Banning of Underage and Underweight Models

 It has been announched today that fashion powerhouses LVMH, who owns the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and so many more luxury brands, along with Kering are no longer allowing the use of underage and underweight models to walk their catwalks this season.

The two brands announced that they have jointly created and signed a charter titled, "The Charter on Working Relations with Fashion Models and their Well-Being." The charter itself states that they will not be casting any models under the age of 16 or use models below a size 2 for women and size 34 for men.

What has come as a relief and quite a surprise, this charter is well overdue, considering the criticism that the fashion industry received last season. If you remember back in December, casting director, James Scully, gave a talk on discrimination and cruelty within the industry. Back in February, he then went on to name specific names from Balenciaga - who Kering owns - and Lanvin. And in 2015, France passed a law which only came into effect this year, which required new models to provide a doctors note to prove that they are in good health and have a BMI of 18 or over, and fines of 75,000 euros to those who fail to comply to these new rules.

For the health and care of models, the charter reads:

- The brands commit to working solely with models who are able to present a valid medical certificate, provided by the agencies and obtained less than six months before the shooting or fashion show, attesting to their good health and ability to work

- The brands commit to ban size 32 for women and size 42 for men - French measurement - from their casting requirements, and will thereby require casting agencies to present women and men models who are respectively size 34 or over, and 44 or over

- The brands agree to put a dedicated psychologist/therapist at the models' disposal during their working time

And the Young Models sections reads:

- The brands must not hire models under the age of 16 to participate in shows and shootings representing an adult

- Models between 16 and 18 years old are not allowed to work between 10pm and 6am

- Nudity or semi-nudity for models under 18 is only allowed through an agreement signed by both the model and her/his legal representative

- The presence of a chaperon/guardian appointed by their agencies, and who can also be one of the model's parents, is mandatory for models from 16 to 18 years old

- Any model under the age of 18 must be housed in the same accommodation as her/his chaperon/guardian

- The brands must require agencies to ensure that models meet their school attendance obligation

- Alcohol shall not be served to models under the age of 18

As for the rest of the charter, it outlines access to food and drink throughout the day, code of conduct for nude shoots and requirements for a private place to change.

Chairman and CEO of Kerin, Francois-Henri Pinault said in a statement: "Respecting the dignity of all women has always been both a personl commitment for me and a priority for Kering as a Group. Through the establishment of this charter and our commitment to abide by its terms, we are once again manifesting the importance of this core value in a very concrete manner."

Antoine Arnault, member of LVMH Board of Directors, Chairman of Loro Piana, and Chief Executive Officer or Berluti added, "We have the responsibility of building new standards for fashion and we hope to be followed by other players in our sector."