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 |
MissRepresentation: Challenge the Media to Portray the Real Value of Women
Newest Miss Representation Trailer from Miss Representation.
MissRepresentation is a campaign that seeks to expose how society in general, and young women in particular, are being sold by the media the concept that the value of women and girls lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. The trailor for the campaign's eponymous film, a 2011 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection, shows shocking examples of misogyny across film, television and advertising, but it also offers a solution backed my some of the most powerful women in the media, and even in the world. MissRepresentation believe that exposure to powerful, inspirational, and creative female role-models through the media can only lead to an increase in the numbers of women and girls aspiring to these important roles in society; roles for which greater female representation is desperately needed.
The full film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was shown in the US on Oprah Winfrey's TV network. You can find out if there is a screenings of the film near you on the MissRepresentation website calendar. All Walks Beyond the Catwalk are in the process of finding out whether we can host a screening, so keep your fingers crossed with us and hopefully something can be organised - of course we will keep you posted.
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Post by Charlotte Gush
Charlotte 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
Our London Fashion Week Highlights
This season, for the first time since our launch in September 2009, we decided not to produce a high-profile industry campaign during fashion week. The reason for this is that we have been focusing all of our attention on the educational side of our work, helping to shape the mindset of future industry players - designers, writers, image makers - towards emotionally considerate practice. To this end, All Walk's founders Caryn and Debra will continue to tour the country, speaking to students at university level about the All Walks way.However, the spirit of All Walks has continued to have a presence on the catwalks during fashion month, and I would like to share these highlights with you. At All Walks, we love to see the people we work with doing really well, and this London Fashion Week has certainly made us proud.
You may have read in a prevous post, written by our Editor Charlotte Gush, about one of the original All Walks pairings, of designer Alexandra Groover and model Lucy Freeman, reuniting this season to make a film together for London Fashion Week.
I was also pleasantly surprised when I received an email containing the images below, of William Tempest's All Walks model Laura Catterall walking in the Elena Miro show in Milan, where she is channelling the perfect Mad Men silhouette with her femme fatal curves:
Coming back to the UK from Milan, spreading the spirit of our campaign at London Fashion Week was All Walks model Valerie Pain, who walked for Fyodor Golan, this year's winner of Fashion Fringe. Pain, the amazingly stunning 70-year-old model, told me that when she attended the casting, she walked in and, on sight of the samples, announced to the casting agent, "I'm not going to waste your time, they won't fit me."
However, the designers were so impressed by her that they redesigned an outfit and fitted it to Valerie's own body shape so that they could have her walk in their show. And just look how confidently she walks and how beautiful she looks in her show-stopping outfit in the short film, below:
To watch more, visit the Fashion Fringe section of the LFW website.
Until next time, I would like to leave you with this thought:
Whatever shape you are, whatever age you are, the women in this post show that being unique is the most beautiful trend to have emerged from fashion week, and I hope you can use this inspiration to embrace your individuality with pride.
Images courtesy of 12+ UK Model Management
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Post by Michael Williamson
Michael 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
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Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
People are talking about :
At all walks we are always happy to help and promote education,
recently a Student who interviewed Co-Founder Debra Bourne on All Walks Beyond the Catwalk,
sent us back her piece.
which we have posted for all you readers out there...
To all you students we are now aiming to do more features on Education.
People are talking about
“In terms of diversity having witnessed, against all odds, a man of colour take
residency in the aptly called White House, my hope is – Yes, We CAN.”
Debra Bourne, Co. Founder, All Walks Beyond The Catwalk
Teen Vogue loves powerful women and this statement fills us with hope. So what
is All Walks Beyond The Catwalk?
Originally Beat (The national charity for eating disorders), asked the British
Fashion Council to create a fashion event about inspiring bodies. The idea
was not accepted but Caryn Franklin (fashion expert and TV presenter), Debra
Bourne and Erin O’Connor decided they could start up something similar: “a high
level industry standard concept.”
The message behind All Walks Beyond The Catwalk is that all shapes, sizes
and colour are beautiful. They would like more diversity on the catwalk and are
creating imagery that reflects these values.
