Dee Doocey AM to call for end of LDA funding of the British Fashion Council

12.20.00pm GMT Tue 9th Sep 2008

Dee Doocey, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, will tomorrow be calling on the Mayor to have the London Development Agency's funding of the British Fashion Council withdrawn.

This follows the BFC's failure to implement model health certificates which would have seen an end to size zero models being used at London Fashion Week.

At Mayor's Question Time on Wednesday 10th September Dee will ask the Mayor:

"One of the key recommendations of Baroness Kingsmill's Model Health Inquiry was that: "From September 2008 models participating in London Fashion Week should provide a medical certificate attesting their good health from doctors with expertise in recognising eating disorders." The British Fashion Council has now decided not to implement this recommendation. In view of this, will you instruct the LDA to cease funding the British Fashion Council?"

Dee says: "The failure of the BFC to put the welfare of models before business profits by setting up these model health certificates staggers me. The BFC have yet again backed down at the first hurdle by refusing to take a stand on this very serious issue. They try to justify this by saying that agents, casting agents and show producers don't want it. Asking these people if they want the recommendation is like asking a turkey if it is happy about Christmas - if its not in their interests, of course they won't agree."

The idea for the health certificates came out of the Model Health Inquiry set up last year amid the widespread concern over the increasing use of "heroin chic" models in high-profile modelling assignments and campaigns. Baroness Kingsmill's expert panel took evidence from over 200 people and organisations over a six month period. The report found that "evidence of the vulnerability of women in the modelling profession was startling and models are at high risk of eating disorders" and concluded that Model Health Certificates should be introduced.

The British Fashion Council had described the idea as "eminently sensible" and gave the impression they were keen to see it introduced.

But the plan to banish size zero models from London's catwalks was dropped after other fashion capitals refused to follow London's lead. The excuse - having to obtain a doctor's certificate proving models were in good health would lead to a financially damaging boycott of London Fashion Week.

Dee says: "There are serious health issues at stake. One in 40 women currently either has bulimia or anorexia and the numbers are increasing each year and sufferers are getting younger.

"Yet the British Fashion Council seems oblivious to the fact that there are huge numbers of impressionable young girls who are highly influenced by these unhealthy images on the catwalk.

"I will calling for the Mayor to instruct the LDA to withhold the funding for the BFC in an effort to force them to put the models' health before profits."