The fashion industry has often been accused of promoting anorexia when using underweight models. Some designers insist that the real issue is not age but health. We think that’s really important, we work closely with the agencies, if there’s a young girl that’s here for the first time, certainly they’ll be chaperoned,” says British Fashion Council Chief Executive, Caroline Rush. ‘‘So all of the designers that are contracted to London Fashion Week, the models must be 16 or over. The British Fashion Council has introduced new guidelines as has New York state. However, there have been industry moves to change things, notably during the biannual catwalk shows. Kate Moss was scouted when she was 14 and Naomi Campbell when she was just 15. The use of young models in fashion is not new.

I’m an opportunist, a fashion opportunist, but there’s nothing bad about that because that’s our business,” he says. That’s the girls of the moment, fashion is about the moment. They can identify even if it’s not the same age group. Chanel recently recruited 16-year-old Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis for its eyewear campaign.Ĭhanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld is pragmatic: “The public wants to see them (clothes, glasses) on girls like this.