The new shape of high street fashion

Paralympian joins curvy, petite and older models to showcase store chain’s new clothing collection
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Debenhams is taking a stand against “size zero tyranny” by using disabled and curvy models and a woman in her late sixties to promote its summer fashion ranges.

The department store chain said it wants to help shoppers feel better about their bodies by boycotting the unrealistic “waif culture” images that normally dominate fashion imagery, and hopes others will follow its example.

Its new “High Summer Look Book” of the collections it will showcase this season features the most diverse set of models ever used by a mainstream high street retailer. Some of the most striking images are of Paralympian sprinter and long jumper Stefanie Reid, who lost her right leg in a boating accident at the age of 16.

Reid, 28, who won silver in the long jump at the London Paralympics, models a £75 John Rocha black and cream dress while wearing her prosthetic blade. In another shot she wears a £50 Collection dress.

Model Kelly Knox, 29, born without a left forearm, wears a £95 blue dress and a £135 cream dress, both from Marios Schwab.

Size 18 model Jada Sezer sports a bikini and sarong and a Jasper Conran dress, while Philomena Kwao, 23, also a size 18, wears a £45 Collection floral dress in one image and a £60 No 1 Jenny Packham dress in another.

The oldest model to feature is 69-year-old Valerie Pain, whose career began in the Sixties. Other models in the look book were in their forties, or much shorter, such as Tess Montgomery, 31, who is 5ft, or taller than the fashion industry norm. They were chosen with the help of fashion commentator Caryn Franklin, who champions diversity in the industry.

Debenhams director Ed Watson said: “Our customers are not the same shape or size so our latest look book celebrates this diversity. Hopefully these shots will be a step, albeit a small one, towards more people feeling more comfortable about their bodies.”

Debenhams has been a recognised pioneer in using models more reflective of its customer base since February 2010, when, after decades of selecting conventional size 10 women in their teens or early twenties, it used size 16 mannequins in the window of its flagship Oxford Street store. Its Principles collection that year was promoted by images of wheelchair user Shannon Murray, making Debenhams the first high street retailer to use a disabled model in its advertising campaigns.

Minister for Women and Equalities Jo Swinson said: “I have long been concerned that idealised, unrealistic media images play a significant part in lowering self-esteem and reducing women’s confidence and contribution at school, at work, and in society. The look book models are truly diverse, each with their own unique style and personality. I hope they inspire others to feel good about their bodies.”

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