Kering, the parent company Airbourne Rock N Roll Newcastle Event T-shirt . that owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and more, has announced a new company policy that all models hired must be over the age of 18, effective 2020. The undeveloped bodies of teenage models have long been viewed as aspirational within the fashion industry (creepy!) and this appears to be a step in the right direction towards representation that more accurately reflects the brand’s customer base.

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We believe that we have a responsibility to put forward the best possible practices in the luxury sector and we hope to create a movement that will encourage others to follow suit,” François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering told WWD Airbourne Rock N Roll Newcastle Event T-shirt . Then, in a bizarrely catty move, LVMH announced they “would not be following suit.” Antoine Arnault, the LVMH’s head of communication and image, said “Let’s not kid ourselves: It’s not because one group bans these models that they will stop working. On the contrary, we provide them with a protected environment, so I am totally against this ban on models aged under 18.” He then cited Kaia Gerber as a reason to continue employing 16-year-old models. Okay, bro. The move marks a rift in the charter signed by both rival companies in 2017 that was the result of both companies drawing up a charter of industry standards to protect models. At the time, both companies agreed banned the employment of models Away, the sleeker-than-thou direct-to-consumer suitcase brand, just received a rather significant cash infusion to the tune of $100 million in Series D investment. “What is Series D investment?”, those who don’t speak startup might be asking. Well, it refers to the stage of maturity a startup is at; investments that come at the very beginning of a startups tenure are called seed investments while Series D reflects that Away has already been running a successful business for three years. According to a press release, Away reached $12 million in sales in its first 12 months, grew to $150 million in sales in 2018, and is projected to double its sales in 2019. “This new capital will further fuel our plans to fully build a global community of passionate travelers, and equip them with every product they need to travel more seamlessly,” said Jen Rubio, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer, said in a statement