United Kingdom

Difficult, Ugly and Unprofessional; are terms used by some black British women when asked to describe their natural hair texture. Today the UK black hair-care industry is worth an est. 88 million pounds; with black women now spending 3x more than white women - why? Because in order for black women to conform to a supposed European beauty standard of straight hair we must pay to chemically relax our hair, and because relaxer damages our hair we often buy hair extensions to cover the damage and thicken the style. This is all on top of buying normal hair products like shampoo and conditioner.

At 10 years I remember wrapping a t-shirt around my head pretending it was straight hair... I wished it were real! I already thought my natural hair was ugly, and since I was 14 I felt I HAD to have my hair relaxed. After watching the film 'Good Hair', in 2012, I became inspired to embrace my natural hair, seeing how much damage constant relaxing had done to it. I started wearing it in public, and have learnt how to care for it by watching emerging 'Team Natural' Youtube vloggers. The truth is I never liked my natural hair because I never learnt how to, in depth, care for it! In recent news American WNCT News anchor Angela Green posted a video on her Facebook page where she advises her intern, 19 Yr. old, Madison to straighten her hair for an upcoming production. Angela also poses an open question in the video title:

Natural hair or nah? Professional advice for one of our interns. Weigh in? #naturalhair #yolo #professionalism #bighairdontcare

Angela explained that in her opinion 'straight hair is what is most acceptable in today's broadcast standards', based on her own experiences and her desire to appease her bosses. After embracing my natural hair, and then reading this story I was deeply saddened - sad that such a bad view of natural black hair was so openly admitted and adhered to by such successful black role models. In a new episode of That's Your Opinion I went out and asked the UK public if they feel the same as Angela - Is natural black hair unprofessional?

Could the answer to black women finally being able to feel self-confident and educated on how to care for their hair type come from Social Media? In 2009 and with the gaining popularity of social media sites, a few 'Naturalista' black women who decided to wear their hair in its natural state emerged by way of blogs, and then Youtube videos. These became Haircare teaching aids for black women, even showing us how to make our own hair products. This led some bloggers to launch their own beauty lines especially for natural hair.

In 2010 Chris Rock released his film 'Good Hair', challenging American black women to reconsider constantly chemically straightening theirs and their children's hair. In 'Good Hair' he is quoted as saying that he made this film in order to show his young daughters that their hair is 'Good Hair' even if it's not straight! However the issues surrounding why, globally, black women didn't and don't choose to wear their hair in public stems from deep-rooted self-hatred because of ignorant societal discriminations, and racist propaganda. The misconception that 'black bush people's' hair is unkempt and doesn't grow is a hurtful lie, when in reality ancient African tribes people would spend days creating intricate hair designs. And as for length many tribes' people actually believed it was spiritually harmful to cut their hair!

We all know that in the 1500s Europe slavers were kidnapping African people, but did you know one of the first things they did when they caught their victims was to cut off their hair? That was merely the beginning of a long process of intentionally wiping out African culture and identity - to break their spirit, to make them easier to control. By the 1600's slave handlers were often given guidelines like that of Willie Lynch's 'Let's Make A Slave'. They were taught to dehumanize Africans by way of segregating black from white slaves, and mocking African physical features. In this time African hairstyles could not be retained because women cared more for survival than their vanity; and the knowledge was quickly lost. In the 1800s the slave ships stopped going to Africa and this meant slaves already in America could no longer be worked so hard: their lives were now worth more! So slaves started getting Sunday's off - giving the women time to do their hair for church. Even so unfortunately some high society women believed black women were 'getting ahead of themselves' when white men started showing sexual interest in them because of attention grabbing clothing and hairstyles, therefore they forced black women to dress down and hide their hair actually passing a 'Tignon Law' against them.

The emotional scars and societal effects of this propaganda and history are for me the reason black women feel ashamed of their hair today. And moving on to present day it seems the ignorance and open discrimination against Afro hair is live and in practice, like the story of a young girl told in 2013 that she would be expelled from school for wearing her Afro hair out, and must cut it in order to be allowed back in school. This only happened after the 12 yr. old girl complained to teachers of her classmates racial bullying in the predominantly white school - the teachers blamed her hair for being a distraction. With role models like Angela and a large majority of famous black women opting to conform to straight styles it can feel like things may never change.

But, I believe the Team Natural movement to be a new dawn for black women to heal old wounds. It offers an opportunity to rekindle a love affair with our natural hair, and to regain lost hair care knowledge. This movement is even inspiring girls of other ethnicities, who regularly straighten their hair, to start loving their natural curls too. Whether this is a passing trend or a firm revolution in thinking... in a world obsessed with airbrushing, hair extensions and plastic surgery ... it looks like many of us are longing just to be our natural selves.

So in answer to the question: is Afro hair unprofessional? ... I'll simply say, "It's My Afro Hair & I Don't Care!"

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My Vogue subscription ended in September, and I won't be renewing. As I flick through pages of sensationalised campaigns, all I see is what I saw the month before or the month before that. I'm not inspired by images that don't represent the beauty of diversity. I wish I could fall in love with these beautiful artistic editorials but I can't relate to the images. Even though I'm a successful model, my size (UK 12-14) is still not accepted by the majority of the fashion industry.

This is my twelfth year as a working model. My teenage years were spent recovering from body scrutiny and rejection from agencies because my 37" hips were too big. After battling with my own body - trying dangerous diets and looking into surgery to alter (what I had been told to believe) were big legs, I tried plus-size modelling. I went into see an agency who said I wasn't 'right' because I had to be a minimum of a UK 14 and I was too small. I was so disappointed to feel like my body wasn't right again. But after my experiences and becoming happier in my body, I realised my health was more important.

I decided that if I couldn't find models that I could relate to, neither could a huge portion of women. Size-wise I'm around the UK average. Where as fashion model's measurements represent less than 5% of the population. So it became my mission to try and promote diversity in the industry by showing that #everyBODYisbeautiful.

As I began speaking out on social media the response was humbling and I knew I was doing something right. I now receive hundreds of messages daily from girls and guys who have felt inspired by my mission. Their support has given me a platform and in my opinion this is how we are going to improve the state of diversity in the fashion industry. I want to give them a voice. I am now the managing editor of RunwayRiot, a site talking fashion, beauty and news for women of all sizes.

Also, I recently trained as a Body Project facilitator by the National Eating Disorder Association and my aim is to educate young people so they are aware of body image and mental health. The media and fashion industry needs to take responsibility for the impact images have on our self-esteem. When there is such a strict ideal of beauty that only a small majority of us can relate to, it makes us feel inadequate. 70% of adult women and 40% of men report that they feel pressure from television and magazines to have a perfect body*.

I have seen evidence of progression. However, I won't be satisfied until it's no longer a surprise or talking point to flick through a glossy magazine and see a curvier model. Or when I get to attend the same castings as any other straight-size model (I have never been to a hair, beauty or fragrance casting since becoming plus-size) And when designers start treating women equally by losing labels and having all sizes in the same shops and sections. Recently I found out that brands such as Michael Kors, H&M and J.crew stock sizes upto a UK 24 but refuse to lend samples to potential advertisers. Why can Burberry dress Adele but not make those larger sizes available to us all?

To me beauty is our diversity - the fact you will never meet two people who are the same and I hope that soon we will be celebrating that beauty is more than a sample size.

*These statistics were originally compiled in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image Report

This February, HuffPost UK Style is running a month-long focus on our Fashion For All campaign, which aims to highlight moments of colour, size, gender and age diversity and disability inclusivity in the fashion and beauty world.

We will be sharing moments of diversity at London Fashion Week with the hashtag #LFW4All and we'd like to invite you to do the same. If you'd like to blog about diversity or get involved, email us here.

