Australian Designer Ditches Models for Athletes at Fashion Week

Tired of too-skinny models, one Australian designers are taking a stand and casting athletes instead. 

At this week’s AustralianMercedes-Benz Fashion Week, We are Handsome opted to feature women that represent a healthier ideal. ‘We will not cast skinny models or skeletal frames, we look for real, active and healthy women,” We are Handsome designer Katinka Somers told Daily Mail Australia. “We’re also not shunning skinny women. There are lots of women out there that no matter what they eat, won’t be a robust shape. We’re just aiming for a different shape of women to other designers.”

Tuesday night’s We are Handsome show featured a tennis court as catwalk and stadium-style seats for its front row. In lieu of traditional models, well-known Australian athletes like pole-vaulter Amanda Bisk, ballerina Juliette Burnett, and yogi Sjana Earp opened the show. Rather than strike model poses, the women did yoga poses. The rest of the athletes and models played sports as they showcased the brand’s athletic wear, carrying tennis rackets and jump ropes.