French luxury group Kering will no longer use models who are under the age
of 18.
The fashion company owns several major fashion houses, including Gucci,
Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen.
The policy will come into effect in time for the 2020-2021 Autumn/Winter
collections, the company said.
Kering CEO François Henri-Pinault said in a statement that the company was
“conscious of the influence exerted on younger generations” by its
images.
He said: “We believe that we have
a responsibility to put forward the best possible practices in the luxury
sector, and we hope to create a movement that will encourage others to follow
suit.”
Kering’s chief sustainability officer, Marie-Claire Daveu, added: “The physiological and psychological
maturity of models aged over 18 seems more appropriate to the rhythm and
demands that are involved in this profession.”
The company’s decision comes as fashion brands are increasingly trying to
become more ethical, both in their designs and in their working practices.
In August 2018, Condé Nast, which publishes Vogue magazine, announced that it would not use models under the
age of 18 in editorial shoots, unless they were the subject of an article.
An editorial in Vogue said at the
time: “This is partly the result of
an internal reckoning.
“Vogue, along with a number of
other publications, has played a role in making it routine for children – since
that’s what they are – to be dressed and marketed as glamorous adults.”
It continued: “No more: it’s not
right for us, it’s not right for our readers, and it’s not right for the young
models competing to appear in these pages. While we can’t rewrite the past, we
can commit to a better future.”
Last year, the Council of Fashion
Designers of America (CFDA) made a similar declaration. Its CEO Steven Kolb
said: “Young models are still
developing. There can be a lack of the confidence, strength, experience, and
maturity it takes to deal with the pressures of this work.”
In 2017, both Kering and a rival
fashion group LVMH signed a charter agreeing to – among other things – stop
hiring models who were under the age of 16.
A number of fashion designers have also pledged not to hire ultra-thin models and not to use exotic animal skins and fur in their designs.
It has long been common across the fashion
industry to cast models who were under 18 – and indeed, many supermodels got
their start in the industry at a young age.
Model Naomi Campbell, now 48, was
just 16 when she launched her career. Kate Moss, now 45, was discovered at the
age of 14. Brooke Shields was just 14 when she appeared on the front cover of Vogue in February 1980.
Currently, 17-year-old Kaia Gerber
is a rising star, while the late Karl Lagerfeld’s godson Hudson Kroenig, 11,
was regularly seen on the catwalk.
However, a spotlight was shone on
the treatment of young models in October 2017, when 14-year-old Russian model
Vlada Dzyuba collapsed backstage at Shanghai Fashion Week and later died in
hospital.
Vogue, in
making its decision, also cited a number of allegations of harassment in the
fashion industry, which were publicized as part of the #MeToo movement.
The publication added that in the mid-1980s, when Naomi Campbell launched her career, there were so few fashion shows a year that “a model could stay in school if she wished” – but nowadays the work is much more demanding.
François-Henri Pinault, the billionaire father of Linda Evangelista’s baby, wanted her to abort their son, her lawyer has claimed as the supermodel meets her former boyfriend in court over childcare support.
Taking the stand, François-Henri Pinault admitted he had broken up with Linda Evangelista after discovering she was pregnant four months into their relationship.
“I didn’t even know her,” he said.
The bitter trial, which kicked off on Thursday and is expected to last four days, is set to spell out the childcare obligations of François-Henri Pinault, who is now married to Hollywood actress Salma Hayek.
Linda Evangelista gave birth to their son Augie, now 5, after her short relationship with François-Henri Pinault, and has claimed in the run-up to the trial that she wants a staggering $46,000 a month for his care.
The supermodel claimed the vast sum is to cover the youngster’s around-the-clock nanny, at a cost of $7,000 a month, and armed drivers, costing as much as $16,000 a month, the New York Post reported.
François-Henri Pinault had criticized Linda Evangelista for her outlandish demands, suggesting the money was in fact for “mom support”.
The supermodel maintained she was modeling or working on her image at all hours of the day.
In a move that shows they are readying for a bitter feud, Linda Evangelista’s lawyer William Beslow recounted a conversation the former couple shared in January 2006.
