Plus size model collective Alda bare all in empowering Glamour Iceland shoot

Models Ashley Graham, Marquita Pring, Julie Henderson, Inga Eiriksdottir and Danielle Redman, collectively known as Alda (translating as “wave” from Icelandic) earlier this month unveiled their newest images in the latest issue of Glamour Iceland.

The models, each successful and well-known in their own right, began the Alda initiative with the intention to “use their resources in the fashion community to empower women and change the perception of beauty.” The eight page feature celebrates body diversity, with the models photographed in an especially simple style; firstly in denim, then underwear, and finally naked.

Icelandic model Inga Eiriksdottir explained: “We had all worked together for many years before our agency closed a lot of their divisions including plus size, which is the one we were in. I contacted the girls I knew and the ones that had been the most successful in the business to see how we could, as a group, have impact on the business.”

Inga had previously been told by a New York agency to slim down to a size eight – a cautionary tale echoing the experience of plus-size model Crystal Renn. Renn developed an eating disorder, maintaining her weight on a diet of lettuce and Diet Coke, and working out obsessively before her recovery and subsequent work modelling in the plus-size category. Ashley Graham, the first plus-size model to appear in the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated recently criticised Protein World’s Beach Body Ready campaign.

Eiriksdottir continued: “Even if it might sound strange since we [are models], which is a lot about the outside looks, we are more interested in building strong self-esteem in women rather than just focusing on the looks. It’s exciting to see the positive change in the industry, and we already see a lot more diversity in age, size and race than before in magazines and on the runways.”

Emma Pugh