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When I first heard that I was going to the shoot with Beth Ditto I was incredibly excited. I've long been a huge fan of The Gossip and Beth's boldness and individuality stood out to me. She was cool. I knew that whatever she was creating was going to be nothing short of magic. She had previously released a standout collection with Evans, and it was a collection with no rules, no boundaries. Remembering this on the morning of the shoot left me nervous. I had no idea of what I was going to wear, the direction, the styling... The call sheet did nothing to calm my nerves either. We were going to be working with some of the best in fashion; photographed by Ezra Petronio and styled by Katie Grand. My day was about to be nothing short of epic.

The clothes exceeded my wildest expectations. The jumpsuits, which have to be my favorite pieces have now become my wardrobe staple as it can be worn in so many different ways, I have a piece for life. In every print. Thank you Beth. The collection is loud, fun and daring. The prints make a bold statement, like Beth herself, immediately saying 'I've arrived' in the most exaggerated fashion. This is no random collection. I felt Beth's energy and presence in every piece.

But what really hit home with me was the ethics behind the collection. Each piece has been ethically produced, made in America, with the finest quality fabrics. As we are becoming more aware of the ethics and sustainability of fashion, it is refreshing to see a designer taking a stand to make sure that her clothes are produced in a sustainable manner. Hence the price tag, of which I've seen much discussion over. Fast fashion, whilst having increased the accessibility of stylish clothes for millions, has unfortunately resulted in many horrific practises, such as child labour, that exploit millions of people around the world in poorer, developing countries. This something that has to change, and we can all start by reflecting on where our clothes come from.

I will admit, it is out the price reach of some, and yes it may not be for every body, but if a plus size woman wants the option to buy something that speaks to her; a garment made with seven yards of 100% silk, that hasn't been made under slave labour conditions, she should be able to do so. For her stand, regardless of whether or not the clothes are right for you, Beth should be applauded. And after the phenomenal time I've had with her in NYC and in London (the launch party was one of the best I've ever been too) Im very proud to have been a part of it and I wish her nothing but the very best!

Philomena is represented by Models 1

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As is so à la mode right now, Tammam stopped doing ahead of season fashion shows a few years ago. (Come on Fashion Industry, keep up with the indies.... they'll all be going sustainable next, you'll see... oh wait - they are? (At last!) ... No hang on, just because your catwalk is made of grass it doesn't make you eco...).

Since Tammam became a bespoke studio we have opted to do one show per year, to parade our annual collection of new designs mixed with a few popular favourites from the previous collection and re-inventions of archive pieces. When I say re-invent, we take an old sample, refurbish it and update it to fit into the new collection - add some embellishment, alter the hemline, replace details - make it new; Couture upcycling if you will. Actually a practice not unfamiliar to traditional couture houses, back in the day, when waste was a bad thing (well it still is, of course).

(c) Tammam / Lavera 2015

So each year we showcase a new collection, which is available to order immediately. We add new samples throughout the year - because, you know, I'm an artist and I have to create. Often samples are just an inspiration, or starting point for an individual client's bespoke creation. We also hire out samples, so everything we make gets worn, and loved and used.

We'll be showcasing 2016 in LA this year (2015 was in Berlin). So to celebrate London Fashion Week, we are doing what all good indie labels who are tired of the mainstream fashion business model should do, and making our own fun.

I recently discovered the most incredible device in the world - The Fairphone 2. This is the smart phone equivalent of Tammam fashion. Modern, sexy, versatile, built to last and totally fair trade.

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(c) Fairphone

My Fashion Week Challenge - wear only fair fashion for the whole of fashion month, and take a photo each day using THE Ultimate Eco Accessory.

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Moi on day three taking a self portrait

It started on February 10th, read about the first phenomenal week on my web log. And things aren't half hotting up for London Fashion Week - follow the action on our Instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest pages, @HouseOfTammam, to see what my fabulous partner in crime (the Fairphone, I mean) and I get up to when London goes gaga for glad rags.

Yours in Fair Trade
Ms Tammam

All images used with permission / (c) Tammam / Sapheda Limited 2016

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Fashion is and should be for all. But for many of the people I know and work with, fashion - and specifically this month's embodiment of creative ingenuity and flamboyance, London Fashion Week - is about as relatable and relevant to their everyday lives as nipping to Mars for a quick charcoal facial.

Why is that? Fashion is a multi billion-dollar industry that filters down from catwalk to high street informing almost every clothing purchase any of us have ever made. Fact. London and the UK are forerunners in style innovation, our talents spotlight us around the world, and we have produced some of the most exciting design talent adored by the global glitterati in years; JW Anderson, Christopher Kane and Holly Fulton to name but a few. Fact.

Yet the conundrum is, and the real Fact remains, that to the average - fashion conscious, I might add - Jo/Joe on the street, the industry feels like a totally remote and intimidating Other World. I regularly ask my non-fashion-but-interested-in-fashion friends and clients (who are being styled and therefore have an interest in looking lovely) why that is? Their resounding reply is a cacophony of 'Who'd wear that on the tube? Thin people! Fashion androids! A world a million miles from my own.'

Whilst we all secretly enjoy lusting after the aspirational lives of the rich and famous, watching Suki, Cara and Kendall fall out of clubs and flirting with the fantasy that we'd be their perfect fourth wheel, it is critical that we strip back all the circus and understand exactly how fashion is and should be for all.

First and foremost, fashion is about confidence. You look good, you feel better. And anyone can own that, not just a size zeroid strutting down a catwalk. In fact, some of the most insecure people I've ever met are models. And some of the most lovely, accommodating and mindful are designers. Everyday I see the most insanely stylish people owning it around Budgens, the post office, the park. Some with a pram, others with a walking stick. Not because they're dripping in couture but because they're oozing confidence.

Fashion should be a statement, a coat of armour that shouts, loud and proud, I'm here and this is me. You just need to put yourself first every now and again, spend a bit of time making the effort to look your best and feel confident in your body, whatever shape or size you are.

Take my 75 year old mother-in-law, for example, who was visiting recently and would snort with laughter if she heard me describe her as a fashionista. She appeared one morning in a bobby dazzler of a twin set from M&S, a dash of lippy and to me became the embodiment of style and confidence. We are lucking enough to live in a country with the most incredible high street, a high street that is a direct representative of the beautiful collections that we will see wafting down the catwalks of London over the next week.

Furthermore, fashion should be viewed as a kind of visual therapy. A tool with which to help us feel better. For many of us, however, watching models prance around the Fashion Weeks of the world does the opposite, compounding our own shortcomings and feelings of insecurity. But that isn't the correct understanding of Fashion. LFW may be the showcasing of an essence of an industry but that world filters down and works in so many other, wonderful and empowering ways.

Over the past few years I have worked with some truly exceptional people who understand and embrace the true and inclusive meaning of fashion as therapy. These include a young woman adjusting to life with a colostomy bag, women suffering from post-natal depression, post-operative women recovering from chemo and mastectomy surgery, and another with such acute psoriasis she would never consider showing her limbs, even through tights. For these people looking good wasn't an option for so long; too paralysed were they by body dysmorphia. And yet all experienced a turning point when the power of a good outfit gave them a critical boost to their confidence, self-esteem and sense of wellbeing. What could be more inclusive and enabling of fashion than that?

So on the eve of LFW with all its Other Worldliness, let us hold onto the fundamental feel good power that radiates down from those catwalks, across all of our lives and remember that Fashion is for One and All.

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The fashion industry flourishes on creativity, innovation, beauty and glamour. It is also an industry addicted to speed. New ranges hit the high street at ever increasing rates meeting a huge consumer demand for the latest trends. This addiction creates a problem - fairly hidden at the moment but growing and real. Calling for solutions is mass retailer H&M who is harvesting bright ideas to make mass production more sustainable.