“After some initial happiness, he told her he wished she would terminate the pregnancy,” William Beslow told a support magistrate.
Linda Evangelista, who was then in her early 40s, told François-Henri Pinault she would keep the baby, the Post reported.
“She would support the child herself, since he had made it perfectly clear to her that he had no interest in doing so. And she did.”
Arriving at court, Linda Evangelista, 46, looked ready for business, dressed in a smart floral-print shirt, knee-length black skirt and sunglasses, with her hair cut into a sleek bob.
François-Henri Pinault, the billionaire father of Linda Evangelista's baby, wanted her to abort their son, her lawyer has claimed
François-Henri Pinault, who began dating Salma Hayak while Linda Evangelista was pregnant, watched his former girlfriend with a bemused smile, the Post reported.
As he took the witness stand, François-Henri Pinault said he found out she was pregnant in early 2006 and admitted he broke up with her on hearing the news.
“She was so happy to be pregnant,” he said.
“But it was not planned. I decided to stop the relationship at that point.”
François-Henri Pinault added: “We were dating four months and I didn’t even know her very much.”
He went on to say he believed she had intentionally become pregnant and that he had no part in deciding whether she should keep the baby or not.
He added: “I told her I would recognize the baby, which I did. I would take my responsibility and I did.”
Asked why he didn’t pay Linda Evangelista anything in child support for the first years of Augie’s life, François-Henri Pinault answered: “She didn’t ask and I didn’t offer.”
François-Henri Pinault, 49, is chief executive of PPR, the conglomerate that owns Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Bottega Veneta. He has an annual income as he is heir to an $11.5 billion family estate.
In opening statements on Thursday, William Beslow insisted Linda Evangelista is not hoping to improve her station in life but that she has paid all of his expenses without a single cent from François-Henri Pinault.
“Ms. Evangelista is not looking to piggyback on the lifestyle of Mr. Pinault,” William Beslow added.
“She is looking for a continuation of the reasonable lifestyle of Augie.”
François-Henri Pinault’s lawyer, David Aronson, argued that his client had repeatedly reach out to Linda Evangelista’s prior lawyers about child support payments, only to be met with silence.
David Aronson added: “Most of the expenses do not relate to Augie but they relate to Ms. Evangelista.”
He continued: “These people have more money than a lot of people. But our position is that what we understand is being asked for is just ridiculous.”
Linda Evangelista is due to testify in the trial tomorrow. If she is granted the $46,000 of her demands, it will shatter records for childcare payouts.
“I need to protect him,” Linda Evangelista told Love magazine in February.
Last year a judge questioned the model’s need for full-time nannies, asking how often she worked.
“When I work, it can be a 16-hour day,” the supermodel said.
“On days when I do not work, I am working on my image. I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete.”
Linda Evangelista, herself worth $8 million, is also demanding François-Henri Pinault give her son a home similar to the $13 million California mansion he put in a trust for his and Salma Hayek’s four-year-old daughter, Valentina.
François-Henri Pinault’s family estate includes the Christie’s auction house, the Château-Latour vineyard in Bordeaux and the French Premiere League football team Stade Rennais, the Daily News reported.
Earlier this week, Manhattan divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said the eye-watering payout – which comes to $1,500 a day – was unlikely.
He pointed out that judges consider how much it costs to care for a child, rather than the wealth of the parents.
“She’s in for a big surprise. I wouldn’t be counting the money yet,” Raoul Felder told the New York Daily News.
Linda Evangelista is worth $8 million and owns a penthouse in the desirable Chelsea, New York and an apartment near her son’s school on the upper East Side.
The supermodel broke up with billionaire and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton last year and filed her case against François-Henri Pinault shortly after the break up.
Since, François-Henri Pinault has been paying child support – although the amount has not been disclosed.
The couple dated from September 2005 until January 2006, and she was pregnant with Augie when François-Henri Pinault began dating Salma Hayek in April 2006.
François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek married in 2009.
Linda Evangelista had kept the name of Augie’s father secret until it was written in court papers filed in August.
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