The two giants of French luxury have rewritten the rules for how models are protected on their runways and in their campaigns. LVMH and Kering issued an updated charter that raises the minimum age for models representing adults in fashion shows and photo shoots to eighteen, an extension of the protections first signed in 2017.
Enforcement will determine how much these words change daily practice. Charters depend on the will of the houses to hold their photographers, stylists and casting teams accountable, and on agencies to resist the pressure to supply younger and thinner talent.
Coming at the start of a new fashion month, the timing is pointed. As casting begins for the next round of shows and campaigns, the updated charter hands model safety a louder voice in the room than it has ever had.
The new guidelines go beyond age to address the conditions around the work itself. Changes to weight, working hours, chaperoning and the conduct expected on set are among the measures meant to make modelling less vulnerable to the pressures that shadow the profession.
The 2017 charter was a landmark because it came from the top of the industry at once, two competing conglomerates agreeing to a common standard. This update signals that the model, long the most exposed figure in the supply chain of fashion, is being handed more explicit protection.
The eighteen-year minimum for adult work closes a grey zone in which very young models could take on assignments framed as adult. Setting the bar in writing gives agencies and casting directors a single, unambiguous number to work from.