The ever lower price tags for clothing do not reflect the growing social and environmental impact created. Our desire for the latest look generates growing demand for cotton and polyester both of which have significant environmental impact. The price competitiveness of the industry encourages costs to be cut along the production line. The surge in buying creates a mountain of discarded clothes which are often landfilled or dumped onto developing markets damaging local economies.

Whilst most of the industry remains contentedly on the destructive treadmill a few with more foresight have looked into the future and realised the need to change. These leaders include iconic designers such as Stella McCartney and, perhaps surprisingly, retailer H&M.

The H&M Conscious Foundation launched the Global Challenge Award offering one million euros and expert mentoring support for the best ideas from around the world that would help put the industry on a more sustainable path. The response was overwhelming with 2,700 applications. These applications were sifted by leading sustainability experts into a short-list of five ideas and the public was then invited to vote for their favourite from the shortlist. The grant funding was allocated between the winners according to the 22,500 votes received.

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The outcome of the public vote was announced on 10th February at an award event hosted by HRH Crown Prince Victoria of Sweden in the City Hall Stockholm. The five winning ideas point to a fascinating new future direction for the industry. There were three key trends:

A world of new fabrics
Two of the winning entries asked the question; how can we turn materials that are currently viewed as waste into new fabric? The most developed idea came from Sicily which created a new textile out of citrus juice production by-products. The first industrial prototypes have been developed and plans are in place to extend the idea to other regions around the world where citrus juice is produced.

Slightly more conceptual but potentially more intriguing was a Dutch entry aiming to make a renewable textile from algae. If this works, fabric could be made from excess algae which currently clogs lakes and oceans. Transport costs would also be slashed as algae can be taken from coastal regions around the globe and it is not tied to a specific region.

Transforming waste fabrics
The most popular ideas in the public vote transformed waste fabrics. The winning idea from Finland was a technology that allows waste cotton to be used in the production of new textiles without loss of quality. An environmentally friendly solvent dissolves cotton in textile waste allowing a new cotton-like fibre to be spun from the waste material.

The second prize was awarded to the polyester digester - basically an environmentally friendly packman. This new type of microbe eats waste polyester creating new ingredients that can be used to produce new polyester without loss of quality. The idea is under development at the University of California and could potentially have a hugely beneficial impact.

The leftovers market
A team from Estonia are creating a new online market place allowing the 15% of textiles that are wasted in the manufacturing process to be available directly to designers. Their simple philosophy is 'why create new fabric when so much is being wasted in the first instance?'.

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The ambition behind the Global Change Award is that the funding and mentor support provided will help speed the ideas from concept to mass market quickly and efficiently. Crucially the developments will be available to benefit the whole industry increasing the chance of systemic change.

The H&M Conscious Foundation should be applauded for the steps it is taking - let us hope that others in the industry acknowledge the elephant in the wardrobe and join with them to create a successful and sustainable fashion sector.

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The format of presentations versus catwalk shows has changed the consumption of collections at London Fashion week. Presentations give designers on smaller budgets with big ideas the platform to express all the ambition and concept, without the frantic pace and crippling cost of a seven (or so) minute show.

A show is fleeting. A presentation distills and simmers, offering an entire crafted and installed concept, not just clothing, As seen at the brilliant Wolves PR presentation spaces in the Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, the designers and their teams built a world around the clothes using the set, sound and architecture of the space. Compared to a show, a presentation offers more to grab onto in terms of the story behind the collection and the clothing itself.

During the presentations at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms there was time to be consumed by the building and the designer's visual storytelling. Not having show notes to read through while sitting, waiting for a show to start means no advance intro to the clothing and seasonal theme, however a presentation offers less pretence and puts the experience above all else.

Georgia Hardinge - AW16 'Hidden" collection

Viewers are invited to interact with the space, the models and the clothes. Want detail pics? No problem. Want to engage with the models for a beauty shot? Sure. Paradoxically, by allowing viewers to take a greater part in the presentation the designers are able to present their story more strongly. A show can be distracting and the format detracting. There's so much looking around, flash bulb mania, show guest antics and FROW chat that the show itself doesn't always feel like the main event. I guess any kind of presentation or show is really about engagement, and that seems more effective and sustained in a presentation format.

Omer Asim - AW16 Collection

I wandered backstage at Gabriel Vielma's presentation where Gabriel guided me to the area with the best light to photograph the models as they exited to join the presentation. His hair and make up team were just as sweet and friendly as he was. See, that's the side of fashion hidden behind the facade of a show. The designers, the production teams, the hair and makeup team, the assistants - so many sweet, creative people working their butts off. The story on the other side in the front row is so very different. Distance between the fashion machine and the consumer (buyers/press/stylists attending fashion shows) makes sense, sure, but my curiosity (possibly nosiness) means I find the story behind the story so much more interesting, and presentations bring the viewers closer to the inner workings of the collection and the designer and their team. Designers presenting rather than showing get the chance to interact openly with their models and the set throughout the presentation - you see them working. They can also openly chat with press/bloggers/plucky civilians and in a relationship and social-media-led industry it feels like a great way to go about building a loyal brand following and grab column inches. Did I mention how photographable presentations are? There's time to compose shots that represent the clothing and set and (hopefully) do them justice.

Behind the scenes - Gabriel Vielma AW16

Gabriel Vielma's website lured me in with cut and paste animated graphics and x-ray imagery. The invitation was illustrated with instructions on how to wear a life jacket. The promise of tech and lives saved materialised in the form of a constructed pipe rig with tablets affixed showing doe eyed graphics with a distinct manga quality. The presentation literature cited the inspiration as Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and nautical notes expressed via sailors braids and flocks of seabirds on jacquard knitwear, a first for the designer. The entire collection was made in the UK, including the knitwear which was made in Leicester. The evolution of knitwear in emerging designers brought about by accessibility to machinery via Stoll and Shima in the UK is heartening and inspiring. What used to be such a tough category created at arms-length in far flung factories is now bubbling up with creativity and cohesiveness alongside the woven and print elements of collections.

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vielma.co.uk

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Gabriel Vielma - 'Beside the Seaside' AW16 Collection

Another collection integrating knitwear with woven textiles plus a moss-driven biological and futuristic sci-fi leaning was by Minki Cheng. The set looked like an about-to-be-electrified urban moss-scape - a kind of techno / bio patch for his hybrid texture clothing. I'll be zooming in on the details again tomorrow at the Designer Showrooms and getting to the bottom of the incredible soundscape documented visually (sort of) below, with Minki snapped alongside the composer in one shot.

Minki Cheng - AW16

Chatting to Justine Fairgrieve, founder of The Wolves PR (who I met years ago during her Relative PR days), she was buzzing with excitement alongside her Wolverines. Inspired by visiting a space created by a PR company offering a potent metaphor for the hunger and ambition of emerging fashion designers means I'll be stopping by to chat to the Wolves again soon. Justine's pack held engaging presentations with punch and polish. More where they came from!

Follow me on Instagram @techstyler

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London Fashion Week AW16 is only just kicking off and already we have witnessed some historic transformations. As technology and social media have become increasingly prominent parts of our daily lives, the way in which we interact with brands is changing and the fashion industry is being compelled to respond. Through the growth in technology London Fashion Week has become a consumer-facing event focused on capturing the attention of, and generating excitment amongst, the wider public, as opposed to creating an exclusive experience for a select few. Brands now need to challenge the more traditional approaches. Here we take a look at how technology is shaking up events in the fashion industry and how brands are responding.

How is technology changing London Fashion Week?
The fashion industry is time sensitive - when to reveal a new collection and what season to show are critical questions. Now it's all being rethought in-line with the immediacy of today's booming technology industry. Brands can now connect and interact directly with huge consumer audiences through social media channels and live streaming. It provides brands with the opportunity to engage with their target audience in an instant and it is this element of immediacy that a discerning customer now looks for, the ability to receive and digest information quickly. The consumer now interacts with brands via a two-way experience and this new dynamic needs to be incorporated into the experiences a brand creates at London Fashion Week.

