Jackie Frank: "I Was Shocked By Some Of The Models At Fashion Week"

Models walk the runway at the Alex Perry show. Photo: Getty Images.

It’s an issue that seems to crop up every season, but this year, Australian Fashion Week has been nicknamed The Hunger Games due to the prolific amount of unhealthy models on the runway.

Jackie Frank, marie claire’s editor/publisher, finds it particularly concerning – so much so that she rang one of the major model agencies this week to complain.

“When I saw a particular girl at the Alex Perry show coming down the runway, I got an absolute shock,” said Frank. “I felt I needed to do something; it just wasn’t sitting right with me. I was really worried for her, so I picked up the phone and called her agent.”

Frank says she didn’t want the coverage of the week to be about the “skinny models” but she knew the conversation would start once she spotted the model in question on the runway.

“There are fantastic designers here this week doing incredible things, but that girl stood out and looked unhealthy,” said Frank, who added that she hoped the agent had taken her words into account.

“I said to her, I don’t think (the model in question) should be on the runway at the moment,” Frank said. “I think she needs to work on her body and take time off to become healthy again.”

The agent told Frank the model was eating healthily, but Frank remains unconvinced.

A number of models at Australian Fashion Week have just finished the international fashion week circuit, where the pressure is on to look “Paris thin” in order to fit the sample sizes.

“The girls have to fit the samples or they don’t get work. The onus is on the designers, who need to create bigger sample sizes,” said a source.

Models are under enormous pressure during fashion week, with some working 14-16 hours non-stop, with limited access to food.

But Frank said there was no need for undernourished models on the runway.

“The focus needs to be on the fashion, not the state of the runway models."