low levels of self esteem, lack of self worth, anxiety, depression and in extreme cases, high levels of eating disorders and greater demand for cosmetic surgery."
Dr Orbach poignantly compared these issues to other acts of violence against women internationally:
"The west congratulates itself on its distance from Eastern practices of foot binding which constrained and limited women. It fails to see the links between toe operations carried out now to enable women to fit into the latest 4 inch high heels.
The west smugly criticises FGM while sanctioning labiaplasty and the remaking of the genital lips which has become a growth area for cosmetic surgeons.
The west makes appeals about famine victims in the southern hemisphere but has failed to notice the voluntarily insane food practices that exist in their own countries.
The west hasn’t noticed that these are forms of violence and constraint for women."
Featherstone emphasized the importance of challenging the "culture of conformity" which suggests to women that, in order to be considered beautiful, valuable even, they must be "young, white, skinny, with a perfect air-brushed face and a perfect photo-shopped body." The Minister explained the importance of All Walks' aim to widen the definition of beauty to include all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities, as well as the need to "help people to recognise that their value goes beyond just their physical appearance."
Dr Orbach likened the need to take on the industries that promote body anxiety for their own gain to historic battles with the tobacco industry. She explained that:
"The beauty companies, the fashion houses, the diet companies, the food conglomerates who also of course own the diet companies, the exercise and fitness industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the cosmetic surgery industry combine together, perhaps not purposefully or conspiratorially, to create a climate in which girls and women come to feel that their bodies are not ok. ... They are mining bodies as though they were a commodity like coal or gold."
So, the media constantly bombards us with unrealistic images of 'the body beautiful' and this is leading to widespread image anxiety, but what can be done to lessen the negative impact? Featherstone described an education pack being used in schools across the UK:
"Kids look at images of celebrities before and after photoshopping and they are asked to bring photos of people they admire. They all bring photos of their parents, who are all shapes and sizes. Through this teaching pack, children understand they don’t need to conform to try and look a certain way, just because of the media messaging they receive."
The pack has received extensive coverage in the UK press, as well as in Columbia, Australia, and Taiwan, and Featherstone extended an invitation to all other nations who would like to share knowledge and resources on this issue. She also announced the upcoming launch of a similar pack for parents.
Here at All Walks we are so glad that Lynne and Susie, both friends of our campaign, are taking these issues to the global political stage. Our bombardment with images from across the media promoting such a narrow view of beauty is a particularly modern phenomenon, and we will need to develop new ways of dealing with its negative consequences. We are heartened that such inspiring women are making it a global priority to develop solutions to ensure positive change for the future.
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Words by Charlotte Gush
Images courtesy of the Home Office
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Charlotte Gush is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, CAVACOMA.com, with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte |
Interview: Photographer + All Walks Contributor Annabel Staff
Many unsung heroes shape All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, and Annabel Staff is one of them; specializing in live music and social documentary photography, her expert eye ensures that every All Walks event is captured and communicated with pictorial genius.
With recent credits including our trip to the House of Commons for the Miss Representation Screening, we caught with Annabel to meet the lady behind the lens...
All Walks: What first sparked your interest in photography?
My dad. When I was young, there would always be my dad’s cameras dotted around the house, and I would pick them up and look through the viewfinder and be so amazed at how the world would look through the lens. Dad was really passionate about photography, and really nurtured my interest in it, I really do have him to thank, he’d be very impressed with how far I have come.
AW: Tell us something that we don’t know about live music photography?
You only ever get to shoot the first three songs of any gig and it’s not half as glamorous as people think it is, but it is a lot of fun!
AW: How do you convey the atmosphere of a live gig in a single shot?
Well…that’s a complex question! One thing it’s really important to concentrate on is expression, you really have to capture the artist at the peak of their emotions while they are performing, which can be a fleeting moment so it requires a lot of concentration.
AW: When did you first become involved with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk?