How is fashion embracing technology?
Technology has made it easier to reach audiences far and wide and the fashion industry has recognised and responded to this opportunity. Interesting examples include the British Fashion Council's collaboration with Ocean Outdoor to show footage from last season's events and H&M showcasing their collections live on Periscope. Through technology, brands are offering their audiences a first-hand preview of their new collections and creating a buzz surrounding the release of the latest collections.

Burberry has become the first brand to announce that as a result of this ability to connect directly with the consumer they are altering their event schedule and purchase model dramatically, affecting how they engage with London Fashion Week. In contrast to the traditional seasonal events schedule which seperates menswear from womenswear and previews a collection up to 6 months before it is to be made available to the consumer, Burberry will now showcase these collections together, twice a year and it will be immediately available to purchase. This announcement has promoted other brands, including Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger, who will both be showcasing their collections in September to coincide with retail drops, to announce their similar intention to move towards a consumer-focused show schedule.

A noticeable shift - from buyers to consumers
As technological innovation has enabled the private and exclusive fashion events to become increasingly global spectacles, the role of the select VIP buyers and the media also changes. They still play a crucial part because editorial opinion is still valued, but they are no longer the key audience and this has a important impact on how the event is designed. Brands may choose to host a private show for the media and buyers separately to their consumer-focused event. The answer to this is yet to be seen but this is potentially another area where technology can benefit.

What is certain here is that the fashion industry is embracing technology and we are going to see more and more brands move towards a consumer-focused model. London Fashion Week will further demonstrate this shift and we're excited to witness the interaction between brands and their target consumers both online and through the digital experiences on offer at Brewer Street Car Park. For the first time, London Fashion Week will fully incorporate technological innovation into a series of live shows, underlining the importance of digital experiences at live fashion events and reinforcing London as a world-leader in the industry.

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Today marks the start of the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an annual weeklong initiative aimed to increase awareness and advocacy around these prevalent and deadly illnesses. Today is also the day Project HEAL launches their latest campaign #WhatMakesMeBeautiful Campaign featuring women of all sizes, shapes and paths of Life. I am honored to be one of them.

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This year is the year of the diversity for Fashion and for Women in general. We have seen tremendous efforts from all parts in promoting diversity in the perception of beauty. From Lane Bryant to VOGUE to TARGET and Sports Illustrated, everyone is finally realizing that diversity and self love are absolutely vital and beneficial for all of us.

Project HEAL got that years ago when their extremely young founders, Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran,decided to talk about what most people in their circles refused to even admit. A lot of Women suffered from severe eating disorder, mostly due to pressure from the society towards their body, and most of them did not have the power (or finances) to find a cure. They then decided to create The Project HEAL and raise money to offer grants to those who couldn't afford to get treatment.

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HEAL CAMPAIGN FINAL"In the past few years, we have seen a number of campaigns aimed to make a statement about ideal female beauty in today's society. These initiatives have succeeded at portraying a specific idea of beauty, but really fall short in exemplifying and celebrating diversity and idiosyncrasy in an inclusive way," says Christina Grasso, a Project HEAL board member.

Project HEAL has partnered with Fast Ashleys Studio in Brooklyn, and premiere eating disorder treatment provider, Monte Nido & Affiliates, to encourage the conversation regarding female beauty and health on a spectrum with a diversely beautiful campaign shot by renowned fashion photographer, Arthur Belebeau. The campaign features supermodel Emme; style and beauty expert, Mary Alice Stephenson; French model Clémentine Desseaux; style blogger Dylana Suarez; and Project HEAL founders Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran, among others.

"In our opinion, this pits women against one another and only further suggests that for women, beauty is only skin deep, and can only mean one thing." says Christina Grasso

Since its inception in 2008, Project HEAL has raised over $1 million, sent 42 applicants to treatment, and opened over 40 chapters worldwide. Project Heal will host its next charity gala in June and I will have the pleasure to host it and make another step towards helping so many more young women achieving stability and full recovery. Please join us!

theprojectheal.org

@projectheal

Xoxo, Clem

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How beautiful would it be to live in a world where you have the total freedom to be yourself?

Have you ever looked up the word "disabled" in the thesaurus? Weakened, lame, maimed, helpless, powerless, incapable, worn-out, out-of-action, broken, bedridden, mutilated, challenged, invalid, useless, deactivated, done for, done in, wrecked, mangled - these words far from describe me as a person.

Is this how society perceives me?

I am quite the opposite - strong, helpful, powerful, capable, ready for action, whole, always on the go (thanks to my six month old baby), challenging, valid and useful. What if I was a young disabled person seeing these awful words for the first time? I would feel hurt, sad, and certainly not confident. Maybe I would even believe it.

I remember back in 2008 a model was being interviewed at London Fashion Week - she said: 'New York Fashion Week would rather burn down than see a disabled person appear on the runway'. Fast forward six years, Carrie Hammer casted Dr Danielle Sheypuk (a wheelchair user) to model in her debut show at NYFW. Carrie's goal was to show off her collection and change the world - how incredible is that!

NYFW are leading the way when it comes to disability inclusion on the catwalk. FTL Moda consistently use models with disabilities in their shows with the support of Chris Collie, Editor in Chief of Fashion Week Online. FTL Moda producer IIaria Niccolini celebrates diverse
beauty at its finest and breaks barriers by creating a platform for the most underrepresented group in fashion.

I am grateful to the decision makers in fashion who do recognise the power in diversity. Diversity is trendy, diversity is cool, and diversity sells. The Diesel #Reboot campaign is a fine example of this, Artistic director Nicola Formichetti casted a beautifully unique set of models, including Jillian Mercado a model with a disability - the campaign was strong, creative and powerful.

Beauty is not one dimensional.

Beauty should not be defined by ability, size, age or colour - beauty is for everyone.Disabled. I have never liked the word. It sounds so negative and dated doesn't it?

I am proud of my uniqueness and believe individuality should be celebrated. Why try and blend in when you were born to stand out?! I refuse to be labelled. I am not a robot, or a carbon copy. I am a human being. My arm does not define me as a person. It is just part of me, like every other part is.

I want every young disabled person to know it is perfectly OK to be you, to love and accept their different body, love their uniqueness and follow their dreams, no matter what.Through my work, I want to change the way the world sees disability and crush these stereotypes.

Young disabled people need role models, not just in sport and especially in the creative industries. Disabled people are creative by nature after all. We have to be.Fashion has the power to positively change other people's lives and being a role model is something I hold very close to my heart.

As a young girl / teenager, I read all the "in" magazines such as Sugar, Bliss and Shout - I cannot remember ever wondering why there wasn't a girl like me in the magazines, but if there was, I might have been more accepting of my different body during my transition from childhood to teens.

In this media driven society, more and more people are suffering from depression, anxiety and low self-worth - is this because of the unachievable standard of perfection portrayed by the fashion industry? Heavily airbrushed celebs? Filters on Instagram photos?Imperfection is not ugly; society's obsession with perfection is ugly.

There are around 11.9 million disabled people in the UK; this is almost 1 in 5 people and roughly 19% of the population. Consumers with disabilities are the largest untapped market with high street brands missing out on the estimated £1.8 billion a month.

Surely it is in a brands best interest to use a disabled model in their advertising campaign?Not just the once, but consistently.

The lack of disabled models on the scene makes disabled people feel non-existent, let alone beautiful or fashionable. Consumers want to be empowered by the images we see, not oppressed. I would like to see disability normalised in fashion.

Make a disabled model the face and ambassador of your brand; be proud to be part of a positive change, creating the future of beauty, for the revolution of fashion.

My dreams are valid, my goals are big, and my ambition is strong.

