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
Erin’s Model Sanctuary launches on eve of London Fashion Week
So, it's the night before London Fashion Week and the parties have already started!TODAY, All Walks co-founder Erin O'Connor launched The Model Sanctuary 2011 to the press. And All Walks went to pay a visit and to support this brilliant sister organisation which nurtures models and students during London Fashion Week.
Whilst we were there, we were fortunate enough to bump into All Walks model Naomi Shimada relaxing in the Sanctuary where she couldn't resist a quick snap and a catch up with us.
We are also happy to tell you that Erin is championing the All Walks cause, introducing it to all the models that attend the Sanctuary, by featuring the All Walks SNAPPED campaign images, shot by Rankin, which we exhibited earlier this year at the National Portrait Gallery. They are displayed on the walls of the Santuary's stairways as well as in an area called The Creative Factory, which allows models to express themselves artistically through art.
IMAGE: The All Walks team using the calico
This calico sheet has travelled the country with Co-Founder Caryn Franklin on her journeys to design colleges to give seminars about All Walks and it was also displayed at the National Portrait Gallery last season (AW10) for LFW, when it also spent some time in The Model Sanctuary.
Click here for related blog
So, as promised we will keep you updated on the journey of this calico - it is growing every time we have an event, with more messages written onto it and it doesn't look like stopping any time soon!
Fear not! The blog will not end here. Myself and fellow Blogger Charlotte will be blogging and tweeting all over Fashion Week.
So dig out those heels and work your look, but remember confidence is the best look for every season!
Sites and Tweets to Read this week:
All Walks, of course ;)
Erin's Model Sanctuary Website
Twitter:
Follow the founders on:
@MsDebraBourne
@Caryn_Franklin
@Erin_O_Connor
All Walks Team on LFW:
@MWfrost
@CavaCharlotte
@iamFenia
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Words and all images 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
ALL WALKS BOOK CLUB:
HOW TO TAKE PART? All you need to do is to buy the book, or even rent it from your local public libary, if you area student why not share with your peers,friends and housemates? THE RULES: no rules we want your opinion and you to feel free to share your voice on the All Walks suggested book and how has it inspired you or made you feel? we will be discussing one chapter a week so we can all focus on the importance of the chapter and to also give all of you the opportunity to be able to read at your own pace and digest. this week we will be starting on introduction and chapter 1. THE CONCEPT: To make global discussion and gather opinions, and to get all of us into reading. WHO IS TAKING PART ON THIS BOOK CLUB?: people who have read this months selected book are the Co founder's and Caryn franklins book review link can be found below. also All Walks Blogger's Maria LLanos our voice from spain, M.W blogger for All Walks.org and Saftypincharm and stylist/designer and ' Free Your Mind 'blogger Nicola Edward's who is an aspiring screenwriter with a campaign aiming to beat stigma towards mental illness through arts and culture. and then of course yourself . so a range of opinion's on this book and the subject matter. HOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK?: we will be discussing the book on our twitter using # tag: #AWbookclub and on facebook discussion forum : http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=17591&uid=275187151550 Preview of the blog can be read and introduction on Amazon.co.uk Above the copy (co founder Debra Bourne) of Bodies that we see everyday in the All Walks OfficeFor Post by Co Founder Caryn Franklin on the book Bodies
Post by M.W
Pictures curtosy of Amazon and How to lookgood.com