Diversity Now!

"Fashion is a powerful communicator to people about their identity...we believe that this power can be used for good, to promote individuality and self-esteem through creativity and diversity."

- All Walks Beyond The Catwalk

Raising awareness on all types of people has always been important for All Walks Beyond The Catwalk. The initiative constantly highlights the need to include everyone in fashion. 

All Walks is now looking for students to help join the cause. Launched at this year's Graduate Fashion Week, Diversity Now! is a competition designed to discover those who will carry on fighting for diversity in fashion. The idea is to showcase fashion on every type of individual in the fields of the following: womenswear, menswear, fashion films, zines, photography, journalism, illustration. The winner will receive an chance to have their work featured on i-D online, not to mention potentially featuring in an All Walks campaign.

The image above is just one of the many great examples of work from students showing diversity. The photograph is by UCA Epsom's very own Maggie Ibiam - a 3rd year student. "For my FMP I did a photoshoot which was meant to represent contemporary London fashion and how various elements from different cultures have become linked and merged as one. It was also a great way to showcase my abilities and my perspective of fashion," says Ibiam.

"Without diversity I personally think fashion would suffer."

For details on the competition, click here

Blogger Shows That (Advanced) Style Knows No Age

A fashion blog solely dedicated to older women's style has been turned into a book.

Advanced Style - which is available to buy now - is a collection of street-style photographs and interviews of classy, chic and inspiring senior citizens spotted out and about in New York. The book is the brainchild of Ari Seth Cohen, who launched his blog of the same name in 2009, shortly after he first arrived in the city.

Devoted 'to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set', 30-year-old Cohen was initially inspired by his own grandmother's personal style. He tells Stylecaster: 'I was best friends with my grandmother growing up, and was always inspired by her energy and wisdom. I wanted to show that creativity, style, and vitality advance with age, and hopefully help change people’s ideas about getting older.'

Speaking to the New York Times' T magazine, Mr Cohen says: 'My eyes have always been drawn to older people. From a style point of view, I find them more interesting because they are of an age where they don’t have to impress anyone and can wear what they want.'

Earning such high-profile fans as Marc Jacobs and Dita Von Teese, who has also contributed to the book, Cohen has also included 'never-before-seen photography' of subjects from around the world (including the tome's cover star, who is from our very own London!)

Cohen will be signing copies of the book in the Mary Shop on Thursday 7th June 2012, at 2pm in House of Fraser, Oxford Street and on Saturday 9th June, at 2pm in House of Fraser, Westfield London