Talent Management has just been checking out the winners from the first ever Government-backed Body Confidence Awards in association with Bare Minerals. Presented by recognised body confidence advocate Jo Swinson MP, the pioneering awards ceremony saw many well-deserved awards handed out. But we felt the need to give a shout out to one of our favourite knitwear designers, Mark Fast, who was acknowledged for introducing a mix of realistically proportioned models within his catwalk shows at London Fashion Week with the The All Walks Beyond the Catwalk Fashion Visionary Award.

Caryn Franklin from All Walks Beyond the Catwalk said of Fast’s acknowledgement: “We are of course delighted and applaud Mark Fast as a creative genius and just as importantly, a thought leader. His desire to create inclusive fashion messaging was something we all celebrated, back in May 2009, when Mark was amongst the first to accept the All Walks challenge to design a sample garment for a curvy model.”

Photographer Kayt Jones shot the now iconic image of curvy model Hayley Morley wearing Fast’s personally designed garment (see above), which appeared in i-D Magazine in a feature with seven other images of diverse models, who were also matched up with designers including William Tempest and Hannah Marshall.

Fast, however, took his experience of designing for a curvy model for the All Walks campaign a step further. He helped launch Hayley Morley’s modelling career, as well as other realistically proportioned models such as Laura Catterall, by casting them for his London Fashion Week catwalk the following September, making huge steps in broadening the modelling ‘norm’.

Discussing his impact on body confidence, Fast recently said: “Over the years. I have been privileged to work with some of the most beautiful and shapely women in the world and it is true to say that even the most beautiful (by any standards) have moments of doubt and insecurities. As a designer it is very important to deliver the technical aspects a ‘look’ and a quality of ‘make’, I also want to make each wearer of my clothes feel empowered and affirmed. I want to celebrate women and make them feel good in my clothes. I had the most fantastic compliment the other day when a supermodel mentioned to me that she was feeling tired and a little down and just by putting on one of my FASTER range she felt energised and invigorated.”

At Talent Management, we believe that by promoting inclusivity and diversity in the modelling industry, as Fast has continued to do, body confidence will increase. Let’s just hope that more designers will take on Fast’s body conscious mentality when designing and showcasing their work.