A search for the UK’s newest “fashion icon” launches today (Friday December 13). The competition is a continuation of online retailer Simply Be’s The New Icons campaign which launched earlier this season. Famed for helping to democratise women’s fashion, the retailer has partnered with Milk Model Management to find someone whose appeal is more than skin deep.
Isla Kirby, Head of Brand and Creative at Simply Be said: “Over half of the female population are a size 16 or above, but our feeds are still filled with the same supermodels, the same body shapes and the same old story - so we’re on a mission to change that.
“Our own insight revealed that women are calling out for a new kind of fashion icon while also wanting to see models they can relate to on a deeper level; rather than just superficially.
“We want to find someone who is bold, confident and not afraid to push the boundaries.”
The New Icons Model Search was prompted by research* commissioned by the brand which highlighted that the majority of UK women do not feel represented by current catwalk celebrities:
- Two thirds (66%) of women said they can’t relate to established supermodels and famous faces used by fashion brands on any level
- Over half (53%) of women don’t want to dress like current ‘icons’
- 71% of women agree that to be inspired to buy clothes, they need fashion icons that they admire, look up to and want to emulate, rather than women they feel just ‘look good’
The open contest will run for four weeks, until January 10th. Four finalists will be selected each week and the shortlist of sixteen will be invited to a casting day at the end of January with Milk Model Management. The winner will be chosen by a panel of judges made up of model and influencer, Felicity Hayward; Fashion News Editor, Billie Bhatia; Founder of Milk, Anna Shillinglaw and Isla Kirby of Simply Be.
The person who is judged to most embody a ‘New Icon’ will win a year’s modelling contract with Milk and get the chance to be involved in Simply Be’s Summer 2020 campaign.
Entry is via social media: Upload a full length photo to Instagram explaining why you’re an icon in the caption. Use the hashtag #TheNewIconsModelSearch, and make sure you are following @simplybeuk.
When asked to define an ‘icon’ almost half (46%) of women questioned said they considered it to be someone who is confident in their own skin. A fifth (21%) said an icon is someone who is outspoken about what they believe in.
The research also revealed that three-quarters (74%) of women agree that modern women refuse to conform to an out-dated idea of what their body shape should look like.
For full terms and conditions and more information on the Simply Be New Icon Model Search visit https://www.simplybe.co.uk/blog/story/the-modern-day-female-icon
