modal and art

Ultimate Body Launch

Model at BNT Ultimate Body Launch

Catwalk catfight over 'everyday' models

An Australian designer's search for models that look like "everyday Australians" has reportedly created controversy at a Melbourne fashion week. Against the advice of the event's organisers, MaraJoara designer Leesa Fogarty put out a call for ordinary Aussie women to model her swimwear. But it seems the women she chose were too real for organisers of the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. "We wanted to cast everyday Australians because they're the ones that are going to buy our swimwear," Fogarty was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun. The organisers allegedly told Fogarty her everyday models — who were set to appear in the event's closing show — were putting the parade in jeopardy. "They had [other] models on standby," Fogarty said. "They said our models weren't the quality that Australian Fashion Week would want behind it." Fashion week organisers denied suggesting Fogarty's models were too fat. Simon Lock, managing director of IMG Fashion Asia Pacific which operates the week, told National Nine News his company would never interfere with what a designer wanted to do. "The were unprofessional models and we were a little bit concerned about the way they were walking, the way they were posing and some of their antics." "We are not here to criticise, or comment on the collections." Despite the controversy, the show did go on and the smiling everyday models triumphed. "Someone said this week is anorexia week on the runway," Fogarty said.

Fashion Model's Age as an Influence on Consumers' Attitudes and Purchase Intent

Generally, women's fashion magazines have not featured models over age 40 to communicate fashion messages to the older population. A counter-balanced de sign was used to test whether age similarity between a message source (fashion model) and a message receiver (fashion consumer) would (1) affect consumers' attitudes toward fashion models and (2) influence consumers' purchase intent of fashion apparel. Respondent and model ages were the variables investigated. Respondents 46 and under were defined as younger (n = 48); respondents over 46 were older (n = 48). A pretest ascertained that models were perceived as younger (established at about 25 years) or older (close to 55 years). Using a ran domized plan, subjects completed two identical attitude measures (each with a photograph of either a younger or older model), a purchase intent measure and a demographic measure. The attitude questionnaire measured perceived age simi larity, source credibility and interpersonal attraction. Age similarity between older models and older consumers resulted in significant positive effects for source credibility and interpersonal attraction. Younger consumers evaluated older models higher than younger models on one dimension of credibility, but indi cated no other significant differences in attitudes toward younger or older models. Purchase intent was not affected by age similarity or dissimilarity.

source >> http://fcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/3/294