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Designers Embrace Positive Body Image At Fashion Week

The audience at last night’s We Are Handsome show was treated to a noticeably different silhouette on the runway, with the brand featuring athletes and ‘Insta-girls’ in a bid to break the model mould.

The brand debuted its first Active Swim range on a tennis court in Paddington, where models of all shapes and sizes strutted their stuff in an array of swimwear and outerwear.

“There’s a big thing about "who should be on the runway" so we know we’re breaking rules by having girls that have never been on a catwalk before,” said We Are Handsome co-founder Katinka Somers. “But the rules are there to be broken, times have changed and girls who are active are the new shape. Strong really is the new sexy.”

Among those that took to the catwalk were Amanda Bisk, Sjana Earp, Kate Kendall, Juliet Burnett and Lindy Klim, who are all known for their fit lifestyles and high social media numbers.

“A lot of the girls (fitness models) are very big on Instagram and encourage people to follow in their active foot steps, so we have chosen experienced yogis, a ballerina, a sprinter and pole vaulter and people who embody healthy eating too,” We Are Handsome co-founder says Jeremy Somers.

“We will not cast skinny models or skeletal frames, we look for real, active and healthy women - and not just with the fit girls but for our catwalk models too,” added Katinka.

We Are Handsome 2015 runway show
We Are Handsome 2015 runway show

GALLERY: We Are Handsome 2015 runway show

But the duo are careful to say their aim is not to shame skinny women, with Katinka explaining that the choice is simply different for them.

“We're not shunning skinny women,” said Somers. 'There are lots of women out there that no matter what they eat, won’t be a robust shape. We're just aiming for a different shape of women to other designers.”

Last year, designers at Australian Fashion Week came under fire for featuring underweight girls on the runway.

But in 2015, it seems some designers have embraced a new mood: Manning Cartell will also feature models that are size 8-10 rather than the standard 6, with Erin Heatherton telling marie claire, "I love what they are doing with the models and casting different sized girls. I love to see girls that are beautiful and feminine and powerful on the runway no matter what size or shape they are."


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