I am not a trend, craze or the new little black dress - I am here for the long haul, for all seasons.

http://www.kellyknox.com/

@DiversitynotDis

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In an interview on natural skincare recently I found myself drawing many parallels between the way we eat and the way we nourish our skin. Both present an opportunity to more consciously approach the way we feed our body, choose ingredients and approach daily routines; both require a healthy amount of curiosity, knowledge and wariness if we are to avoid processed additives, preservatives and fillers. With grey rainclouds overhead and winter fast approaching I thought it was time I harnessed the amazing nourishing skin benefits of the beloved avocado and dedicated it to my complexion instead of my stomach: usually I can't resist eating it and before I know it all natural beauty plans have gone out the window.

But a fundamental part of this holistic journey is reassessing the importance of my skincare rituals and trying to treat my body with the utmost respect both inside and out. Often we eat only organic and super clean, but we load our hair, nails and pores with endless unknown toxins as if they weren't part of the same living whole. Over the last few months, I have gotten to a point where I see that my skin is just as deserving of something so luxurious as a perfectly ripe avocado as my digestive system - in fact, perhaps more so given the endless environmental free radicals and general stresses that city living throws at it.

Avocados are an unusually oily fruit and a rich source of vitamins A (retinol) and E (alpha-tocopherol), particularly beneficial to skin due to their antioxidant and collagen-boosting properties. Natural antioxidants are particularly important when looking at holistic antiageing methods since they protect from the oxidative damage and dark spots caused by free radicals that occur from both the body's normal metabolic processes and also from environmental pollutant and stresses. Avocados have a high antioxidant content without any chemical manufacturing or potential side effects - what I often think of as payoffs - that often come with factory made skin creams.

The inclusion of matcha green tea powder here further enhances the antioxidant properties and I like to use it topically because, as with in tea, a little goes a long way. It is a good source of chlorophyll and compounds called catechins, both of which fight free radical damage and inflammation both inside and out. Along with soothing honey, it is also gently antimicrobial and very helpful where fighting acne, breakouts and blemishes is concerned. Finally, a touch of protein-rich egg white supports skin tone and elasticity and gives a gentle surface boost of natural collagen.

With a hot soft cloth to remove this at the end, you also get some gentle exfoliation and your skin feels perfectly fresh and primed for moisturisation. A little coconut, rosehip or other face oil finishes things off perfectly, providing plenty of natural nourishment and protection as cold winter weather looms ever closer.

This makes enough for two masks; you can halve the ingredients of you are on your own or keep the rest in a jar in the fridge for up to two days.

Ingredients

1/4 ripe avocado

1 tsp thick honey

1 tsp egg white

1/2 tsp matcha powder

Mix all the ingredients into a smooth paste with a pestle and mortar (or a fork), place in the fridge to cool for five minutes. Apply all over a clean face, avoiding the eye area, and leave on for ten to fifteen minutes before gently removing with a warm face cloth.

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Two weeks ago at a train station outside London, a man of about 20 asked at the ticket window for a ticket to Brighton, then he asked the ticket clerk to let him know when the train came in as he couldn't read. He said he had just left prison.

I have a baby who has recently started saying As, the occasional Ms and sometimes even a Dah. The concept of her learning the full alphabet, and then how to read and write, seems as inevitable as growing teeth.

The importance of her being literate is not intellectual snobbery on my part: it's not about her becoming an academic or even writing a CV. I'll be quite happy if she wants to become a baker or a dancer.

Her literacy is important because I want her to be equipped with the necessary skills to navigate this planet in empowered and simple ways: to be able to read a food packet, a train sign, or respond to a legal contract.

There are 757million illiterate people in the world right now. And this is not a developing world problem: one in five children in the UK, or one in four in the US, leave primary school unable to read and write properly.

Illiteracy is not a sexy or exciting topic. It's not confronting in its raw emotional power... People aren't directly dying or overtly suffering of illiteracy. As far as global issues go, it may feel a little vanilla.

But when you look at the relationship between illiteracy and most other global issues, a statistical pattern emerges. Illiterate people are significantly more likely to be affected by almost every major social issue. Which, understood the other way around, allows us to interpret illiteracy as a causal precondition, rather than a symptom, of many of the world's challenges.

In response to this data, Project Literacy has been formed as a global coalition of NGOs and organisations, who are trying to put literacy at the centre of our thinking in terms of how we address some of the worlds' major challenges today. They have offered 26 reasons why literacy should be at the heart of any political humanitarian agenda: called the Alphabet of Illiteracy. So back to my baby and learning the alphabet... let me give you a couple of letters...

A is for AIDS, because if you can't read or write you are five times less likely to understand how to protect yourself from contracting the virus.

B is for bloodshed, because the rate of violent crimes is almost double among the illiterate population.

F is for female genital mutilation because in some areas more than 80% of the women affected are illiterate.

G is for gender inequality as two thirds of illiterate adults worldwide are women.

I is for infant mortality, because doubling the female literacy rate has been found to reduce infant deaths by 30%.

T is for trillion dollars because the cost of illiteracy to the global economy is an estimated $1.19trillion.

We have come a long way. In the last century we have eradicated devastating diseases and since 1820 we've reduced global poverty levels from 95% to 10% today.

Technology is on our side: mobile devices are providing access to learning to millions of women and children who might otherwise not been able to access it. So we can be optimistic that we are heading in the right direction.

But we cannot be complacent. The sobering reality is that one in ten people do still live in poverty. Some 125million girls alive today are victims of female genital mutiliation. Homelessness still affects 100million people worldwide.

Perhaps the most shameful statistic to us in UK is that 20% of our own children leave school with such poor literacy that their employment prospects are low even if their aspirations are high. For a country that prides itself on offering free education, I think we must really stop and ask ourselves why is this happening, and how can we fix it?

Project Literacy has an ambitious goal: that by 2030, no child will be born at risk of poor literacy. Their first call to action is asking people to sign a petition calling on the UN to put illiteracy more at the heart of how we think about addressing the UN's Global Goals. I would encourage you to sign that petition today.

It's a very simple maxim: inform and empower people to take charge of their own lives, and they will become the agents of the change we wish to see in the world. It reminds me of the old proverb, give a man a fish and he will eat for the day, teach him to fish and he will eat for life. Literacy feels to me, a little bit like fishing.

This is the transcript of the speech Lily gave today to MPs at the Houses of Parliament calling for urgent action to tackle the global illiteracy crisis, which affects one in 10 people alive today and means that one in five British children leave primary school unable to read or write. Read more about Project Literacy here.

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[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

This week, Indonesian brand and e-commerce platform HijUp made an appearance at London Fashion Week. Early in 2015 they took venture funding between $US1 million and $US10 million from a pool of global investors.

I caught up with HijUp's founder and CEO Diajeng Lestari. Over the years we've bumped into each other a few times in Southeast Asia and the Gulf, sharing notes on what's going on in this space - and it's great to see Indonesia wow a London crowd and bring a flavour of Muslim culture, which even many British Muslims know little about. Diajeng is a pretty laid back soul and her goal:

"I want to make Muslim women feel proud of who they are - neither inferior, nor superior... just their ultimate self, with style and pleasing themselves."

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Diajeng Lestari, CEO, HijUp
[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

In the International Fashion Showcase section, HijUp presented the work of four designers - Zaskia Sungkar, Jenahara Nasution, Restu Anggraini, and Dian Pelangi under the theme of 'Beauty and Creativity through the Elements of Life': wind, light, water, and fire.

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[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

We all understand that fashion means much more than practical clothing functionality - and it's more about clothes serving the functional purpose of providing emotional connections, messaging, symbolism, culture and experiences that define us as being human.

For many, the term 'Modest Fashion' may seem like an oxymoron. I mean, isn't the whole idea of being 'fashionable' driven by a desire to celebrate being seen with the right look amongst the in-crowd, having that recognized and ratified, and which then leads to the accrual of a form of social currency?

