Emirates Woman former cover star Ashley Graham made her first appearance on the runway since welcoming her first child in January to walk for Fendi.
The SS21 collection of womenswear and menswear was presented during Milan Fashion Week and is the last solo outing from Silvia Venturini Fendi before Kim Jones, the new director of womenswear, steps into the role.
The new mum stepped out with that familiar confidence and elegance, dressed in a sheer wrap dress with a floral motif and delicately styled with baby blue shoes and a small chain bag. She posted her look on Instagram after the show with an emotional caption:
“It has been a difficult year for everyone and I’m so impressed by the fashion industry’s resilience and quick adapting. Thank you to everyone who helped me (safely) get back to the runway. I missed it so much!”
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She wasn’t the only familiar face on the runway. The diverse cast of models included Edie Campbell, Cecilia Chancellor, Yasmin Le Bon and even 70-year-old icon of the Sixties, Penelope Tree. The casting was inspired by the idea of a family where you have different age groups, body shapes and character, and this was one stylish Fendi family.
The pieces themselves were slick and elegant with plenty of strong tailoring, feminine silhouettes and statement accessories.
This was Graham first return to the fashion scene after a blissful few months of family time with her husband Justin Ervin.
Throughout her pregnancy, she proudly showcased her changing body and has always championed the normality of curves in the fashion industry after a journey wrought with criticism. During our cover shoot, she remembered her early modelling years when she was told to lose weight and not be so loud – ironically, her killer curves and larger than life personality have been the foundations of a highly successful career.
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“If you look at the last 20 years you would see that there was only one curvy girl making a difference or having an editorial per year, and now there’s a whole slew of us. And we’re not just in catalogues – we’re in magazines, we’re in campaigns, we’re on TV, we’re in movies and we’re starting to veer away from this ‘Oh we have a plus size model’. They’re just starting to put us in stuff. We are the norm so why not just treat us as the norm?”
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Images: Emirates Woman, Instagram
