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are we giving away our power when we don ' t have an opinion
media feeds us are very limited and people begin comparing and trying to match up to these rather than celebrating their own individuality . The talks are aimed at young creatives such as myself as we are the future producers of fashion and have the power to change what has become formulaic .
As co-founder of the award winning initiative All Walks ( along with Debra Bourne and Erin O ’ Connor ) in 2009 , Caryn actively works with students here and across the country , as well as fashion designers and the media , to promote broadening the size , shape , ethnicity and age range of professional models . All Walks wants everyone connected with the fashion industry to understand the power they have to give positive messages to women and men about their identity , body and beauty , to be more emotionally considerate in their use of images and celebrate a wider range of body type . After all - this is what the real world is like . Just pause and watch the world going by your window . Is everyone walking past tall , slender , young and white ? Not in my neighbourhood .
Caryn is in a unique position to drive the political debate about fashion and identity . She has over thirty years ’ experience in fashion , working within education at colleges including The Royal College of Art , Central St Martins , The London College of Fashion and Ravensbourne as well as within the commercial sector .
As a former fashion editor and co-editor of i-D magazine ( 1982-1988 ) Caryn ’ s work was all about personal identity and allowed her to ‘ engage with fashion on her terms ’. Caryn maintains that in the 1980s there was a greater diversity of model choice but the industry has now moved onto ‘ one type ’ of body image which promotes unsustainable bodies on the catwalk and fears the greater damage such promotion may cause .
As a broadcaster , writer , direct and producer , Caryn has been part of TV shows and documentaries , including The Clothes Show , which ran for twelve years until 1998 and was revolutionary in bringing concepts of style and fashion to a younger audience . The spin-off ‘ Clothes Show Live ’ gave unheard of access to catwalk shows and designer goods , not to mention the chance of being discovered by a modeling agency to young women and men of all social classes : this is where Erin O ’ Connor , on a school trip to the Clothes Show in Birmingham , was spotted by a scout and started her amazing career .
So where do we go from here ?
There are campaigns and individuals already challenging the question of identity within fashion – Dove and Marks and Spencer adverts are some of the more commercial examples , but is it enough ? The All Walks campaign gives priority to those who will influence the future of fashion rather than using all its recourses trying to change the attitude of those influencing it today . That ’ s you and me .
But before we can drive such changes , there is a need to understand the industry we are part of and be realistic about the way it operates . The days when photographers would go to catwalk shows , take rolls of films and hand them over to editors to be released to a minority audience , months later have long gone . Fashion is no longer so exclusive . Fashion images bombard us via television , films , magazines , newspapers , hoardings , even the sides of buses and catwalk shows can be streamed live to our computers , ipads or mobile phones . We need to embrace these innovations , use them as opportunities and move forward with the times .
As contributors to the future of fashion and fashion promotion , we have a responsibility to really think about where we stand and to challenge what has become the norm . We live in a world that technology has made instantly accessible , offering access to incredible cultural richness and diversity , with beautiful images to be found across all shapes , sizes and ages . We need to appreciate , explore and celebrate this richness in our work and , by doing so , empower people to recognize that trends are just a way for the industry to sell clothes and that , by finding and embracing their own style , they can be truly confident in their own identity .
I find the concept of change incredibly exciting and challenging – just what fashion is all about . Let ’ s look beyond new looks , new trends and new seasons to add in new shapes , sizes , ages and ethnicities : it gives us so many new avenues to explore and enjoy ! There is no excuse for continuing to use tall , skinny young models as a prescriptive image of the body beautiful . Our billion dollar industry has room to be far more exciting than that .
Caryn ’ s continuing interest in the politics of image and self esteem has seen her involvement in an extraordinary range of projects which challenge the boundaries of our everyday perceptions – working with refugees in battle zones , with workers in free-trade slums , with mental health experts , government ministers and fashion industry innovators . She increasingly promotes the need to move away from ‘ throw away fashion ’ to attach more meaning to clothes and promote ethical sourcing and sustainability . Caryn is a big fan of up-cycling . In 2013 , Caryn was awarded an MBE for services to diversity in the fashion industry .