The London fashion week refuses to ban ultra-thin models

The British fashion industry is ready to defy the government by refusing to rule out the controversial use of ultra-thin models on the catwalk. Organisers of London Fashion Week say they will not dictate to influential international designers about the models they use when they show their winter collections in the UK in two weeks' time.

The revelation follows an emergency meeting between Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose and the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, an outspoken critic of the use of waif-like models who she believes set bad examples for young women.

As part-time chairman of the British Fashion Council (BFC), which organises the shows, Mr Rose was summoned at short notice to see Ms Jowell for talks on the issue this week. She is privately pressing for the industry to adopt a more responsible approach to the use of models on catwalks. But the BFC's new guidelines, which are expected to be published in the next few days, are likely to resist a total ban on thin models, along the lines of new rules announced in Spain last September.

Those rules were introduced at the Madrid fashion show after the death of an 18-year-old Uruguayan model who went days without eating. Under the rules, models with a body mass index (BMI) - a measurement of body fat based on weight and height - of below 18 are not allowed to appear. The World Health Organisation considers anyone with a BMI of 18.5 or below to be underweight. Luisel Ramos died of heart failure during the annual fashion show in Montevideo in August; last November a young model from Brazil, Ana Carolina Reston, died from complications related to the eating disorder anorexia.

Ms Jowell, who as women's minister organised a highly publicised "body image" summit in 2000 to examine the effect of social pressures on young women, warned last September of the dangers of girls starving themselves to emulate thin supermodels. But she said it was not an issue for government regulation and instead opted for pressure on the industry behind the scenes.

Her latest intervention underlines the sensitivity of the issue and the controversy of the "size zero" debate in what is a multimillion pound industry.

Yesterday Whitehall sources confirmed that Mr Rose had discussed the issue with Ms Jowell. A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: "Ministers meet people all the time and we do not comment on their diary commitments. But we will be saying something about this very shortly."

Last week the US equivalent of the BFC - the Council of Fashion Designers of America - published advice before its own show; it is urging designers not to allow young models under 16 to appear on the catwalk and is backing an education programme to teach young models about healthy eating and nutrition.

Last night Ms Jowell's aides said her views on the issue were well-known. In September, she told the Guardian: "It's categorically not an issue for government regulation. It is, however, an issue of major concern for young girls who feel themselves inferior when compared to the stick-thin young women on the catwalk. They all want to look as beautiful as that and see beauty in those terms."

She added: "The other concern must be for the harm it has done to the starving girls who believe emaciation is their route to fame and fortune. Let's see healthy girls of sizes 8, 10 and 12 with confidence that comes with really believing you look great. We shouldn't for one moment underestimate the power of fashion in shaping the attitude of young girls and their feelings about themselves."

Mr Rose said last autumn: "Are we going to ask people to walk through detectors for body mass index and say 'I'm sorry you're rejected'. Outright bans and indeed legislation is definitely not a route we want to go down."

At M&S, where profits from a new range of fashions have soared under the stewardship of Mr Rose, Erin O'Connor, the supermodel in its most recent advertising campaign, has joined the debate, saying clothes were often made in sizes that were too small.

Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/jan/25/fashion.health

Couture crunch: The London Fashion Week

Top British fashion designers claim London Fashion Week is being intentionally crushed by its rivals because it has refused to surrender its independence. The flagship UK fashion festival, which is held twice a year and opens today, is facing a threat that could reduce it from six to four days in its spring incarnation next year.

The claims emerged after the rival New York fashion week announced it was going to show its collections a week later than usual in February next year, a move that would cut London Fashion Week down to a bare four days, forcing top designers to abandon it and go elsewhere.

Designers such as Zandra Rhodes claim the London show has been under threat since the marketing giant IMG was thwarted in a bid to secure control of it. IMG has lucrative part or full ownership rights to London Fashion Week's main rivals, New York, Paris and Milan, as well as lesser-known fashion weeks.

It currently owns London's Fashion Fringe, a forum for up-and-coming talent held in Covent Garden, but has no hold over London Fashion Week itself, which is controlled by the British Fashion Council. There have been behind-the-scenes discussions in the past about IMG extending its hold over London Fashion Week, but the British Fashion Council insisted there are no talks taking place at present.

