Size 12 Model Picked For Swimwear Modeling Gig

Lauren Moller - www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk

In what can be seen as a clear statement to the fashion world amidst the raging size zero debate, store chain John Lewis has hired size 12 model Lauren Moller to be the face and body of its new swimwear ad campaign.

Moller, who is from Cape Town, South Africa, has a 26-inch waist, a 34C bust, 37.5-inch hips, and a BMI, or body mass index, of 19.8, just above the minimum BMI set by organizers of London Fashion Week for models. That means John Lewis played it safe, choosing a model who can hardly be called size zero.

John Lewis public relations manager Mark Forsyth said modelling agencies contacted by the chain said size 12 was considered a "plus size".

He said clothing sizes still varied between UK stores.

"It is very difficult to quantify exactly what a size 12 is. It shows you the kind of tyranny of trying to fit into one size group because it doesn't really mean very much as they're so different for different brands," he said.

According to John Lewis, a survey they conducted among its customers revealed that women size 12 and up have purchased about 80% of its swimwear, thus the decision to hire the curvy Moller for the campaign.

The South African model will be wearing a range of bikinis, swimsuits and sarongs for the John Lewis swimwear pictures, which will appear in branches of the store chain and other promotional materials.