In a step forward for healthy modeling requirements in the fashion industry, two French luxury conglomerates officially banned size zero models from their brands’ runways and photo shoots.
LVMH (which owns Dior, Emilio Pucci, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Loewe) and Kering (owners of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, and Alexander McQueen) revealed a charter focusing on “working relations with fashion models and their well-being.” The charter, which is available online, proclaims that both companies are banning female models that are French size 32 and male models that are French size 42. In the U.S., those sizes correlate to size zero for female models and size XXS for male models.
Going forward, LVMH and Kering will only accept female models who are size 34 or over and male models who are size 44 and over, or size 2 and size XS in the U.S. A therapist will be on hand during work hours for the models’ care, and models will have to present a medical certificate declaring their health within six months of a fashion show or shoot.
Models under 16 are also banned from the brands’ shows and shoots, and models under 18 face an extra set of requirements. This includes a work curfew from 10pm to 6am, a chaperone or parent on hand during working hours, and agency accountability to assure models meet their school attendance needs.
“Respecting the dignity of all women has always been both a personal commitment for me and a priority for Kering as a Group,” Kering CEO and chairman François-Henri Pinault said in the charter. “Through the establishment of this charter and our commitment to abide by its terms, we are once again manifesting the importance of this core value in a very concrete manner.”
LVMH’s board of directors spoke out as well, arguing that the group must be at “the forefront of this initiative” to assure models’ well-being.
“We have the responsibility of building new standards for fashion and we hope to be followed by other players in our sector,” LVMH board of directors Antoine Arnault said.
LVMH and Kering’s charter comes four months after the French government announced a law banning extremely thin models. The law requires models to present a doctor’s certificate certifying their body is healthy and forces publishers to designate photoshopped images as a “photographie retouchée” (or retouched photograph). Those stipulations go into effect on Oct. 1.
