Designasuit

In the fashion and retail worlds, models are usually chosen to make clothes look their best. Therefore, only the most slim and attractive people are recruited for the job.

However, designers and retailers are increasingly making moves to select models for ulterior motives.

The first occurrence I can remember that caused controversy at the time, was when Alexander McQueen chose double amputee Aimee Mullins to walk wearing one of his creations – as well as hand carved wooden prosthetic legs. Like many of McQueen’s artistic choices, this was clearly engineered to shock whilst also exploring the beauty of every silhouette – even if it doesn’t conform to contemporary society.

Designer Mark Fast caused a stir in recent years when he sent plus size models down the catwalk wearing his designs. As one of the few high fashion elite to mix “size zero” with “size normal”, his decision brought a great deal of media attention. Last year it was claimed that his bold choice even led to the departure of his stylist three days before the show. Although Fast claims he wanted to prove that all shapes and sizes are beautiful, you can’t overlook the fact that this controversial choice and the media attention it attracted would have been beneficial to him in the long run.

In a similar vein, high street retailer Debenhams has recently revealed a set of advertisements containing a diverse range of models each portraying a body type that isn’t usually considered “perfect” within the fashion industry. There’s a disabled model, a petite model and a plus sized model. It’s a bold move which shows how accepting Debenhams is of every type of person and certainly works to enhance the brand to be perceived as “everyone’s favourite department store”. However, doesn’t it seem a little forced?

Whether it be to shock, create a stir in the media or enhance brand reputation, by selecting a different breed of model, designers and retailers are generating a great deal of attention.

These kinds of steps are becoming more and more widespread and it’ll be interesting to see how the general perception of the perfect, slim and beautiful models of the past will be warped, reinvented or even discarded in the near future.

By Becca Caddy  for The Designasuit Media Network

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