CHANGE AGENTS

Hollywood might be where the #MeToo earthquake struck, but its tremors are being felt far and wide. It wasn’t long before the aftershocks hit the fashion industry, where models have begun to speak up for their privacy and safety. At the opening ceremony of the Fall 2018 season, the British Fashion Council (BFC), which heads up London Fashion Week (LFW), announced its involvement with the British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMAA), along with leading U.K. modelling agencies, to launch its Models First Initiative, part of the BFC’s Positive Fashion campaign.

“The BFC and BFMAA want to lead the way in setting codes of practice that model agencies and the industry can sign up to,” says Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC. Some of the things they’ve already put in place include (1) a confidential helpline that models (both men and women) can call for support and guidance during LFW, (2) compulsory private changing areas where models at the official LFW venue (with plans to soon include external show venues) can undress and change without the threat of being photographed and (3) a private space for models to eat, drink and relax between shows.

“We want everyone to be proud of this industry and to work together to stamp out any form of maltreatment or abuse,” says Rush. According to Adwoa Aboah, the BFC’s Positive Fashion ambassador for model health and diversity, every such move taken by the people and organizations in power is a step in the right direction. “For me, as a woman and a model, these efforts provide a growing sense of comfort and confidence that we are taking the right initial steps toward systematically changing the way we collectively work to protect the safety and rights of models in the industry.”