In 2010, I met the lovely Debra at an event I was shooting, I was drawn to her pretty awesome Keith Haring T-shirt and we started chatting, and she told me about All Walks, I stayed in touch and got more and more interested in the initiative and offered my help if it was needed. Everyone involved is so passionate and great to be around, it really has a positive influence and I love getting involved in something so positive.
AW: You’ve shot an assortment of different women for All Walks, how do you communicate their individual personality though a picture?
I’m a bit of a “sit back and see” photographer I would suppose, it’s best not to get too involved in directing people around, rather let the person relax and chat before taking the photographs. I always like to shoot quickly, I think you will always capture the personality within the first few shots, if you take too long you lose people as they may start to get self conscious in front of the camera.
AW: All Walks recently hosted the Miss Representation screening at the House of Commons; did you enjoy shooting the event?
Really enjoyed it! Great to see so many diverse people in one place, all connecting to a shared vision, getting involved and watching all the conversations happening. You could tell that the event really struck a chord with everyone there.
AW: What do you love the most about your job?
The variety. One day I will be photographing events, the next I’ll be shooting portraits, in the evenings I’m shooting music, the next day I may be in the studio, the next week I’ll be photographing in France maybe, or for instance, the other day I was up at an unearthly hour to do production shots for a radio station broadcasting from the set of Harry Potter.
AW: You photograph such an eclectic range of subjects; how important is diversity to you when shooting?
Ah well I think I just answered that above! It’s so important. I love working with people, I love meeting people, and making people smile – which although sounds horribly cheesy, it’s what makes it all worthwhile, when I get feedback to say that I’ve really captured a feeling or emotion, it really is the best compliment. Also, I need variety for my personality, I don’t like to be stuck on one thing for too long, I like to keep moving and keep exploring, coming up with new ideas, so variety really is key.
AW: What’s next for Annabel Staff?
Well, who knows, the world is your oyster (I am I really full of so many clichés?!), I really believe that. If you believe in yourself you can do whatever your heart desires, so, I am concentrating on where I want to be next – but I am pretty sure it involves a bit of a switch in the direction of my photography, I’m keen to shoot something new that I have never done before, I have some ideas, but I am nurturing them at the moment. I definitely want to travel more with my work as well, it’s a big beautiful world out there and it seems crazy to stay in one place when there is so much out there to see and experience.
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Interview by Charmaine Ayden
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Charmaine Aydenis a Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University. An avid admirer of all things ‘glossy’, she set her heart on a career in Fashion Journalism from a young age. Having undertaken work placements with Vogue, WSGN, ASOS, Drapers and Glamour Magazine, Charmaine is currently working as Copy and Features Writer for Brownsfashion.com. Check out Charmaine’s blog The Good is the Beautiful and find her on Twitter @CharmaineAyden |
Ravensbourne takes All Walks ‘LIVE’ and to the BBC’s Big Screen Project
Taking place at Greenwich Peninsula, to an audience of media, fashion academics and young student designers, International Women’s Day saw the launch of website All Walks Beyond the Catwalk LIVE at Ravensbourne; an interactive platform created by Ravensbourne’s BA (Hons) Fashion students, lending it’s voice to promoting positive body image globally. The website aims to ‘demonstrate that fashion should be accessible to all, and fashion imagery should be inclusive of all from ages, irrespective of size, age or ethnicity, to reflect the multi-cultural society in which we live’.
Supported by the British Fashion Council, Ravensbourne believes that:
Vocationally-focused higher education fashion courses are undergoing change, with subject-specialist skills now being enhanced by a greater emphasis on building business acumen and understanding social and political theory. The aim is to produce more commercially viable designers in the future to ensure the British Fashion industry continues to lead the world.
Creating a platform that strives to support ‘the real beauty of women, aged 18-80’, 3rd Year Ravensbourne students are encouraging the public to become involved with their campaign by inviting everyone to submit individual photographs of natural beauty; these images will be housed in an online gallery and used as part of a discussion on the concept of diversity.
