France Bans Ultra-Thin Models

SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 2015 Chinese designers face struggle parade of unknowns on the cat- Lacking ‘space to grow’ walks of Beijing Fashion Week high- Zeng Yanjie recently returned from Alights the challenges facing Chinese Milan to try to set up a label, only to find designers trying to break into an industry out that, in her view, “independent dominated by foreign brands: high pro- Chinese designers do not have a lot of duction costs, excessive retail prices, and space in which to grow”. customers who still favor Western labels. “Beijing Fashion Week only has around Not a single international fashion house 10 independent designers and it doesn’t exhibited at the show, much of which took attract individual buyers,” she added. Most place in a former factory building in the Chinese associate fashion with expensive suburbs of the Chinese capital, far from the foreign labels, but young designers often spotlights of Paris, New York or London. ask equally high prices in an effort to build Instead the event was opened by a group their brand reputation-leaving them offer- of young Chinese designers, some of them ing poor value. “The problem is that many still students, who won a competition for of them have luxury prices for Taobao- the privilege. Among them was Liang Xiudong, from Xian, who presented a mixture of black capes, silver epaulettes and oversized sleeves. His watching father-dressed in a cheap grey-beige jacket-said proudly: “It’s good, very good, I see a great future for him.” But Liang was more sanguine. “I A model looking at her mobile phone at the backstage before the araisara know the biggest difficulties are still ahead Sara Arai Collection show during China Fashion Week in Beijing. — AFP photos of me,” he said. Another winner, Liang Fashion victim Diyun, 22, opened his Beijing studio last have hundreds of shops, but international year but his brand has yet to get off the experts say Chinese designers have yet to ground. find their identity. “The Chinese public’s taste is signifi- “Honestly, I see a lot of pretty things in cantly less advanced” than in Western China, but nothing I could call ‘modern countries, he lamented. A few Chinese Chinese style’ has emerged yet”, Anna labels that have appeared in the last 15 Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, said on a years-such as Zuczug or JNBY-have man- visit in January. China will drive almost half aged to establish themselves and now of global growth in the beauty and France bans Models parading during the 23rd China International Young Fashion Designers Contest at China Fashion Week. ultra-thin models style products,” complained fashion com- mentator Hung Huang, referring to China’s giant online equivalent of e-Bay. “You can’t rench deputies yesterday voted to ban price it as luxury and sell something ultra-thin catwalk models, despite (whose) quality is not worth it.” Fhowls of protest from modeling agen- Designers defend themselves, saying cies in the world’s fashion capital. “Anyone the problem is driven by high production whose body mass index... is below a certain costs and an inflexible textile industry, and level will not be able to work as a catwalk Hung acknowledged that for a production model,” according to the amendment voted run of, say a mere 500 shirts, “you need in the National Assembly lower house of par- totally different equipment” than that liament. Agencies found employing models required for larger orders. “No one is will- considered too thin could be liable for a fine ing to supply you, they just hang up the of up to 75,000 euros ($85,000) and six phone on you. The costs are too prohibi- months in prison. “The prospect of such a tive,” she said. punishment will have the effect of regulat- Alice McInerney, a fashion journalist ing the entire sector,” said Olivier Veran, the and consultant based in Beijing, added: deputy proposing the amendment, who said “Factories have specific minimum order that similar measures had been taken in quantities that can be extremely high for a Spain, Italy and Israel. young emerging designer. So price points Health Minister Marisol Touraine had pre- get pushed higher and higher. “This can be viously said that young models should “eat A model parading a creation from a hard sell for a customer when comparing well and look after their health”. “This is an the Sara Arai Collection show during a more established international brand important message to young women who China Fashion Week in Beijing. having the same price point as a Chinese see these models as an aesthetic example,” designer they have never heard of.” added the minister. However, the National women’s ready-to-wear luxury markets in But Manix Wong, a Hong Kong designer Union of Modeling Agencies has com- the next 10 years, according to consultan- who is helping several Chinese labels try to plained this would affect the competitive- cy McKinsey. Many would-be Chinese make a name in Europe, held out hope for ness of French modeling. dressmakers head to elite Western fashion a future in which he believes disdain for The new law comes after a similar amend- schools to learn, and some are returning to vulgar nouveau riche displays of wealth ment was passed that would punish people the country in an effort to capture that will create new opportunities. inciting others to “extreme thinness” to a potential. “Not many Chinese customers appreci- year in prison and a fine of 10,000 euros. But the Asian giant’s wealthiest cus- ate unknown independent designers,” he That law was aimed at so-called “pro-ana” tomers remain captive to foreign brands. said. “But people are (becoming) more Models wear creations for Saint Laurent’s websites that some accuse of encouraging At the same time, multi-brand shops in educated and sophisticated in fashion. Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Ready to Wear anorexia. Up to an estimated 40,000 people which they can exhibit their wares are a They start to get bored of Gucci, Prada, fashion collection presented in Paris, as suffer from anorexia in France, nine out of 10 new concept in the country, leaving few Louis Vuitton-and also too many rich peo- part of Paris Fashion Week. of them women and girls. — AFP retail outlets accessible to individual ple using the same bag and wearing the designers. same clothes.”— AFP.

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