They said/We said: We weigh in on designers banning of underage models from walking during fashion week

By Bianca Teixeira

Ahem, pre-teens and teens, there’s one more place where you’re going to have to worry about getting carded: the runway. Fifteen and younger need not apply.

CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg has sent letters to her fellow designers asking them to demand a valid ID from every model walking in their shows to verify their age. Von Furstenberg was embarrassed last season after making a stink about only employing healthy 16-year-olds and then sending a 15-year-old Hailey Clauson down her own runway.

Two years ago, Michael Kors announced that he was not going to be hiring any models under 16. In a recent interview for the new issue of Interview Magazine, though, he mentions that a few models might have deceived him by lying about their age. Might not be much of a stretch, as agents have been known to fib about a model’s stats when it comes to their age, height, or weight.

With weigh-ins and measurement-taking at shows gaining in popularity to help prevent eating disorders, Von Furstenberg is hoping to set a new precedent with carding models as well.