All walks of the catwalk

'All walks beyond the catwalk is an initiative founded by Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O'Connor working with influential Catwalk designers and top industry creatives to celebrate more diversity with the fashion industry'

'Having played our part in instigating a shift in attitude, since our launch at London Fashion Week in Sept 2009 – where eight emerging designers were paired with 8 diverse models – most notably creating the ‘plus size,’ model Harley Morley and Mark Fast partnership – All Walks Beyond the Catwalk has continued to grow.'

What the company has accomplished

In November 2009 we accepted ‘Cosmopolitan Magazine Fearless Women,’ award.

In June 2010 we successfully launched the first ‘All Walks Forum,’ at Graduate Fashion Week with fashion educationalists attending from all over Britain. Many colleges have pledged to incorporate diversity modules into their teaching. Since this time we have lectured up and down the country on a voluntary basis to rave student reviews.

In Sept 2010 we launched the campaign SNAPPED with Rankin at London Fashion Week.

In Feb 2011 we celebrated diversity at the National Portrait Gallery. A record 4000 people came in one night to see our Rankin images.

In June 2011 we launched the Edinburgh College of Art, Centre of Diversity in Association with All Walks

In April 2012 we co -produced the Body Confidence Awards from Parliament chaired by MP Jo Swinson and awarded our own All Walks ‘Visionary Fashion Award.’

In June 2012 we launched the National Student Competition Diversity NOW! in association with i-D Magazine.

We are also contributing to round-table government discussions on how diversity and the beauty of individuality can make an impact in the wider culture and influence self-esteem and well-being. This has been chaired by Govt. Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone. Since the reshuffle of Aug 2012 is chaired by MP Caroline Noakes

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is a voluntary organisation that recognises the power the fashion industry has to communicate positive messages to women and men about their bodies and acts. Small steps, big ideas. We are delighted to see that our position is influencing brands as diverse as Lanvin and M&S

They are such a positive company helping not only the fashion industry to embrace different sizes, races, genders and age but also everything single person out there who reads magazines and doesn't see a REAL women on the pages. Wouldn't it be refreshing if we could see people who had more similarities to us out there in campaigns and magazines.. it would build peoples confidence in such a positive way. Encouraging people to think I don't look the same as these skinny models but i am unique and beautiful in my own way... being beautiful is so subjective, what one person sees as beautiful another doesn't.

i-D Magazine

'i-D has built its reputation on being a consistent source of inspiration in fashion culture. It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style, abiding by the premise of originate – don’t imitate. i-D has come a long way since its pre-digital, cut-and-paste days and has developed into a glossy magazine that documents fashion and contemporary culture, and has broken ground defining it too. Constantly reinventing itself, as with our website, i-D continues to encourage creativity, which is why after more than 30 years, its editorial content still manages to surprise and inspire.'

The consumers of i-D can really vary because it is so diverse there is something for everyone in it. It gives off such a fun vibe particularly for the iconic front covers which always included their signature wink with people varying from Madonna to Grace coddington.

It talks about subjects that some magazine may not even cover...people who are inspiration such as Aimee Mullins. Aimee Mullins is athlete, fashion model and actress however there is something a bit different about her she was born with a medical condition which meant both of her legs had to be amputated off. She has done some may incredible things in her life and praises her disability for letting to able to do all of it. She has walked in an Alexander McQueen show but with prosthetic boots, was the face of l'Oreal in 2011, competed in the Paralympians  and was voted last year by ZOO as one of the sexist Paralympians.

i-D magazine is one of the few magazine that when you turn the page you do not know what to expect. This is a quality i really admire about it.  

Models......

Models...

The big question why should there be limits on what a model can be whether it is size, gender, age and race. The fashion industry continues to push for skinny, tall, young and even white models.

The size zero debate that has been going on for so many years and even though small changes are being made by designers.. size zero stays as the ideal model size.

Why???

When the average British women weighs 11st and is a size 14 

Why can't we see some more REAL people in the fashion industry

It has even gone as far as using male models who look quite antagonistic to model female clothing because they can have physically skinner frames. Example shown below of andrej pejic who has taken the industry by storm as a male modelling female designs.

The point of this competition is to push the boundaries of the models that are used in the fashion world and try and make it more diversified.

I did know where to begin at the beginning of this project.. However ever since the paralympian games in the UK the 'super human' (paralympian) have made a real name for them selves and made I think everyone aware of how incredible they. They are amazing role models.. know matter what has happened to these people that has give them their disability they push to win like anyone else. 

I researched and found out about a young  paralympian called Sally Brown who at only 18 has won a bronze medal. My dad had gone to an event when she had been awarded young sports personality of the year awarde and had a long dicusson with her so though I could maybe get in contact with her about being my possible model. 

She has very striking features with her quirky freckles and strawberry blonde hair and has her left arm up to her elbow. here are some images of her below.

  

This film above is her being interviewed about all her achievements

Locations

New project focusing on us locating are work in an external context. 

We had to enter our selves in to competitions in the outside world to get a feel of what sort of area we would like to go into after our degree. 

However the competitions that the University provided were not Art direction based which is the area I am working in. It has suprised me how I have moved into an area that is so technology based. 

I reasearched on my own and found a project that fitted exactly what I wanted my brief to be and I touched on it in my last project. It is about try to look at having more diversity in the fashion industry when it come to models: with size, gender, age and race. It is sponsered my the company 'All walks on the catwalk' and i-D. A company and magazine which I really look up to and love the things they do. 

in this link below it has all the details for the competition and the different areas you can enter yourself into 

http://diversity-now.allwalks.org/