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[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

Is it possible to be modest in the pursuit of being fashionable? Or should we take modest in this context, by definition, as fashion that covers flesh? Is the inference then that covering one's modesty (flesh) evokes something any less sultry or alluring; and if it isn't doing that, does that detract from the essence of being modest?

These are some of the debates that I've had and read about surrounding the whole Muslim Modest Fashion movement. If you're one of the in-crowd, then these questions matter little - because there is no conflict, it is simply free honest expression.

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[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

Personally, I don't like the term modest fashion. I prefer the term Hijabers that sprung from a movement in Indonesia, of Muslim females who wanted to create their own form of expression - through the clothes that they wear, which signaled their own state of mind and worldview. This makes them no different than the Hip-hop, Grunge, Punk, and Goth movements that I found myself swept along with when I was a youth.

So 'modest' I think is a red herring that opens the back door to politically infused debates with non-Muslims and Muslims about Islam's role in modern society. In doing so, depending on what camp you're in, clothes have become the smoking gun or the eye candy for propaganda campaigns in which Muslim women unfortunately are the doe-eyed deers in the spotlight. But the objectification of all women is nothing new. Key questions are who is in control and who benefits from all of this?

[Photo credit: https://desianiyudha.wordpress.com/ ]

Let's focus on the Hijabers grassroots movement who are in control, gaining momentum, wider interest and starting to cross-over. The potential of a brand from an emerging market like Indonesia is massive. Indonesia is made up of over 14,000 islands, has a population of about 255 million people, 205 million of which are Muslim, making it the most populous Muslim-majority country. And let's not forget the 1.7 billion Muslims spread across all continents that share the same faith, which have led to the Muslim fashion market being estimated at $US224 billion worldwide.

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[Photo credit: Diajeng Lestari, HijUp]

On my trips to Indonesia I've grown to love the scene in cities like Bandung and Jakarta and I think that they have the potential to influence a much wider audience and achieve a similar cult status to those of London, Manchester and Liverpool. The vibe is there, there's a live wire of creativity - let's see if the world is ready for the modest Muslim fashion movement looking to fashion modesty.

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As I flick through my magazine I am confronted with stunning images of celebrities who look perfect with not one hair out of place.

I look down at myself, and for a split second I start feeling rubbish about myself, because I dont look quite like these super humans that stare back at me.

Then hurrah, my sensible brain kicks in and brings me back down to earth, "do not worry girl, the girl in the magazine doesn't even look like that." Now this is true.

The images we are faced with in magazines and billboards are manipulated using Photoshop; there is an army of professionals that spend hours making an ordinary looking girl into a polished and preened picture of perfection.

Something we may aspire to look like to feel we are successful or deemed as beautiful.

Raw and retouched image of myself. Gavin Chapman photography

Now don't get me wrong, these women are beautiful in their own right, however not your everyday girl has the luxury of a personal hair and make up artist following us around, a stylist with a never-ending wardrobe of up to the minute trends, not forgetting the personal trainers and chefs on standby.

Instead my life is watching makeup tutorials to get that Kimmy K contour, walking out the door with my hair damp hoping it blow dries in the wind on the way to work and my personal trainer is in the form of my three year old daughter Tianii who has me running around after her. I guess that is pretty much the reality of many a busy mums life.

So do not panic if you are not looking like the models or the celebrities, what we are seeing is not real. What is real is when we see images of celebs caught off guard without a face full of make up and looking refreshingly normal but still annoyingly beautiful at the same time.

We are living in a time where beauty is everything, it's a massive market that homes into womens insecurities making you believe if you purchase a product a celebrity is seen wearing you to can look like them to.

The sad thing is you are already amazing without that contour kit, the lip plumper and the valencia filter you use on your instagram selfies.

As I write this I am telling myself too, that I am amazing something that I have battled with for a long time, the girl I would see in the mirror was something I was not happy with, why? Honestly I am not too sure.

From the age of 10 I was obsessed with models and fashion I loved the creativity and the glamour.

I would look at these images and wish I to could look like those models in the magazines, being young and naive I was unaware about the hard work that is put into creating an image and that what I was really looking at were images of fantasy.

It lead to over 20 years of an ongoing battle with food, in recent years being diagnosed with bulimia and body dysmorphia. Something I have managed to keep at bay with help from loved ones.

Everyday someone is battling with an eating disorder, many formed because they do not reflect the image of beauty that is represented in the magazines.

It is a very sad reality that as you read this someone out there is skipping a meal in the bid for "perfection".

This is the scary part of fashion many young girls dream of being models and will go to extreme lengths to look like them.

From extreme dieting to surgical procedures many girls are pursuing the image of " perfection". A nip here and a tuck there, plastic surgery is readily available if you have the funds to go to such lengths.

It is saddening that the influence of the media makes women look at themselves and feel they need to change how they look to be happier and more attractive only down the line to be unhappy with the transformation.

We think it would be beneficial if there were a stamp on images to highlight the fact that they have in fact been manipulated, what are your thoughts?

The Models Of Diversity team are working hard to make the fashion industry listen and use a wider range of models. The models should reflect the buying public, correct? There is room for diversity in fashion and I really hope 2016 will be the year of change.

If the industry changed there perception of beauty then maybe it could save some girls from themselves.

Remember you are beautiful as you are - the girl in the magazine does not even look like the girl in the magazine.

This February, HuffPost UK Style is running a month-long focus on our Fashion For All campaign, which aims to highlight moments of colour, size, gender and age diversity and disability inclusivity in the fashion and beauty world.

We will be sharing moments of diversity at London Fashion Week with the hashtag #LFW4All and we'd like to invite you to do the same. If you'd like to blog about diversity or get involved, email us here.

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This year International Fashion Showcase (IFS) at London Fashion Week, discovering and promoting young fashion talents from across the world, hosted designers from far East (Egypt, UAE for the first time), near East (Europe) as well as other destinations across the globe. We kept our eyes glued to the Central-East European selection (can't blame - this is what we do) and the selection was pretty visually pleasing, with the Czech Republic at the centre of attention. My humble guess was that the first prize for the best Country representation this year will come back to Europe, Central Europe, Czech Republic, and my prediction was correct.

The back-to-home location of Somerset House was a nice change from the last year's Brewer Street Car Park (where the main Designer Showrooms are located since last season). The car park gives a nice edge to the Designer Showrooms, however, steals light, literally, from the emerging fashion installations adding an unnecessary amateur feel to great fashion and jewellery designs. Alternatively. Somerset House helps young talents shine in a natural light (literally, again). When you just enter the exhibition our Georgian friends Atelier Kikala will welcome you at the Next In Line selection.

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Atelier Kikala (Centre)

The Czech Republic's designer selection and curation by Pavel Ivancic (designer himself), at the end of the fashion filled corridor at West Wing Galleries, plays like a grand finale of the International selection. We will dedicate a whole new page to this selection and the rise of the Czech Republic fashion soon. But for those looking for instant inspiration - don't miss Sofya Somareva's hats shaped as human hair or huge cactus). I couldn't resist trying one on and already started thinking about my very own human hear hat from sheep felt. Another flavour of the Czech - humble and sweet Marketa Kratochvilova and her daring sexually intense creations called Enfant Terible. I didn't try on any of these, though.

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Marketa Kratochvilova

Our next stop at IFS2016 was Romanian jewellery room. This year Romanian delegation was supported by the newly established National Association for Contemporary Jewellery. Hence, all designers were jewellery students and graduates. Romanian designers produced original mini-series collections for the IFS2016 according to this year's theme Fashion UTOPIAS. I genuinely liked the curation and exhibition and the selection of the designers, especially Maria Otilia Mihalcea (Oval), who explained me how her unique jewellery can be worn (or sewn into my attire on the go). Another young artist you might want to check - Adelina Petcan, just ask her about all the symbolism behind the pendants resembling recycled decorative blush containers.

