Designers are being told not to hire minors in this season’s upcoming New York Fashion Week.
Early this week, The Council Of Fashion Designers Of America sent out a global email to brands participating in NYFW, asking them to reconsider featuring minors in their shows. (RELATED: Here’s Why This Supermodel Cried Before A Massive Fashion Show)
“As you cast your New York Fashion Week shows, please remember to promote diversity and inclusion, on and off the runway. American fashion can lead the path,” Steven Kolb, head of The Council Of Fashion Designers Of America, wrote in the email obtained by Page Six. “Additionally, we strongly encourage you to support the well-being of younger individuals by not hiring models under the age of 18 for runway shows, and to create areas backstage for models to change in privacy.”
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#IMGModel @taylor_hill bringing the heat at @zimmermann #NYFW September 2018.
While many models, like Kaia Gerber, Bella Hadid and Brooke Shields got their start before they were legal adults, there’s been a growing movement in the fashion world to stop hiring minors. Working with underage girls can not only get messy legally, but many publications have begun to consider the practice outdated and in poor taste.
“The #MeToo movement created a space for models to speak out about harassment, assault or other issues that violated their personal well-being,” Steven Kolb said in August 2018, just days after Vogue pledged to stop hiring underage models.
New York Fashion Week kicks off next month and runs from February 8-16.