World’s Biggest Model Agency Now Casting Women of ALL Shapes, Sizes & Ages

This is one for the history books. The world’s biggest modeling agency, IMG, who represent supermodels such as Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Joan Smalls, Ireland Basinger, and Kate Upton, just to name a few, have just announced a huge change in how they sign models, which is a major step in the right direction for diversity in the fashion industry.

On the eve of New York Fashion Week, IMG’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director Ivan Bart spoke to Cosmopolitan about how they are now going to open the doors to sign models of all shapes, sizes, age and colors.

“We want to be an ageless, raceless, weightless agency. We just want to represent the best people in the industry.” he said.

YES! This is going to be a catalyst for significant change in the industry as a whole because this is an agency which is the most sought out among fashion elite. Now all the top designers and brands can find the best plus size models, older models, and ethnic models on the rosters of IMG, instead of having to go through niche markets to seek them out. Basically, the agency is confirming that the world needs diversity and they are going to make sure they offer a range of models to fit all types of consumer needs in marketing.

Ivan says one of the factors in making this monumental decision is because of all the debates on “real women” and diversifying the fashion industry, fueled largely in part by social media. Let’s not forget the impact fashion bloggers and plus size bloggers have had on brands, and labels.

“I feel like the consumer wants to see themselves,” he said. “Sure, there are women who are naturally thin and can fit into sample sizes, and the plus size market begins at a size 12, but where is the average consumer represented from a size 2 to 10?” says Ivan Bart.

Seriously, where has this guy been all our lives? We LOVE that a man is recognizing the importance of representing diverse women in such a powerful agency. Well done to him for taking notice of what consumers actually want. This, he says, is going to go a long way to pushing healthier trends in fashion, and showing young girls who aspire to be models that you don’t have to reach one particular standard anymore.

“We just want to represent the best,” Bart continued. “With this new way of thinking, I can tell women who work so hard to get into the sample size, ‘Eat! Be yourself, just be the best you can be — exactly how you are!’ For us, as long as the talent is at a healthy weight that he or she and his or her doctor believe is right for them, and they’re exercising, since that’s a healthy way of life, then the industry should reflect that.”

Bart also points out to Cosmopolitan how much he hates the term “plus size” as it automatically gives the assumption of a niche market or something “less than” the size zero sample size. But with more and more of the “plus size” models covering magazines like Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, this is slowly going to be incorporated into everyday fashion and it won’t be a “special appearance” anymore. It will be normal.

“You can stand outside with a picket sign, but I feel like the best way is to change the industry is from within,” he said. “We might not win in certain aspects of it and it might take a while for companies to adapt to what we’re trying to do, because we still have to work with the industry and if they ask for a sample size, we have to deliver.”

While he admits not everyone is going to be receptive to this new change at first from IMG, it is not going to stop them from trying. IMG not only boasts the world’s most recognizable supermodels, but well-known plus-size gals such as Tara Lynn, and older women such as Christie Brinkley, Stephanie Seymour, and 83 year-old China Machado.

“At 83 years old, she is more vibrant and has more personality than most people. At IMG, if you’re a talented model, we’re going to work with whatever you are,” he said.

We can’t wait to see how advertisers and brands will respond to this move by IMG, as it is definitely going to have a trickle effect all the way down to everyday girls and women and how they view their own bodies. We hope it will be a major boost in self esteems and deter more eating disorders because young and older women will be able to find models who represent their own body type.

“We’ve always tried to find the most diversely beautiful women in the world, and we can always do better,” Bart said. “But as of now, we do represent a lot of the top African American, Brazilian, and Asian models.”

Here’s to the fashion industry listening to the voice of the people and taking drastic measures to finally acknowledge the value of diversity.