London Fashion week could be buying into size zero culture

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Miss Renton, the founder of the first self-styled "ethical" modelling agency - described the BFC’s decision as "weak" and "embarrassing" and called on the London Development Agency (LDA) to withdraw its £4.5 million funding for the event.

"I am sorely disappointed by the decision, it was very weak of the BFC," said Miss Renton. "I think the LDA should pull its funding for London Fashion Week. It is totally wrong that public money is funding something that is clearly unhealthy and I have written to the LDA to tell them this.

"Introducing those health checks would have helped in tackling the size zero issue - I find it embarrassing that we are not even giving it a go. Unless the recommendations are actually enforced, they are just gimmicky sound bites."

Last year, the BFC, which organises London Fashion Week, introduced rules that all catwalk models at this year’s event provide "good health" certificates signed by doctors with expertise in recognising eating disorders, to prove they are not too thin or unhealthy to work.

The requirement was one of 14 recommendations, including a ban on models under 16, published by the BFC’s model health inquiry, chaired by the Labour peer Baroness Kingsmill and set up to safeguard the health and wellbeing of models.