Models of diversity has spent the last 15 years campaigning for more diversity in the fashion, beauty and media industry.

Together with Unhidden, a global fashion brand specialising in adaptive design for disabled people, we are proud to announce our panel discussion ‘Front Row’, an industry led discussion on the future of diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry at this year’s London Fashion Week.

The panel will focus on the current state of inclusion in the fashion industry, why it is the fashion industry’s responsibility to increase inclusion and diversity to better reflect society and what changes brands can make to have a positive impact. The immersive event will also include pop up shops with exclusive items from Unhidden and an exhibition of 15 years of MODs work as well as giving attendees the opportunity to network and meet influential industry insiders.

Panel:

Victoria Jenkins, founder and CEO Unhidden, Vogue top 25, presenter The Unique Boutique (and also one of WeAreTheCity‘s Thrive20)

Victoria Jenkins is a multi award winning universal designer, disability advocate, speaker and writer, with 16 years fashion industry experience as a garment technologist for high street and high end brands. She became disabled in her mid 20’s which led to her founding Unhidden, a socially responsible universally designed fashion range, centred on adaptive design for the disabled and chronic sick community. Unhidden is the first universal fashion brand to become a member of the British Fashion Council. In 2023 she was listed in British Vogues ‘The Vogue 25′ as well as Vogue Business’ 100 innovators list. And was awarded UK’s 2nd most influential disabled person on the Shaw Trust annual disability power 100 list. She is the expert designer and co host on Channel 4 show The Unique Boutique. She sits on the shadow board of Reflect The agency, is secretary for the Inclusion and Representation Committee for Fashion Roundtable, is a member of the Inclusive Entrepreneurs APPG as well as being a brand ambassador for Models of Diversity, Purple Tuesday and Parallel and a patron of Kurt Geigers’ Kindness Foundation.

Chelsea, We Are We Wear

Independent, black-owned business, created in 2019. Founders, Natalie and Chelsea, quit their jobs to and set out on a mission to challenge the culture of unrealistic body standards we face today. Using their combined experience working for one of Britain’s biggest online retailers, they turned their vision into a reality with their inclusive, eco-friendly brand. They are dedicated to creating quality swimwear and intimates with everybody in mind. SS22 saw the launch of our very first menswear collection as we continue to expand our design visions into new product categories. We’re working towards a fully inclusive product range, with our latest collections moving towards a genderless silhouette.

Tasha Ghouri

Television personality, activist, model and social media influencer. She is the first ever pre-loved brand ambassador for eBay and is also brand ambassador for Ann Summer and Loreal Paris.

Tasha launched her very own podcast ‘Superpowers with Tasha Ghouri’ in February 2023, which focuses on normalising disabilities by embracing them as your superpower, something very personal to Tasha, as she was born deaf and is a proud wearer of a cochlear implant.

Before gaining her 1.4million followers and having the platform to raise awareness to a higher scale, Tasha worked with DeafKidzInternational, and has now become their global ambassador, helping to raise funds for deaf children in underprivileged countries. She also works alongside UK charities RNID and NDCS to help those with hearing impairments.

Felicity Hayward, Model, author, content creator and activist.

Felicity’s remarkable journey began when she was first discovered by renowned photographer Miles Aldridge. In the 2010s, she broke barriers as the UK’s first plus-size model, defying the fashion industry’s norms that often-overlooked curves. Her iconic Mac Cosmetics campaign, VOGUE interview, and role as the face of I-D magazine solidified her position as a trailblazer during a time when body diversity was not celebrated.

Throughout the past decade, Felicity has passionately advocated for inclusion within the fashion world. She’s tackled the complexities of body positivity in her thought-provoking TEDx talk, shedding light on its toxic aspects. Online, her influential campaign #Selflovebringsbeauty has amassed an incredible following with over 115,000 hashtags, inspiring countless individuals to embrace self-love and acceptance.

Recently, her efforts have been channeled into #Includingthecurve, an initiative that fights for equality in size representation within the fashion industry. Felicity’s powerful voice resonates at Fashion Weeks, urging designers to embrace diversity. Her articles for esteemed publications such as Cosmo, Glamour, Metro, The Independent, and Sunday Times Style have further strengthened the cause.

Felicity’s impact goes beyond the runway; she penned a book on body image, wellness, and confidence, empowering women worldwide. In 2014, she made history as ASOS’s first curve stylist, and her five collections with Playful Promises showcased her unique flair for fashion.
As an ambassador for Dove, Google Pixel, and Sky, Felicity continues to use her platform to champion inclusivity and diversity.

Rebecca Cole

is a professional pattern cutter and dressmaker with over 30 years sewing experience. She has many TV credits to her name including The Great British Sewing Bee and Channel 4’s Unique Boutique. In 2021, aged 39, Rebecca learned she had been living with three disabilities she’d never known she had, and had been existing as an undiagnosed Autistic ADHD person her whole life. Something Rebecca had always struggled with was getting dressed in the morning. Deciding to use her sewing and pattern cutting skills, she set about adapting her wardrobe to work for her own sensory and access needs. Rebecca set up All Access Sewing with a mission to make sewing and clothing adaptation accessible to all. Her journey has culminated in the publication of her first book All Access Sewing, released in November 2023

Moeed Majeed, TV & Radio presenter, podcast producer

After dropping out of university and being diagnosed with Crohns disease, everything looked bleak.

​I bought myself a DSLR for my 21st birthday and was quickly asked by a friend to photograph his show at London fashion week. Through that I went on to assisting in the fashion industry for a few years up until I had my stoma surgery.

​Once I had recovered I started making my own youtube videos based around the things I could never do when I was sick. It turned out people liked what I had to say and I ended up presenting for BentTV, WTX News, Pulse 88, Crohns and Colitis UK, VICE, the BBC amongst others.

​I developed a passion for telling stories about real life situations. Ones that affect everyday, normal people. Working with VICE UK, I was able to tell those stories in the form of almost 100 podcasts over a year. Since then I’ve worked with the BBC, Spotify and the London Borough of culture.

Phil Curtis, founder of Happy, Beautiful, Health

After a personal trauma, Phil developed a passion for nutrition and a desire to understand how it impacts our health. Having worked with hundreds of people over the last 13 years, he truly understands what a negative relationship most people have with their health, their body and their nutrition.

Happy Beautiful Health is a positive and inspiring space where Phil helps people learn to be happy within themselves, feel beautiful about themselves and ultimately live healthy in a way that fits their personal journey.

Introduced by Angel Sinclair, founder and CEO of Models of Diversity

A registered charity established by the ex-model and campaigner over 15 years ago and is dedicated to broadening the modelling, beauty and media industry and opening it up to the beautiful people that we don’t often get to see on our Instagram feeds, billboards, TV ads and runways. Angel has had enormous success in encouraging more brands to work with differently abled people, older models, plus size models and many more unrepresented groups, including having the first plus size catwalk in the UK, placing the first disabled model in a fashion week and being at the forefront of the body neutrality movement.

REGISTER HERE