Huge congratulations to All Walks – the fantastic team of Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O’Connor who are driving forward their campaign to bring diversity to fashion.
The latest triumpth in the All Walks mission is the Centre for Diversity. The new centre, headed by Mal Burkinshaw (Head of Fashion at Edinburgh College of Art) will teach students to embrace diversity. Whilst part of this is about learning to cut to sizes other than double zero and to shapes other than model-shaped – Caryn Franklin said that it would teach students a whole lot more than just learning to cut patterns.
The launch was held at Earl’s Court 2 – during Graduate Fashion Week – and many, many educators from right across the country came to hear what Caryn, Debra and Mal were doing with this new centre – and although the Centre for Diversity is based in Edinburgh – this is a nationwide mission.
I was invited and had the privilege of announcing the new Centre because the Government itself has its own campaign for Body Confidence – which forms part of our health and well-being strategy. All Walks is one of the groups on the Government Advisory panel of experts who advise us on our Body Confidence campaign – and they head the sector working with the fashion industry.
Mal Burkanshaw spoke with such conviction about the freedom that will come as students learn to create ’emotionally considerate work’ – bringing emotion into a world which has been so unforgiving to any variety of body types in our world and rejecting of those that do not fit an impossible singular image for fashion – it was just so fantastic.
I am greatly enthused by this major step forward in ending a damaging conformity – by educating those who will be the fashion industry in future decades. It is a very heartwarming to see this opening up of the challenge, the market and design to the wonders of the human form – in all its glory.
Follow All Walks mission to end conformity here!
Lynne Featherstone 
RT @lfeatherstone: New post: All Walks Centre for Diversity http://tinyurl.com/44ezq2q
Is this a joke, a spoof? Diversity in fashion? For sure this is bound to not only save the planet but also pull us all out of the enormous economic black hole we find ourselves in.
I’ll re-read it, hold on………..
Nope, I’m convinced it’s a spoof. Well done Caroline for making me laugh. I didn’t realise your sense of humour was so sharp.
RT @lfeatherstone: New post: All Walks Centre for Diversity http://tinyurl.com/44ezq2q
What………………………………………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Grief……!!!!!!!!!!
I thought Lynne said all women have to look like Christina Hendricks anyway?
Admittedly that’s different to your average fashion model, but conformity is conformity and there’s nothing diverse or commendable about telling people what they should look like.
fashion students learning to create “emotionally considerate work”? Are you making this up as you go along? If not, then I am really looking forward to buying an “emotionally considerate” pair of socks from M&S one day soon.
WOW ! This is Airhead Central ,as my daughter would say . The language is spot on truthspeak to boot . Where do these people like MSSSSSS FEATHERSTONE come from ?
Hi Lynne, I’d be very interested to learn your thoughts on ‘slutwalks’ – are you for or against them?
http://londonist.com/2011/06/slutwalk-london-attracts-over-5000-marchers.php
The Diversity Centre is not just about size but age, race and all other issues that affect women and young girls in all Industries. I teach in Fashion and is is difficult to even get designers in training to consider women outside of thier own remit ie young women 20 to 25 . Also the real fact is , the jobs exist in menswear and childrenswear. It’s not a spoof, it is difficult for anyone outside of the Industry to really see what happens at the education end. It’s not about celebrity and shallow image and ideas, it’s about hard graft and determination if you want to kick against the popular view of the Fashion Industry.
It is anything but Airhead Central, all of the clothes you are wearing whilst reading this were designed and created by all of these kids coming out of british fashion schools. Thats the reality, unless of course you are wearing vintage Benny Hill [Seen as typical british humour]..
Well done Mal and All walks..!
Pity I didn’t get a reply to the question about ‘slutwalks’
It’s difficult to know where Lib Dems stand on any issues these days!