Dior under fire after using 14-year-old model

Fashion house Dior is under scrutiny from campaigners, as they revealed a 14-year-old model as the new face of the brand.

Young Israeli model Sofia Mechetner, was spotted by none other than Dior’s creative director Raf Simons in a lucky chance meeting, in a Paris boutique. Sofia was then later seen headlining and opening the Dior haute couture autumn/winter 2015 collection at Paris Fashion Week, just several weeks after being scouted. The teen now has a reported $265,000 two-year contract with Dior, to front runways and advertising.

During the catwalk Sofia wore a floor-length ethereal white gown, almost completely sheer; visibly showing her teenage frame underneath. This caused uproar in the industry, on social media and in tabloids, and has been condoned as “inappropriate” by some.

Many thought this was taking a step backwards, that the industry had moved on from “child exploitation” and had become a more healthy and admirable environment to work in.

Back in 2014, the British Fashion Council banned any model under the age of 16 from walking in London Fashion Week, as they were deemed to have too young a mindset for the fashion industry.

Kate Moss, who was also famously signed at 14, admitted to having a nervous breakdown at the age of 17 due to participating in more adult themed shoots. Cara Delevingne was also bracing the sheets of Italian Vogue at the tender age of 10.

Caroline Nokes, the Tory MP in charge of leading the group on body image said this on the matter in hand: “We want to protect young people from what can be a very exploitative industry. To have young people being photographed provocatively – the industry really has to clean up as inevitably others will follow suit.”

Bethan Williams