In an ideal world, products would be sustainable and their profits would benefit good causes. This is what the Sustainable Style Foundation is all about! They know that trends are powerful, which is why they take no shame in promoting conservation as a style. More than a passing fad, the Sustainable Style Foundation uses the media to increase the supply and demand of sustainable products, promote sustainable trends, and provide resources and information for consumers on their website.
Cocktails for a Cause will benefit Art With Heart, an organization helping youth to recover from crises, illness, and trauma. Learn about Seattle’s Green October, here.
If you’re eco stylish, why not visit Portland’s green Fashion Week October 19-24? Catwalk events are promoted on recycled paper, and the actual show will include a sustainable runway, sustainable makeup and hair, and sustainable hotels for guests. Perhaps the only unsustainable parts are the models themselves, as this show sets no weight requirements to protect worker health and women’s rights, and many of these models will be fired if they do not maintain eating disorders. Weigh it yourself – does an safer environment necessitate unsafe working requirements? At least it’s a step in the right direction.
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I’ll be at all the Portland Fashion Week events, doing exclusive coverage for http://www.thegreenloop.com
In Portland, eating disorders among models is not nearly as common as it is in more competitive markets; so far, there has been no need to establish eating disorder guidelines.
Excellent – then eating disorder guidelines should have little affect on the show if ED rates are already low. However, after viewing some photographs from last year’s event, I am convinced that many of those models are at unhealthy weights. This is beyond a moral concern, as many models have already died because of work requirements.
I am the backstage manager for PFW 07′ and have personally dealt with all of the models. I can assure everyone that our models are all at healthy weights. These girls can eat trust me I have seen them. No one especailly the portland market supports rail thin or unhealthy models. Fortunately this show is going to be amazing and those who show will see that in comparision to other fashion weeks our models are extremly healthy.
This is somewhat reassuring to hear. However, the “trust me, they eat” defense is a common one. I do not see why the show cannot take the lead with American modeling policy, especially if all models are already healthy and there’s nothing to hide. Even if the models are indeed all healthy and weigh more than typical models, I cannot understand why the show cannot take up a second good cause in addition to environmentalism and announce a policy that proves models are healthy. This would send an excellent message to the US about the environment AND modeling.
what!? firing models for NOT maintaining a low weight? where do you come up with this garbage!? and garbage is what you are promulgating! quote your source as any good reporter does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
as an executive producer of pfw, and having been affiliated with pfw in its many facets since our inception in 2003, i can honestly say NO ONE HAS EVEN BEEN THREATENED WITH BEING FIRED FOR MAINTAINING AN UNHEALTHY BMI! and how does a volunteer get fired anyways?
i have also been affiliated with well over 50 fashion shows in portland oregon- the most sustainable city in the nation, and 2nd greenest in the world, and never once has a model been chosen who is obviously under a healthy body mass.
oh, fyi- i purchase 200.00 dollars of gourmet organic food daily for our under fed models including phresh organics pasta, olive tapinades, green salads, turkey/creme cheese/swiss/tomato raps and gourmet chocolates from jaciva chocolates. would you like to see my receipts? they also eat as much as me, a 175lb man, so i will say that METABOLISM plays a huge part in models mainatining their weight! duh! duh!
i hope my diatribe will now lay this idiocy to rest, and prove that our models are at least healthy by all outward appearances. if anyone would personally like to contact me Tod Foulk, Executive Producer of PFW 07, plz do so at tod@portlandfashionweek.net.
but at least u got the rest right.
oh-google rock the runways b4 u start calling me a hater too. ‘nough said.
see you on the runways!
Because the show has taken no stand on this issue, it is fair to assume it will be like the average show, for which these unwritten requirements stand, and healthy girls need not apply. Again, if the show is already committed to keeping models healthy, why not issue a policy?
After doing some research, I have found the call for models here: http://www.ultrapdx.com/zero/2007/09/13/portland-fashion-week-model-call/
It’s excellent that they are accepting models as large as a size six (the standard dress size, I’m assuming), which indeed CAN be healthy for many women. However, to have a healthy size zero, even from the shortest 5′8″, is unlikely. I spoke with a 5′8″ previously anorexic friend, and at her minimum healthy weight according to dietitians, standard for her height, she is definitely not a zero.
I believe this show is well a step ahead of other shows, because it is accepting larger sizes and promoting conservation. However, zero is just too small. There would be no need for defenses if this show would create a policy. Nearly all fashion shows claim that their models eat, yet few are willing to follow Madrid’s lead in policy-making, and their words ring hollow. Ask Adi Barkan ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Barkan), who discovered his models purging. Even Georgio Armani has banned size zeros ( http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=24887&in_page_id=34)
After in-depth interviews with both a model and an agent, I can quote a model (whose name is protected) as saying it’s not possible to model and be healthy according to Elite standards. “I just don’t believe it because I’ve never seen it,” she says. “Not once.” While this show is not Elite, it does accept sizes as small as Elite.
If ” never once has a model been chosen who is obviously under a healthy body mass,” I’d like an explanation for the “What’s Hot Next Season!” model in the blue dress shown half way through this film: http://www.portlandfashionweek.net/videos/Koin_CBS.mov
After looking at the video and pictures available on the website link to the fashion show, it looks very much like the usual kind of fashion show; meaning that the models were generally very skinny. Now, I don’t know if they are anorexic or not, that is something up to the individual’s own state of body, but they appear very much to be the stereotypical “model thin”. I’ve read and seen this issue discussed in the media, and in this case I’m beginning to wonder if there might be some truth to models being too skinny. From what little I’ve seen (size standards) are primarily rejected by the industry itself. I feel Oregon and in particular Portland has always been very forward thinking (as exemplified by their sustainable clothes), and it would be great to advance employee’s safety and be a leader in the nation in this area.
BTW – if you’re really into sustainable clothing and wanting to benefit good causes….how about visiting your neighborhood Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores
There is no way a 5′8″ woman/girl can be healthy as a size zero. No way. I’m absolutley disgusted with this modeling industry and feel that something needs to be done about unhealthy, too thin, anorexic models. Honestly, what’s it going to take, people dying on the runways? What kind of message is this sending women and young girls?
I admire your bravery, Kyla! You obviously know what you believe in, and I think it admirable you are not afraid to let others know what you think. As a former model and anorexic, I understand how modeling and the eating disorder world go hand-in-hand. While I cannot personally attest for the models in this show, and if they have eating disorders or not, I know that most of us struggled with eating disorders (meaning myself and the former models I have worked with) – even when we were excellent at hiding it. I really admire Spain’s legislation and hope that it snowballs. It’s about time we had healthy, average-looking role models!
+1 for Kyla’s comments.
even if your show uses only healthy models, by accepting size zero models you are promoting size zero as desirable – and that attitude is not “sustainable” for the majority of human bodies who will be viewing your show.
if your models are healthy, and if you want to promote body images that are sustainable by real people, then why not adopt a policy as Kyla suggests? what’s holding you back?
Chris in Indianapolis
If you look at the new photos for PFW 2008 these models are very unhealthy. There is one model in particular which is in a swimsuit and looks HORRIBLE. I found this website because I googled anorexia in portland fashion week specifically because of the photos I saw. Portland, and I know this because i only live an hour outside of portland, is no different than any other metro city. They want skinny models… sometimes maybe too skinny.
[...] Fashion Week Slims Down Posted on February 20, 2009 by healthymodelscoalition The last time I wrote about Portland Fashion week, I was frustrated, but I held my ground. After being asked to report on Portland Fashion Week, I [...]