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Masha Reva

Finally, the selection of 8 emerging Ukrainian designers and a friendly chat with some of them made me feel at home. As repeatedly admit, being a Lithuanian I have an unbiased crush with Ukrainian fashion, but you can't call me subjective. Supported by Ukrainian Fashion Week and British Council with the artistic guidance from Masha Reva, a rising star and a Central Saint Martin's graduate, the selection presented Ukrainian fashion rebels, including our friend Irina DZHUS and our new friends Yana Chervinska, FROLOV, RCR KHOMENKO, LARA QUINT, Yulia Yefimtchuk+, and Monica Bernar.

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We need to have a rethink about fashion. High fashion in particular. This might seem cliché. Every season at London Fashion Week, high fashion, womenswear mainly, gets it in the neck. It is elitist, discriminatory to consumers and, at worst, irrelevant. 'Where are the non-white castings, the trans models?' 'Why are the models so thin, can this be right?'

Thinking as a cultural and literary historian I like to take a long view when it comes to these questions. Fashion has always been in conflict with the mainstream. It has always been criticised. Chances are, it would probably lose much of its allure if it were not. In the early nineteenth century, commentators objected to the detailed descriptions of closely fitting men's suits in novels. In the very magazines that promoted corsetry, medical writers were voicing their concerns about the dangers of light lacing. When short hair for women made the transition from an avant-garde European style to a British and American mainstream one, there were claims that bobbed hair was an offence against Christianity. None of these objections stopped women from wearing corsets (it took the social changes arising from World War I to do that). Nothing stopped modish ladies from queuing at barber shops to have their hair cut right up to their ears. Most of the criticism in the past, however, was anti-fashion. Its objections were on the grounds that an interest in appearance was worldly, trivial, and dangerous to society's morals. History lesson over.

These days the criticism is very different. It comes from bloggers, academics and stakeholders of smaller enterprises. It comes from consumers. It's a very different battle. And it is indeed a battle. Fashion is political. It is a reflection of the forces that affect our complicated lives. Trends might be short lived, but they are not trivial when it comes to their effects. Our bodies and our clothes play a role in the formation of how we want to appear and the social hierarchies that we live in. Unfortunately, the catwalks and editorial do not often relate to this. Even within the narrow confines of body size and shape that are the conventions of haute couture, we see predominantly white model castings. The few non-white models present will be in an 'exotic' style. It is not hard to find, in the twenty-first century, a white model 'blacked up' for an editorial.

It is a painful truth, but we would do well to understand that beauty follows power. Bodies considered 'beautiful' often represent or flatter what we think of as dominance. Beauty is a product of our colonial inheritance, Victorian racial theories, where whiteness, was, in most circumstances, placed at the top and presented as 'normal' (just as it can be in the beauty industry now). On top of this, in our current age: thinness represents a self-disciplined ideal, affluence and 'correct' femininity. Of course there are subcultures and different kinds of beauty that deviate from this so-called norm. But we also know certain types of beauty seem to get on magazine covers more than others.

Can we make the industry be more inclusive? Probably not in the short term. The fashion industry is caught up in a world-view that we as executives, designers and consumers are the bearers. Industry professionals present their decisions as if they were simply following the natural order of things, or the needs of the market. They would not be in their roles if they could not do this. Whether they are effective in convincing the public in the long term, remains to be seen.

To say that fashion and beauty are not product of politics, however, is anachronistic, naive or self-serving. In the Cultural Studies programme at Central Saint Martins on which I am a lecturer, our team offer the next generation of potential professionals and scholars new ways of thinking critically about fashion in our complex world. If high fashion is about selling a fantasy, then the industry could, at the very least, provide opportunities for expression, rather than reproductions of familiar oppressions. Fashion professionals, who seek the revenue of a digital, global economy, but resist the cultural implications of what that brings, test the loyalty of consumers. They also ignore the wealth of talent from a generation who do seem baffled by some of the editorial and casting decisions they see. Challenging the dominance of the white model, for example, in a country with a history of colonialism is an inevitable part of progress. It is about moving beyond the limitations of the past. High fashion would do well to be a part of this.

Dr Royce Mahawatte is Lecturer in Cultural Studies at Central Saint Martins, UAL

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As a former model and photographer, I have trodden the catwalk during London Fashion Week, photographed an editorial shoot for Elle magazine, and was the youngest person to exhibit in the National Portrait Gallery. In 2013, I gave all this up to become an emergency nurse. A career that couldn't be more different from the one that I started in. Polar opposite in fact.

Portraiture was my passion as a photographer - they have a language and rawness of their own. But, as I became more involved in the fashion photography industry, I noticed my creativity and the opportunity to photograph honest portraits was beginning to tire. The fashion world was at times a very channelled space, filled with unrealistic expectations and lacking in opportunities to make a difference. I realised I was feeling less and less in love with my job - I needed something that would mean more.

The turning point for me came when I was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to photograph a portrait of an established person who has made a contribution to British culture. My subject was Dame Christine Beasley, a pioneer of the nursing profession: a warm and inspirational person, and having photographed, Dame Beasley, I started photographing more nurses. For me, they embodied such strength that they appear an unbreakable force, but I wanted their portraits to demonstrate the caring, compassionate, empathetic nurse as well.

Though I loved photographing nurses, what soon became clear was that I wanted to move from behind the camera - I wanted to become my subject. So, I hung up my Agent Provocateur uniform, put the camera away and retired my red lipstick, big hair and stilettos - and followed my dream of becoming a nurse.

It was a long and thought out decision, a year of doing some jobs I didn't care much for whilst I made certain nursing was the career I wanted to pursue with both my heart and my head. It's not a decision to be made lightly. It takes a certain type of person to become a nurse; and it takes a certain breed of nurse to work in emergency care. But, from day one, I felt at home.

I had many ups and downs during my nursing degree: it isn't something you can prepare for. All of a sudden you are given serious responsibilities, and you deal in life and death on a daily basis. It's emotional, even for those of us that manage to keep our feelings hidden. Training to be a nurse strips you of everything, bringing you back to the importance of life, and giving you a perspective that you cannot explain. You see loss, love, happiness and grief on a daily basis, you experience patients' anger and frustration, relatives' pain - and you celebrate their relief.

No day is ever the same, no day can be prepared for. It's just a case of doing all you can, the best you can in every moment. And I flourish and thrive in emergency nursing, I love the pace and the unknown. The resuscitation room is where I feel like I give the most, which is all the more surprising given my previous career. From bright lights and hair and make-up, exhibition openings and glossy magazines, to 12.5 hour shifts in my Nike airs and staff nurse uniform

There, in the emergency room, my mind, my compassion, my empathy and my knowledge become my most important assets. Everything I can offer comes from within. Until I started this I didn't know the difference you could make to someone's day, to their life by just your presence, a smile, a hug or a cup of tea, even when there are no words. It has brought perspective to my life and I love being a nurse.

From the very core of my heart I can honestly say I go to work in A&E and feel honoured to be in the position to help and care for people at their most unwell or vulnerable. I feel the knowledge and skills I have learnt as almost treasure-like, it's a wealth of facts that I can use to make a difference, and for me that inspires me to continue to learn and to better my abilities every day.

I'm so glad the RCN are encouraging people to capture this immense profession on camera - as it was doing just that helped me find my path. Nursing fills me with enthusiasm, it makes me feel positive and it gives me a satisfaction no other job has given me before. I love to take photographs and that will always be a part of my life, but I can wholeheartedly say I feel at home being an Emergency Department staff nurse. Nowhere and nothing has ever felt so right.

Ali is supporting the Royal College of Nursing's photography competition, Care on Camera, celebrating 100 years of the RCN. To enter, visit www.rcn100photo.org.uk.

