Age Does Not Matter

 (Iris Apfel at aged 95)

"The fashion industry doesn't just forget old people, it forgets middle-aged people" says fashion and style icon Iris Apfel. The 95 year old has become a star in herself and within the industry thanks to her flamboyant style and even more flamboyant personality. Her icon status came about at the age of 83, when she received and inspired an exhibition at The Costume Instititue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Before then designers and brand directors were pretty unresponsive to the use of older models, but now there seems to have been a change.

 As we have previously written about the growing awareness of diversity within the industry, it would now appear that slowly but steadily the industry is finally accepting the older generation as models.

A recent study showed that women over fifty feel ignored by the high street and the clothing on offer is too focused on the younger generation. A driving growth within the industry spending £6.7 billion on clothing each year, the older woman has the disposable income and the time to spend. So why are designers and retailers still neglecting the mature woman?

 In recent years, however, it would appear that some brands have decided to take action. Last year, beauty brand L'Oreal named 1960's model and icon Twiggy as a brand ambassador, joining the likes of other timeless beauties brand amabassadors such as Julianne Moore. They then announced that Dame Helen Mirren, who at 71 years young, was to be the star of their Age Perfect skin campaign, celebrating female icons with brains and beauty.

(Image: Gigi Hadid and Lauren Hutton closing SS17 Bottega Veneta show)

 

Marc Jacobs followed suit naming Jessica Lange as the face of Marc Jacobs Beauty and announcing Bette Midler as one of the models for the Spring Summer 2016 campaign. And if you're still not convinced, legendary model and actress and all-round icon, Lauren Hutton walked arm-in-arm with Gigi Hadid for Bottega Veneta SS17 show.

Women just don't stop caring about their appearance once they hit a certain age and they are so used to being ignored and pushed aside in the industry. But things are finally looking up and starting to change. Remember, we're fab at every age!