A fabulous fashion store owner has made a plea to the UK fashion industry to open up the catwalk to models of all sizes in a bid to save generations of children from anorexia and millions of women from shopping hell.
Janet Tappin Coelho, who runs the west London fashion store and website, Popozao, told 'The Voice' that the UK should introduce a campaign similar to the US based Walk the Catwalk campaign.
Walk the Catwalk wants to get designers, fashion colleges and fashion houses to stop making and showing only small sample sizes. It also wants models and clothes of all sizes showcased at popular fashion events like London Fashion Week. Anna Scholz designs gorgeous plus size clothes but will we ever see her on the catwalk? On a cold day in Hell, maybe?
"It is time to see bigger role models on the catwalk so we can better reflect what is going on in our world and our lives," said Coelho, who sources Brazilian jeans and other clothes for all women with curves.
"This is probably the way forward for the industry here. We need to recognise that most women are not size 8 or 10. The industry needs to recognise that women's shapes are changing.
Women of all races have curves and healthy bums. They are voluptuous and proud of their shapes. It needs to cater for them," she added.
Walk the catwalk
Walk the Catwalk was started by US-based plus size models, Diane Pellini and Liis Windischmann. They said on their website that it was time for designers to put what they have labelled 'the forgotten zone' meaning regular sizes 14 to 20 on the dressing models and on the catwalk.
The Voice is a publication for black women but I think that women of all races probably agree that there is a need for larger sizes on the catwalk and on the high street.
Quoted in The Voice was a curvy size 14 Chantelle Eccleston, a 25-year-old sales assistant blessed with both boobs and bum, who told said that she has problems finding things that fit-especially jeans. I feel her pain, having just been jeans shopping!
"The jeans will fit the legs but stop halfway across my bum. It annoys me," she said.
And there's no winning among the popular ranges.
"If they cover me up, there will be a gap at the back or even at the front depending on the style, or they are too long," added Chantelle, who is 5ft 2 inches with wide hips, a rounded bum and a 36DD bra cup size.
Karen Scott, a 38-year-old care assistant who buys size 12 to 14, added that skirts end up being too narrow for her 41 inch hips while trousers and jeans fall short on her 5ft 8 inch frame.
While some fashion chains and shops cater to curvy women, many others seem to forget that many women are over size 12 and come with curves.
What do you think? Who is the best for jeans, who does the best range for plus size divas? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Until then, I'm back to the Simply Be catalogue taking my chances...
This would be a great step for a better view in fashion world. I always thought that fat women are discriminated when it comes to fashion while anorexia is promoted.
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