All Walks Beyond the Catwalk Brings Diverse Models to London Fashion Week
An article by Sarah
Posted September 21, 2010 
London fashion week has seen a group of diverse models, including a woman aged 81 and a size 14, strut their stuff down the catwalk at the weekend.
In a bid to remove stereotypical ideals from the catwalk, campaigning group, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk commissioned photographer, Rankin to photograph a group of hand-picked models. The models were dressed by household names in the fashion business, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Betty Jackson, Matthew Williamson and Alice Temperley.
The campaign has bought together big names in support of the cause to represent a more diverse figure on the catwalk. Somerset House provided the backdrop for the shoot on Saturday morning, just a stone’s throw from the main catwalk tents.
Vivienne Westwood, 70 next year, commented that she is not interested in ideal beauty. Instead, she likes a woman who makes an effort to show off her best assets. Several plus-size models were photographed for the campaign but campaigners highlighted that the absence of woman from different backgrounds continues to be an issue on the British catwalk not just age and size.
Erin O’Connor fronts All Walks, as well as overseeing a sanctuary for the models at a London Hotel. Here, models are able to relax, have beauty treatments and escape the paparazzi.
The projects suggest that the fashion industry wants to be seen as taking responsibility for the well-being of its models. The campaign is a reaction to model sizes which have been shrinking to beyond sense in the last few years.
