MONTREAL - Organizers of the upcoming Montreal Fashion Week say any models who appear too thin will be pulled from shows at the event.
In a statement issued Monday, organizers say they are "making every effort" to make models whose body mass index appears low or could indicate a problem with anorexia be withdrawn from shows taking place Oct. 9-11. Those models will be directed to professional help in the areas of nutrition or eating disorders.
Organizers say they also hope to enlist the support of the local fashion industry's key players to ensure the development of a working environment that favours the health of models, the statement said.
Chantal Durivage, co-president of Sensation Mode, organizers of Montreal Fashion Week, said they are intent on having measures to reach this goal in place by next year for other major fashion events including L'Oreal Toronto Fashion Week, which will be held later this month.
Consultations will be held with various professionals in the health sector, including specialists at Montreal's Douglas Mental Health University Institute, renowned for its expertise and program on eating disorders.
"We are spearheading this campaign because the health of our young people is important to us and we wish to make a positive contribution to the challenges of public health," Durivage said in the statement. "We believe that our actions can contribute to the well-being of the public and the success of the fashion industry in general."
Organizers say they have also taken a stand against the hiring of models under age 16.
The decision comes on the heels of a "skinny-model" debate which has swept across the global fashion industry in recent months.
In February, organizers of a top fashion show in Spain rejected five out of 69 fashion models as being too thin.
The annual show, known as Pasarela Cibeles, decided in September 2005 not to allow women below a body mass 18 to take part.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has also issued voluntary guidelines to curb the use of overly thin models.
