FED:14-year-old Polish girl to model for Australian Fashion Week

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2008
FED:14-year-old Polish girl to model for Australian Fashion Week

SYDNEY, April 11 AAP - The decision to fly a 14-year-old Polish girl to Sydney to model
in Australian Fashion Week (AFW) has been defended by the event organisers.

Monika Jagaciak has previously fronted a campaign for French fashion house Hermes and
been photographed in a white swimsuit being sprayed by a shower jet.

But while AFW is promoting Jagaciak as the next big thing, underage modelling remains
a highly contentious issue.

London Fashion Week has banned under-16-year-olds from its catwalks and, in France,
a licence is required before an under-16-year-old can model.

No such licence is required in Australia, but there was a public outcry when 12-year-old
Maddison Gabriel won a Gold Coast fashion competition last year.

AFW founder Simon Lock was unrepentant about bringing Jagaciak to Australia.

"The designers love these models as coat hangers for their clothes," Mr Lock told News Limited.

"They don't want to exploit their sexuality in any way whatsoever."

AFW requires any model under school-leaving age to have written permission from their
parents and/or guardians and permission from their school principal.

Models must also be chaperoned by a representative of a reputable agency.

AAP vpm/jl

KEYWORD: MODEL

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