This season for Autumn Winter 2016 H&M have set the bar high with an incredibly diverse campaign. The brand is no stranger to featuring diverse models, during the year for example size 14 model Ashley Graham took to the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week for the H&M Studio collection among celebrities such as Amber Valletta, Pat Cleveland walking the runway at age 65 and trans model Andreja Pejic. H&M have actively been working to steadily make their media campaigns more inclusive for all ages and ethnicities with their latest campaign for A/W launched just last week titled #LadyLike showing their diverse dynamic all the more. So when H&M asked if I would talk about this A/W campaign today on Style Me Curvy and what the term Ladylike means to me, I was more than happy to indulge into this topic.
Their Autumn Winter Campaign for 2016 surrounds the theme of femininity and the hashtag #LadyLike. They have done this in such a way that the topic is so broad and the brand is not identifying typical norms of what it is to be lady like, rather highlighting the importance of variety and individuality which is what I really loved. For me the term “ladylike” is not just one dimensional. Manners is something that is always important to me but embracing your own style, ensuring you feel like the woman you are and want to be as opposed to wearing clothes that makes you second guess yourself. It’s about marching to the beat of your own drum, and not conforming to directions and roads others feel you should be following.
Working as a curvy and plus size model over the past number of years on many occasions I’ve been made feel different but l’ve learned to celebrate my uniqueness and my love of fashion in different ways. Like this blog first and foremost. In 2016 I think it’s refreshing to see a brand challenging typical perceptions of what it is to be “ladylike” in this way. It’s not necessarily about pouring tea from a china pot, or drinking a martini while wearing a floor length gown ( although I wouldn’t say no to this idea!), rather it’s about creating your own rules.
In the main campaign across the H&M stores there are four key models one of whom, the beautiful redhead, is actually a good friend of mine who wears a size 14, Katy Syme. This was a key thing about H&M’s campaign image – when you look at any of these campaign images size isn’t highlighted in any way, you just see four beautifully strong women who have very different distinct looks, all reflecting beauty in different ways.
In the campaign video itself H&M opens the door to various fashion faces in varied surroundings leaving it very much open to individual interpretation of what it is to be “Ladylike”. Diversity is something they have achieved so incredibly well in this video, creating the conversation of beauty and feminism. We see former supermodel and actress Lauren Hutton aged 72 make an appearance, Adwoa Aboah the founder of popular Instagram account Gurls Talk, Hari Nef a transgender supermodel and actress, plus size model Paloma Elsesser as well as many more beautifully unique individuals. It’s an eye catching video that is certainly going to bring with it a positive media outlet. I’ve added the video below and you can check out H&M’s latest collection here.
Let me know what you think,
Lou. x
Note: This is a collabouration in conjuction with H&M’s A/W campaign celebrating diversity in fashion
