erika kurihara via dear nike
While the models were still walking Mark Fast's SS10 runway show at London Fashion Week, Twitter - and this blog - were abuzz with the news that the designer's signature embellished bodycon knitwear was being showcased on a cast that included three size 14 girls. One Twitterer hinted that Fast's stylist quit over the casting. Well an insider has claimed on a comment on this blog that the stylist did not quit but was let go over her position on Fast's choice of larger models. Frockwriter is waiting to hear back from Fast but in the meantime, it emerges that Fast's favourite stylist is Erika Kurihara, better-known as the fashion editor of iconic London style magazine i-D (and we have also attempted to make contact with her). Another studio insider, Amanda May, has since tweeted that the names of the three models in question are Hayley, Laura and Gwyneth and that the company is "so happy we stuck to our guns about the casting". Update 20/09: This story has now been picked up by The Guardian. Click here to see the complete collection on wwd.com. Still no response from either Fast or Kurihara.
9 comments:
Well, even without knowing what the exact viewpoint was on the models, any stylist who decides they can't work with 3 models whose clothes were made for them in a bespoke collaboration needs to pull their head in (see allwalks.org) Did they not read the brief on the creation of the event????
The models were all size 42s anyway, hardly a size a stylist should take offence at as they can buy for them off the rack at Harvey Nic's or Brown's. (the 3 models are all with agency 12plusuk.co.uk)
Your point on CityChic's showing is well made. Buying a runway to show your clothes doesn't mean you've found acceptance, you've simply spent some money and got a lot of novelty press. Only one of the girls in that show had any chops, the rest were deers in the headlights.
...Revising my above comment slightly as I got the All Walks Beyond the Catwalk event mixed up with Fast's solo presentation. Ahem.
Erika Kurihara is the fashion editor of i-D... the same magazine who feature the three size 14 models in their PYT issue for pre-fall? (see my blog for images) And she can't bring herself to see them again in a designer's presentation? My comment on pulling her head in still stands.
Call me cynical but I've always thought one of the main reasons Lara Stone is so heavily featured in Vogue Paris is to deflect any criticism over their usual head-on-a-stick casting choices.
I wouldn't be surprised if other magazines like i-D are adopting similar PR stategies.
Im amazed that this story has gained so much momentum without anyone speaking to Erika. I had the pleasure of working with her for 4 years and she is the last person on earth to shun the fuller figure. She has always championed diversity of every kind - body shape, ethnicity and challenging ideas of beauty - you only have to look at her work to know this instantly. The build up to any show is always a really stressful and emotional time for everyone involved. Erika believes in Mark, she was worked with him for a long time and someone should really hear her side of the story and Mark's first hand before this gets any more out of control.
i contacted erika kurihara via her i-D magazine email for her side of the story. it has not bounced back so i must assume it's the correct address. no response. perhaps she has yet to see the email in her clogged inbox. perhaps she binned it the minute she did. i don't know.
i contacted mark fast via initially his creative director amanda may, who reported on twitter that the company was "so happy we stuck to our guns about the casting". i also phoned fast's press office. on saturday morning london time the switch was unattended, with no other numbers provided on the voicemail. so i then rang the mark fast office numbers as per the website. reached the sales director, who said she was unable to comment but would pass my details on to the relevant person. i sent detailed information via SMS and followed up with an email. no response.
i will continue to attempt to contact both parties in office hours today. but frankly, i exhausted every available avenue on saturday night.
meanwhile both the guardian and daily mail newspapers have reported the friction between fast and his stylist, with the daily mail adding the info that a second person was involved, departing with the stylist three days before the show. fast is not quoted in the latter story however amanda may is, and she claims there were creative differences over the use of the larger models. two freelancers reportedly stepped in at the last minute to "save" the show.
neither paper has named the stylist nor reported that the stylist was contacted for comment, which i find bizarre. especially given the stylist's apparent influence and connection to such a high profile london style magazine.
Wow, if Amanda May thinks this isn't a publicity stunt on her behalf, "twittering" about it is bound to help.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23746566-details/Designer+sacks+stylist+who+said:+Bigger+girls+just+don+t+walk+right/article.do
is closest to the truth. almost. the stylist was fired and the casting director quit.
I know the inside truth, Erika got fired and the Casting director quit.
Amanda is causing drama for press period!
I'd like to see more stylists sacked, not to mention locked away in basements - and "lose" the key while you're at it. In fact, is it illegal to leave them on a deserted island on purpose?
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