
Copenhagen Fashion Week - H 2015
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Following the French government’s decision to ban too-thin models, there’s been a lot of buzz regarding the most effective way to promote a culture of a health within the fashion industry. Many criticized France’s use of the BMI as a determiner of well-being (especially after it came out that some sneaky models and agencies were literally tipping the scales in their favor), and now, Denmark is taking a new approach to ensure models’ safety.
The Danish Fashion Ethical Charter, originally established in 2007, was updated in March of 2015 to include new regulations such as a mandatory mental and physical health exam to screen “for risk behavior or an actual eating disorder” as well as a minimum age requirement of 16. Additionally, brands must be signatories of the charter before being permitted to show their collections at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
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Though it is not enforced by the government, the charter has the support of over 300 businesses, including major trade associations, modeling agencies, magazines, photographers and fashion brands. The charter’s website also has a “Black List” for signatories that don’t adhere to the charter’s rules, however that list is currently empty.
Eva Kruse, CEO of Danish Fashion Institute and Copenhagen Fashion Week, praised the charter, saying in a statement, “recently in Denmark and abroad there’s been some gloomy examples showing that problems with the beauty ideals the fashion industry creates continue to exist. The stupendous amount of support being given to the Danish Fashion Ethical Charter speaks for itself; the Danish industry is aware of its responsibility and is prepared to take a collective step towards models having better well-being and towards a body image that is healthy and not sickly.”
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