Eden's Adventure

Meadham Kirchhoff SS12

On the 16th of September I was honoured to model for my favourite all time fashion designers Edward Meadham & Benjamin Kirchhoff for London Fashion Week. I've been an huge fan of Meadham Kirchhoff since seeing their SS12 collection, which if anybody knows me well enough, reflects me in the most perfect way possible. Every collection since has left me both inspired and wishing I was rich so I could buy everything from the fluffy feather dresses to bat-eyed sunglasses.

Meadham Kirchhoff SS14

An old school friend messaged me telling me about the open casting for MK and asked if I wanted to join her and so of course I accepted. I decided to have a search on the internet, see who's talking about it and look where it was first posted as I wasn't sure it was even real. I ended up finding their unofficial page and followed, which is how they ended up finding me. Somebody who works with them contacted me via Tumblr after they "obsessed" over me and my photos as Ben & Ed admitted to me at the show - which yes has made me feel like the most invincible feminist bitch there could ever be. They had no idea I was thinking of attending the casting, which I then didn't have to turn up to anyway as they decided they wanted me to go straight to the fitting on the Monday.

I've never thought for a second 'I'm going to be in London Fashion Week one day' because I 100% 'knew' I would never have the body, look, or the ability to walk in heels. When I discovered what I had been asked to do the show I was in disbelief. I lasted 24 hours before telling my friends on my different social media sites on the internet, who then became more excited than me. People were so happy to hear that a body positive and non-skinny body representative would be walking the catwalk. In all honestly, if everybody wasn't so excited for me, and I didn't feel like I could possibly make a body positive difference in the fashion industry, I don't think I could have done it. I was in tears the night before because I wanted to do it so much for Ed & Ben and everybody else, but because all my life I've been told by the fashion world and people brainwashed by this industry that I would never be beautiful enough to be a part of it, I was paranoid that it all could be a joke. I was worried I didn't look like the photos they had seen of me; I'm short, I have fat unlike 99.9% of models in the fashion world, I'd never catwalked in my life. I also boost my body confidence on the internet as I know it makes other girls feel confident about themselves - which is one of the biggest steps to changing peoples perspectives and mainstream expectancy all different body types.



On the day of the fitting and 30 mins before I was due to go in, I walked past Ben in the street. I hadn't mentally prepared myself to accept that this was actually happening so when we locked eyes I can only imagine I looked incredibly star-stuck. I was laughing at myself afterwards. I soon found my way to the door of the studios - accompanied by my mum incase this was all a scam as she thought "it could be a pedo" - and walked up a staircase to my heaven. I was greeted by gold tinsel strips alike what was seen in the SS12 show (and in my bedroom) and greeted by Ed's voice calling me into a room full of people, photos of burlesque women and bright clothes. It all went so fast. I got into my outfit, walked up and down for Ed to look at the outfit, had an incredibly bad photo taken, met Ed's new puppy Trojan and then left. I found the experience very scary as firstly, I had just met Edward Meadham and secondly all I could see in the room was skinny tall fashion students/interns and I felt like this had already become an incredibly stupid environment to be in for my own self esteem. 

Trojan, Ed's new puppy, wore an identical pearl necklace to Ed. I wish I was her.

Whilst waiting for hair and makeup, we were told there was food available, and a couple of us returned with some crisps to offer around. One of the stereotypical skinny / tall models refused my offer after telling me they could hardly fit in their outfit already and didn't need it to be any more difficult. Maybe they were being honest, but in that moment I felt as if I had witnessed, first hand, the proof that models don't think they have the right to eat - which is what I feel Ed & Ben are trying to help change. I don't think people who talk about themselves not being slim enough, when they already don't have a lot of body fat, know how much it can effect people who do. At the same time I don't think they ever will, because even they think they are too big.

(I'm still pissed that that Dazed didn't take any magical photos of me, none of the photographers for magazines really liked me I don't think. I thought it was because of my body, maybe I was just paranoid,but there was a lot of favouritism on the photographers side for the actual models / stereotypical model lookers)

The actual collection was influenced by a range of people from Vivian Westwood to Viv Albertine and the whole punk rock movement and politics within it. Dazed magazine described the collection, in an incredibly written way as "referencing and celebrating the historic medley of subcultures that they align themselves with – while explicitly condemning the problematic elements of an industry that can sometimes thrive on female oppression.". For my outfit I think Ben and Ed chose my dress for me because it exaggerated my body shape rather than camouflaging it by hiding my fat. I also want to get in here that Ed said my ass looked great in it. 

The catwalk was so fun, it went so fast I can't really remember much of it but I do remember loving it to pieces. I completely forgot about the negativity I could possibly get because of the body I was in. All I could think about was the fact I was there, modelling for Meadham Kirchhoff in a beautiful room decorated with trees, ribbon, tampons, flowers and camera flashes. 

I didn't want this post to sound too negative as I felt is was important to talk about how I felt and the things wrong with the fashion world. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of something so amazing, which as Wonder Magazine perfectly said was "more than just a fashion show, it was a multi-faceted message to society" and was "celebrating diversity and gender equality on the catwalk". I love Ed & Ben to pieces and am so grateful to them for letting me be a part of something so kickass.