London embraces diversity on the catwalk! There’s a new trend hitting the London catwalks – models of all shapes, sizes and colors.

Preparing for his London Fashion Week presentation, knitwear designer Mark Fast decided to challenge the obsession with size zero models and use curvier, fuller figure women to showcase his creations. It was a bold move, considering that fashion houses still use waif thin models and one which nearly led to his entire collection imploding.

Three days before Saturday’s presentation Fast told his design team that his figure-hugging outfits would hit the catwalk worn by three size 12 and 14 models, in addition to regular size models. Upon hearing this his creative designer walked out and his stylist was fired over his rude behavior toward the plus size models. Amanda May, Fast’s creative director, blamed the walkout on ‘creative differences’ over the use of larger models. ‘There was a team change and we are glad we stuck to our vision,’ she said. ‘The decision to use fuller girls is something we have been talking about. There’s an idea that only thin and slender women are able to wear Mark’s dresses and he wanted to combat that. We wanted women to know they didn’t have to be a size zero to wear a Mark Fast dress – curvier women can look even better in them.’

Mark Fast

The show was saved after freelancers Daniela Angell and Natalie Hubbard stepped in to help Fast, working into the early hours to ensure all the designs were ready for the big day. The show was a great success and one that has generated a ton of buzz over Mark Fast’s diverse model selection. ‘I want to prove that my clothes are for women of all shapes and sizes,’ he revealed after the show.

The plus size models used in the Mark Fast fashion show were Hayley Morley, 21-years-old, a size 12, Laura Lateral, 20-years-old, a size 14 and Gwyneth Harrison, 25-years-old, a size 12-14.

Sykes

Sykes

Additionally, 2 other forward-thinking designers opted for a different look: the Sykes collection was presented on models of a wide range of ages (up to age 70), and Pap’s line-up was made up of exclusively black girls.

PPQ

PPQ