TV and radio presenter Jameela Jamil is leading the search for fresh face to front a new campaign by Manchester plus-size fashion brand Simply Be.
The retailer will be casting for curvy models at its Manchester Arndale store next month as part of a nationwide hunt for the next big thing.
Jameela, who was the first woman to present Radio 1’s chart show and has also made a name for herself as a body confidence campaigner, said: “Women battle with body confidence on a daily basis and isn’t made easier with the constant barrage of images we see portraying the ‘perfect body’.
“I’m excited to be in involved in finding an amazing new curvy model that can represent the majority of British women. Fashion is for everyone, it’s not just for skinny girls.”
The winner of the #CatwalkContender competition will appear in the store’s Christmas campaign as well as bagging a modelling contract with Milk Model Management.
Simply Be’s head of brand, Cath Ryan, who will join Jameela on the judging panel, said: “As a retailer who caters for women sized 12 to 32, we have always photographed our clothing on curvy women – but the pool of models is so narrow that we’ve decided to ask women of the UK to help us usher in a new wave of women that can help us change the face of fashion.
“We all see beautiful women on streets of the UK daily who could easily have a successful career in modelling, but they think that their size is a barrier. The truth is that the industry is starting to change, but we need women to help us drive through this change quicker.”
Also lending their experience to the panel are Milk managing director and former curve model Anna Shillinglaw and Cosmopolitan magazine’s fashion director Shelly Vella.
The Manchester casting will take place on Friday, July 10. Would-be models can also enter online by tweeting or Instagramming a full-length picture to @Simplybeuk using the hashtag #CatwalkContender.
Entrants must be a size 12 or over and least 5ft 8ins tall and should wear something that will define their shape. Hair should be worn down, but away from the face, with minimal, natural make-up.
The winner will also get £1,000 to spend at Simply Be, a 12-month subscription to Cosmopolitan and a goody bag worth £150. For more information about how to enter go to Simply Be’s website.