"I heard that there is a problem in that IMG, which owns New York fashion week, wanted to buy it [London Fashion Week] but had been unsuccessful. That is why they've cut a day out of London, so people going there will have to cut short their visits," said Rhodes.

"It's certainly odd that there is no squeeze being put on anybody else," said the designer Betty Jackson. "This is an issue that needs to be raised. They are pushing London because we are not as strong as New York or Milan. London has always been vulnerable from a lot of perspectives – it is young and innovative but this industry functions more on finance than aesthetics."

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which works closely with IMG, announced it was moving the dates of the New York show back one week in order to give American designers extra time to finish their collections, which are sometimes delayed by mill closures.

It is not possible to move the entire fashion calendar forward to solve the problem – as some have suggested – as this would not leave Italian designers enough time to get their collections in shops.

Many fear the reduced number of days, together with the prospect of dwindling sponsorship, as well as the absence of leading designers such as Alexander McQueen, Ben de Lisi and Gareth Pugh, could seriously undermine the UK's main fashion shop window.

IMG denied it was behind London Fashion Week's problems. "IMG has a close relationship with London Fashion Week and we are always open to discussing ways that we might support their efforts," said a company spokesman. "IMG is not a part of the conversations that are going on regarding the international fashion week schedule, and we will follow the lead of the CFDA in the scheduling of the shows in New York."

An IMG insider admitted that there were ongoing discussions regarding the company's level of involvement with the London event.

"London Fashion Week is rich in talent. We currently have one of the most exciting crops of emerging designers showing," said a spokeswoman for the British Fashion Council.

London Fashion Week is funded by corporate sponsors and a grant from London's City Hall. Several of last year's sponsors have declined to fund it this year. A further threat to funding emerged last week when the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, revealed that government funding may also be under threat if action is not taken on the issue of underweight models.

Source : http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/couture-crunch-london-fashion-week-929879.html

London Fashion Week 2008

London Fashion Week has survived ‘The Mysterious Case of the Clashing Schedules.’

Just last month, it appeared hope was lost. Conspiracy theories were suggested. London Fashion Week was painted as the doomed filling in a ‘doorstep-sized sandwich’, surrounded by the encircling forces of the rival fashion weeks in New York, Milan and Paris. There was talk of LFW being reduced to a three-day or four-day event. Was it to be squeezed out altogether?

It now appears the flagship for our multi-billion pound fashion, clothing and textiles industry has found an acceptable, if not totally triumphant solution.

• In pictures: 'Best of LFW' s/s 2009

The next London Fashion Week, for autumn/winter 2009/10, will be held from Friday, February 20th to Tuesday, February 24th - a total of five days.

True, there will be a one-day overlap with New York Fashion Week, which kicks off the international catwalk schedule. But this is not expected to unduly harm LFW since many of the major American stores are represented by London-based buying agencies and the UK fashion editors who do cover fashion week in the Big Apple will be happy to fly the flag and get back home in time for LFW’s opening day.

Apart from ushering in a new season, February’s LFW will also mark the start of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of an event which, from modest beginnings, has grown to a major financial money-spinner, bringing £20 million to the London economy per season in direct spend and generating orders worth in excess of £100million.

Over the years, LFW has become famous as a platform for some of the most directional fashion talents in the world. Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Gareth Pugh, Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll and Marios Schwab are just a few of the now globally-renowned names who have made their catwalk debuts at London Fashion Week.

One of the most high-profile events in the UK, London Fashion Week is organised by the British Fashion Council and funded by sponsors including Canon UK, which has been headline sponsor for six consecutive seasons.

The British Fashion Awards gala, sponsored by Swarovski, will be held in London on November 25th. Among the highlights of the evening will be the announcement of the winner of the Designer of the Year ‘Fashion Oscar’ and the presentation of the British Fashion Council’s Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design.

Source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/hilaryalexander/3365692/London-Fashion-Week-dates-announced-for-next-year.html