UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 05 JUNE 2015
Fashion houses who use unnaturally thin models in advertising campaigns risk alienating their customers, warns a Birmingham City University expert.
As an Yves Saint Laurent advertisement featuring an "unhealthily underweight" model has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Alison Rapsey, Course Director of BA (Hons) Fashion Retail Management at Birmingham City University asks - 'why can't the fashion industry just move on?'
She said: "The reality is the average size woman in the UK is a 16 but YSL customers are more likely to be a 10 or 12. These retailers need their product to look good for consumers to want to buy them, not for the attention to be focussed on whether or not the model looks underweight in their ads."
Birmingham City University advocates the use of healthy models and encourages fashion students to incorporate this ethos into their catwalk shows.
The next date in fashionistas diaries is Tuesday 9 June for The Catwalk fashion show, part of the Inspired festival of graduate shows and performances.