Firstly, there was the i-D shoot and then a launch party at the September ’09
London Fashion Week at Somerset House.
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk knows that the “perfect body” promoted by the
fashion industry is not realistic: only two percent of the population can be a
supermodel: we are all not 5”10 and a size six.
“Beauty is not a reflection of a perfect set of statistics”
Debra says: “Within the industry we are noticing people’s attitudes are changing.
More curvy models are walking the runways and in magazine spreads. However
the fashion industry does like a trend. At All Walks Beyond The Catwalk our work
is committed to longevity beyond Trend Curve.”
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk gave their eight designers the opportunity to
make a difference with their work. They were asked to consider the model’s own
body before creating a piece.
They produced brochures, which were sent to every editor visiting London
Fashion Week.
The web site has testimonials from designers and models, expressing the need
for change.
Debra says: “We have witnessed designers like William Tempest, integrating the
idea of diversity through model castings for the February 2010 catwalk shows.
As well as Mark Fast, the designer we introduced to Hayley Morley, who is also
continuing to work with models like Crystal Renn.
“We want to simply expand on what is on offer. Something as simple as showing
models that represent a more realistic mirror to the women on the street in top
end designer clothing. Not such a big deal.”
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk simply asks those of us in positions of power, can
we change anything? Should we be listening to these statistics? (The increase
in numbers of people suffering from eating disorders and other mental health
issues.) Could we contribute positively to this matter? And creatively how might a
return to acknowledging a more individual approach benefit?
People are talking about
“In terms of diversity having witnessed, against all odds, a man of colour takeresidency in the aptly called White House, my hope is – Yes, We CAN.”
Debra Bourne, Co. Founder, All Walks Beyond The Catwalk
Teen Vogue loves powerful women and this statement fills us with hope. So whatis All Walks Beyond The Catwalk?
Originally Beat (The national charity for eating disorders), asked the BritishFashion Council to create a fashion event about inspiring bodies. The ideawas not accepted but Caryn Franklin (fashion expert and TV presenter), DebraBourne and Erin O’Connor decided they could start up something similar: “a highlevel industry standard concept.”
The message behind All Walks Beyond The Catwalk is that all shapes, sizesand colour are beautiful. They would like more diversity on the catwalk and arecreating imagery that reflects these values.
Firstly, there was the i-D shoot and then a launch party at the September ’09London Fashion Week at Somerset House.
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk knows that the “perfect body” promoted by thefashion industry is not realistic: only two percent of the population can be asupermodel: we are all not 5”10 and a size six.
“Beauty is not a reflection of a perfect set of statistics”
Debra says: “Within the industry we are noticing people’s attitudes are changing.More curvy models are walking the runways and in magazine spreads. Howeverthe fashion industry does like a trend. At All Walks Beyond The Catwalk our workis committed to longevity beyond Trend Curve.”
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk gave their eight designers the opportunity tomake a difference with their work. They were asked to consider the model’s ownbody before creating a piece.
They produced brochures, which were sent to every editor visiting LondonFashion Week.
The web site has testimonials from designers and models, expressing the needfor change.
Debra says: “We have witnessed designers like William Tempest, integrating theidea of diversity through model castings for the February 2010 catwalk shows.As well as Mark Fast, the designer we introduced to Hayley Morley, who is alsocontinuing to work with models like Crystal Renn.
“We want to simply expand on what is on offer. Something as simple as showingmodels that represent a more realistic mirror to the women on the street in topend designer clothing. Not such a big deal.”
All Walks Beyond The Catwalk simply asks those of us in positions of power, canwe change anything? Should we be listening to these statistics? (The increasein numbers of people suffering from eating disorders and other mental healthissues.) Could we contribute positively to this matter? And creatively how might areturn to acknowledging a more individual approach benefit?
interview Co- Founder of
'All Walks Beyond the Catwalk'
Debra Bourne
Written piece by
magazine journalism at sunderland university
Rachel Lauren Cowey