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I have an obsession with beautiful things. Beautiful furnishings, beautiful food, beautiful dresses, beautiful music, beautiful photographs and definitely beautiful shoes.

And from a very early age I have been passionate about making the world a better place, somehow. That may sound kind of self-important or naïve, but for as long as I can remember social justice has been a driving force in my life. Whether it was collecting coins for charity when I was six, reading books for the MS Read-a-thon, volunteering at Amnesty International and refugee organisations, or working to prevent violence against women. It is all I have ever wanted to do.

These two parts of myself have always seemed dichotomous and contradictory. I have often felt that my love of aesthetics was something I should suppress, because it was frivolous and consumerist. Working to address women's issues in developing countries seemed more worthy, but I assumed I had to do it from a place of self-imposed lack for it to be authentic.

Then a few months ago when I was at a yoga class in South Africa I saw a tomb of a book sitting in the waiting area. It presented star-sign-like character descriptions of people by the date they were born. Apparently people born on the 31st of December (my birthday) are very focused on beauty and are often artists. However, many people born on this date, according to the book, are also involved in philanthropic, charity or humanitarian work. The author suggested that likewise, this was driven by an interest in beauty; a desire to reduce ugliness and injustice in the world. For me, this was a revelation. Perhaps these two elements of myself were not oppositional at all.

Why do we enjoy looking at a sunset or a flower, or an exceptional painting? I have come to believe that connection to beauty is an innate human desire. There is something universally human about wanting to be surrounded by nature and art; to create. I think perhaps we are drawn to beautiful things because they reflect back to us the beauty of our true selves. Beautiful spaces make us feel at home. We see our own divinity in the stars. We see our own spaciousness in the sky. We see our own fragility in a flower.

And the more you focus on beauty in the world, the more you notice the beauty in the everyday and in the people around you. It connects us with the present moment, it reminds us to be still, it makes us grateful, and makes us smile. It may even make us wise. Robert Bridges writes in Testament of Beauty, Book IV, I.1305.

"Verily by beauty it is that we come at wisdom".

So, I no longer resist my love of beautiful things. That doesn't mean I will go out and buy 100 pairs of shoes (maybe just one pair). But it does mean I will embrace creating a beautiful home for my family. I will host beautiful dinner parties for my friends, wear a dress that makes me feel divine, at the same time as I continue to try to reduce the ugliness of violence, abuse and inequality in the world.

Who says I can't save the world in Jimmy Choos?

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I've grown tired of watching low-budget beauty brands pick and choose when and when not to cater to women of colour, tired of applauding the beauty industry for its progression when it's still making women of colour feel like we are worth less. When in fact we are worth more. We are worth more than the occasional feature on page 82 of a 127-paged beauty magazine, more than a misleading advert or tokenism; we should be the ones picking and choosing, not the high street. Low-budget brands like Maybelline, Rimmel and L'Oreal (amongst others) have become oh so good at subordinating the beauty needs of brown beauties and it's time we challenge that; so I'm petitioning for change by demanding more variety in the high street cosmetic industry for ethnic minority women.

London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, but you wouldn't know this if you judged its diversity by the range of skin tones low-budget beauty brands cater to. Sure, you might argue that the high street has progressed and that there are brands which cater to brown beauties, but 'progression' and the 'finish line' are not synonyms. The beauty high street's failure to acknowledge that melanin comes in more shades than just caramel and mocha shows that we still have a few hurdles to overcome. The finish line is a woman with dark skin being able to walk into her local Boots or Superdrug and come out with a concealer, foundation, pressed powder and BB cream that match her skin tone, without spending a small fortune.

I know that the financially savvy will argue that ethnic minority women are just that-a minority. And we shouldn't expect a huge range of products to choose from, as we're thought to have very little spending power in the cosmetic industry, but who can show me the beauty spending reports that support this ideology? I am yet to stumble across any definitive evidence that women of different races have different beauty spending habits. The only study currently looking into this in the UK is mine.

I have read so many stories on the inspiration behind brands like Bianca Miller London, MDM Flow and Nubian Skin or stories like Anita Bhagwandas' journey to becoming a beauty editor. Even though a few minor details change from story to story, the running theme is always the same - like me, these women aren't seeing themselves being represented in the beauty industry because society's beauty ideals are far too narrow.

While I think it's important that women learn to define beauty for themselves, I understand that our perceptions of beauty aren't solely defined by us. Our definitions are a mishmash of thoughts and experiences which have been shaped by the ideals embodied in family members, friends and loved ones. However, there is no denying how powerful the fashion and beauty industries are, so inevitably they also feed into our beauty ideals. From where I'm standing it looks like they both suffer from a serious case of tunnel vision when it comes to beauty. Beauty knows no limits and that includes race. I believe this needs to be reflected in the types of products and colour options that are offered to women with darker skin in Boots and Superdrug. Please help me make that happen by signing here.

This February, HuffPost UK Style is running a month-long focus on our Fashion For All campaign, which aims to highlight moments of colour, size, gender and age diversity and disability inclusivity in the fashion and beauty world.

We will be sharing moments of diversity at London Fashion Week with the hashtag #LFW4All and we’d like to invite you to do the same. If you'd like to blog about diversity or get involved, email us here.

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1) It is quite clear to me that there is only one way of saying 'Fashion Week.' You place your lips in a Kiera Knightley-esque pout (think 'Love Actually') and then drawl the words without your lips ever touching; sounding something along the lines of 'phaaaaschion weeeh.'

2) It is also clear that natural hair colour is in no way cool any more. One's hair HAS to be grey, or ideally blue-grey, to pass muster with the digital-camera-wielding bloggers stalking Somerset House's courtyard. Ideally your hair is also braided, or even better braided with rings IN the braids; but NATURAL HAIR is in no way phaaaaschion weeeeh.

3) Don't wear any clothes that match EVER at fashion week. Street cool aims for a look akin to that petulant six year old on the tube whose exhausted mother allowed her to wear her Disney 'Frozen' dress over her dungarees because she wouldn't stop screaming.

4) Reality television stars are now very fashion. No longer are fashion PRs snooty about unscripted reality shows. Reality stars are now bloggers and bloggers are fashion and therefore 'Made In Chelsea' is very fashion week.

5) Lapdogs are very fashion. Particularly if you have a puppy you MUST bring him to fashion week. Lenny the pug has even had his own London Fashion Week diary in the 'Stylist' so...

6) Having an iPhone is also extremely fashionable. If you are FROW (front row-ing) it is imperative to video all the fashion despite the endless photographers at the end of the runway with highly superior cameras.

7) Catwalk walking is no longer recognisable as walking. Your upper arms must hang down behind your back whilst your hip bones protrude forward. All round very fashion.

In the same way that I'm not religious but I find myself crying in churches due to the mind-boggling dedication of it all, joking aside I am genuinely always a little bit blown away by fashion week. There is something just a bit glamorous about the LFW black Mercedes rocking up to previously unused gallery spaces, dropping off harassed models with back-combed hair dodging the hordes of fashionable women ice-picking their way to the show on towering heels. There is also the fact that the shows seem, and I know this is sacrilegious because I'm an actor, to have a lot of the good bits of theatre without the length. You get the sets, for example Alice Temperley's beautiful black pirate sails, the theatrical lighting as could be seen in Julien Macdonald's opening search lights and the drama as the achingly cool crowd shuffle into their designated seating...and it's all wrapped up in fifteen minutes!

Here are a couple of my videos of some shows I was lucky enough to FROW. Long live 'phaaashion weeh'

Pringle: https://instagram.com/p/BCIvTxow8Qa/
Julien Macdonald: https://instagram.com/p/BCAr0UsQ8bQ/
Alice Temperley: https://instagram.com/p/BCOp4cew8Yu/

xxxxx

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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