All Walks Beyond the Catwalk LIVE can only become successful with the help of people like you. If you’d like to become involved in the project, please upload your picture and find out more about the campaign here: www.allwalksandravensbourne.com/. In addition, the website’s accompanying student films will be shown across the country as part of the BBC Big Screen project. Screens will be located in shopping centres such as Westfield and others public spaces, including Edinburgh – Festival Square, Birmingham – Victoria Square, Cardiff – The Hayes and many more.
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Post by Charmaine Ayden
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Charmaine Aydenis a Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University. An avid admirer of all things ‘glossy’, she set her heart on a career in Fashion Journalism from a young age. Undertaking work placements with Vogue, WSGN, Asos, Drapers and Glamour Magazine, Charmaine is currently working as Copy and Features Writer for Brownsfashion.com. Check out Charmaine’s blog The Good is the Beautiful and find her on Twitter @CharmaineAyden |
All Walks “Plus Size” model Laura Catterall covers French Cosmo
Former All Walks model Laura Catterall has covered French Cosmopolitan's April issue. Her curves are beautifully displayed by the 50's style shoot. All Walks is proud to have introduced Laura to London designer Mark Fast in 2010; he subsequently booked her to walk in his catwalk show alongside other "plus size" models, including Hayley Morley.
The shoot in French Cosmo shows Laura's stunning feminine curves, and emphasizes her healthy, beautifully toned athletic limbs:
The French seem to be leading the way in terms of featuring curvy, "plus size" (not a very helpful term) models prominently; with French Elle having used Tara Lynn on their February cover, describing her as "The Body," a title formerly used to describe super model Elle Macpherson.
Here at All Walks we are aware that magazines have often featured curvy models in a way that makes them seem like a novelty, rather than as beautiful women whose figures more closely resemble those of the general population. However, putting such beautifully curvaceous models on the cover of the magazine shows an acceptance that they are aspirational figures who can sell fashion (magazines) as well as any 'standard' size model.
We say, "Continuez le bon travail!"
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Words by Charlotte Gush
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Charlotte Gush is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, CAVACOMA.com, with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte |
High School Students discuss Body Image as part of BBC School Report
Skip to the 12 minute mark to hear students from Tarporley High School in Cheshire discuss body image, focusing particularly on how the media affects the way teenagers feel about their appearance. Later in the piece, students quiz gorgeous "plus size" model Jenna Herlingshaw and CBBC presenter Cerrie Burnell, who was born with only one hand, about their appearances and experiences.***
Words by Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
Students’ Marching Mannequins bring the All Walks’ message to Edinburgh
When fashion students at Edinburgh College of Art were faced with a ‘flatpack’ mannequin and a group of Fashion Journalists from UCA Epsom, as part of the University of Edinburgh’s “Innovative Learning Week”, it’s safe to say we felt slightly dubious about what lay ahead. Despite this, Course Director of Fashion at ECA, Mal Burkinshaw, reassured students that there was method, at least some, to his madness.
Students working to construct the pattern for their mannequins
The project brief was to promote the “All Walks Beyond The Catwalk” campaign using the self-assemble model of a 1950s cardboard mannequin, an object that symbolised the ‘make-do-and-mend’ era, when amateur dressmaking was at its most prominent. Our task was to assemble the mannequin and then use it as a ‘blank canvas’ to create an inspired “All Walks” campaign message of diversity within the fashion industry. Little did we know these would later be pushed into the public eye, literally, on the streets of Edinburgh.
Students working on their Renaissance inspired mannequin, which sought to highlight society’s changing opinion of beauty and the body
Not only did this project offer us a chance to creatively convey the important messages of the “All Walks” campaign - celebrating diversity in ethnicity, age, shape and size, and the need to communicate these to the public - but, by constructing the mannequins, it allowed us to manipulate body sizes - a hands on way for us, as fashion students, to really explore and understand the contours of the body and how much bodies can differ.
Realising that, in emotionally considerate design, we should always refer back to the insight that the human body is unique by nature, we were more fired up than ever to project our belief to the public that we don’t have to be constrained by one prescribed image of ‘beauty.’
