No More Underweight Models for LVMH?

News of the waves of change to flood the modelling world has finally filtered down to little ol' New Zealand. 

While a 'healthy' figure comes in different forms, history has it that fashion favours the lithe both on the runway and in campaigns. 

The wake of New York Fashion Week has left us feeling hopeful that change is afoot. Multinational corporations Kering and LMVH partnered up to formulate a charter to protect the rights of models. Which means, size 0 models have now been banned from working with all Kering and LMVH brands. 

To expand, luxury labels under the Kering umbrella include the likes of Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Stella McCartney, as well LMVH labels - Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior Couture, Celine and Marc Jacobs.

From now on, all of the listed will present catwalk models starting from a US size 2 (Australian size 6), and working only with those who have presented a medical certificate.

On that note, you may be wondering: "What does that mean for NZFW?" There have been instances, such as those reported by the Herald in 2011 of a waif-like model nearly collapsing backstage due to lack of food and water; however, this year's Fashion Week did display a diverse range of ethnicities, ages and bodies.

Internationally successful plus-sized model Jemma Grobbelaar was present, and when interviewed by the Herald this year, she advocated for the normalisation of 'larger' sizes, which account for many New Zealand women. As a professional kite surfer at the age of seventeen, her feminine curves and size 16 figure meant she was always bigger than the other girls.

Nonetheless she flaunted her body, and rightly so. Jemma highlights that diversity is key, not only in the size of the model, but ethnicity and age. This could certainly be seen on the catwalks of NZ Fashion Week with middle-aged, and older women, strutting their stuff for modelling agencies such as Silverfox, emphasising that style is ageless!

Overall, it seems that embracing diverse sizing is finally becoming a new trend to follow in the elite realm. Hopefully this only strengthens with time, and New Zealand brands takes on similar guidelines to those of LVMH for the next Fashion Week 2018, to set a positive example for our young men and women.