The march begins!
Now, it could just have been that the ‘march’ through the streets of Edinburgh offered us a chance to take part in a student demonstration, but I know it meant far more than that to both ECA and UCA Epsom students. We all chose to be a part of the project because we passionately believe that the “All Walks” campaign is so relevant to today’s diverse society and that the public should hear about it and know that people within the industry are really striving to change the images produced by the world of fashion for the better.
Outside the Scottish Parliament
Outside The Scotsman, campaigning to get All Walks into the local press
Shocked at the Harvey Nichols windows, showcasing extremely skinny models, crying and disheveled – is this a positive image of fashion?
Our march took us to Princes Street, the main shopping high street in Edinburgh to educate the consumer directly
After marching around Edinburgh for two and a half hours, from the Scottish Parliament to Primark on Princes Street, handing out flyers and chanting loudly, a sore throat was a small price to pay for what I saw as an extremely worthwhile day of education and of broadcasting our important message.
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Words by Heather Dooley, Fashion Student at Edinburgh College of Art
Images courtesy of Mal Burkinshaw, Dir. 'All Walks Centre for Diversity,' ECA
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
Words of Wisdom: The W Project’s International Womens Day 2012 Exhibition
'Words of Wisdom' is the title, and theme, of The W Project's second exhibition, timed again to coincide with International Women's Day. Launched on the same date last year, The W Project is the brain child of All Walks' friends and collaborators Loren Platt (The Work It girls, The Firm) and Teo Connor (NoDaysOff). The initiative seeks to promote discourse around womens issues, with a special focus on successful women in the creative industries and their ability to become positive role models amongst the sea of negative imagery, surgery addicts, reality TV 'stars' and emotional wrecks promoted by the media.
If our recent screening of the feminist film Miss Representation gave us one important message (it actually gave us many more), then it was this: 'You can't be what you can't see' - meaning that, if you aren't exposed to women doing amazing, inspiring things, it is much harder to form aspirations to become a successful woman like them. The W Project is at the very forfront of giving amazing, creative, inspiring women a platform to share their knowledge and talents with other women, allowing a supportive community to develop in order to nurture and promote the dreams and aspirations of all the women involved.
For this year's exhibition, contributors have been asked to respond to the question: What are your words of wisdom? Answers are to be submitted on a postcard, but that is where the specifications end, and the artists, writers, film makers, photograpers and all other ilk of wonderful women can be as creative as their imagination allows. These mini artworks will be compiled and displayed as a 'Wall of Wisdom' throughout the event at the KK Outlet in Hoxton Square to form a window onto what successful women have to say about being a creative woman now and the advice and inspiring words which have helped them get to where they are today.
The exhibition runs from Thursday 8th until Sunday 11th March and will coincide with other specially commissioned events. Anna Lomax of set design duo Jiggery Pokery is holding a youth workshop at St Monica's Catholic Primary School in Hoxton and the W Project's annual symposium dinner will feature talks by Rhonda Drakeford and Lulu Roper-Caldbeck of Darkroom, illustrator and film maker Quentin Jones and Kathryn Ferguson, BFC curator and film maker.
Work by W Project contributor Anna Lomax
We can barely imagine a more diverse, interesting and inspiring a bunch of women! A living, breathing and creating embodiment of the All Walks spirit. Visit the exhibition and research the amazing women; get it well and truly on your radar and spread the message. These are our role models and friends; maybe they can be yours too.
"W.O.W" - Words of Wisdom - by the W Project is exhibiting at Hoxton Square's KK Outlet 8-11th March
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Words by Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
Images courtesy of The W Project and Anna Lomax
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Charlotte Gush is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor based in Manchester, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks.She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern.Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, CAVACOMA.com, with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte |
Erin on The Model Sanctuary’s Closure and the Crucial Need to Re-open in Sept
The Model Sanctuary in action
Dear friends of All Walks,
I'd like to send you my thanks for the time you have taken so far in working with us on the Model Sanctuary. Regretfully, I’m writing to let you know that for reasons beyond my control, The Model Sanctuary did not operate during the recent London Fashion Week (February 2012). This was due to a combination of last minute changes to contributions from sponsors and, despite an incredible response from a number of loyal and enthusiastic supporters, we were unable to find an alternative venue after our home of the last few seasons - 8 Henrietta Street - became subject to a long-term lease. As these issues came to light in the few weeks preceeding LFW, I was left with no time to rectify the situation.
I founded The Model Sanctuary in 2008 with the emphasis of providing health guidance and educational support to the younger and most vulnerable members of our industry. As a not-for-profit organisation, our aim was to honour the eleven recommendations of the Model Health Enquiry.
From small beginnings, The Model Sanctuary project has grown remarkably thanks to an expert team of nutritionists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, fitness instructors, psychologists and advisors who are wonderfully complemented by a truly inspirational group of volunteer art and fashion students together with a number of loyal sponsors and benefactors. For the past eight seasons this incredible and diverse group of people have come together to deliver an extraordinary project, empowering over 250 young people each day to tackle real health and wellbeing issues. The impact thus far has been dramatic, inspirational and, on occasion, life changing for participants and volunteers alike. The feedback we receive every season tells us that this project has become fundamentally important and even crucial to the community we seek to serve. From these experiences, it is clear to me the Model Health Enquiry's recommendations are still valid today.
As I look forward, I have come to the conclusion that for The Model Sanctuary to continue successfully, the project requires, and in fact deserves, the certainty of established premises for the period of each London Fashion Week. To maintain our momentum whilst running The Model Sanctuary from temporary or pop-up venues has become unsustainable and ultimately places the initiative under threat.
I urge the fashion industry, it's partners and key stakeholders to help us secure a permanent home during London Fashion Week so we can continue our valuable work. It is absolutely vital that we prioritise the welfare of young people within our industry and without this assistance I will be forced to close The Model Sanctuary permanently. I hope to hear from you all and I welcome your thoughts and suggestions on how we may re-open our doors in September.
Yours sincerely,
Erin O'Connor
Founder, erinsmodelsanctuary.com
Diversity & Individuality at London Fashion Week AW2012
This season, the menswear shows especially seemed to be stepping away from the Hedi Slimane-style extremity of only thin caucasian models. We saw a healthy mix of from slim to athletic to muscular bodies and a range of ethnicities, especially at Vauxhall Fashion Scout's 'Ones to Watch' show, from designers such as BodyBound:
One of my favorite looks was at Joseph Turvey, who showcased extreme pinks and other bold colours on the catwalk that looked great against a variety of skin tones and reflected a very cool, carefree attitude to the mens clothing which embraces my favorite era in style and models; the 80's.
One womenswear design duo, sisters Tamara and Natasha Surguladze - also known as the brand Tata-Naka - had a fun atmospheric Tea Party presentation this London Fashion Week with alcoholic cocktails served in dainty tea cups and saucers.
With the sound of The Surpremes playing in the background, and walls covered in Tata-Naka print fabric, the room was filled with a real buzz as models lined up playfully posing for the press and bloggers.
With a mixture of skin tones and big afro hair, the models at Tata Naka certainly caught my attention. The 70's spirit of the collection, and the fun way they chose to present it, celebrating the women, generated a really good atmosphere and made it one of my favourite collections of the season from the perspective of diversity and individulity.
These shows give good examples of diversity on the catwalk, but if there still is not enough (there isn't) then there certainly was around Somerset House - the home of London Fashion Week. Here are some street style snaps I took of people that certainly embraced their individuality in cool and quirky ways. You may recognise some of these faces - such as the designer for Sibling and Diane Pernet:
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Post by Michael Williamson, on Twitter @mwfrost
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
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Michael Williamson is a designer, stylist, blogger and an integral member of the All Walks team, having been with us from the very beginning. Check out his blog, Safety-Pin Charm, to keep your finger on the pulse of all things fashion - especially london based. Follow Michael on You Tube and on Twitter @mwfrost |