00:00 These models are preparing for a photo shoot in a park in Rome, but they're quite unique.
00:07 Albino sisters Matilda and Angelica Aureli have been hired by the Italian modelling agency
00:13 Imperfetta, which has set itself the goal of changing popular beliefs of what constitutes
00:19 beauty.
00:22 We don't have fixed criteria for weight, origin, skin colour or height. Talent is the only
00:28 thing that matters in selecting our models.
00:32 For years now, some quarters of the fashion industry have sought to stand out by introducing
00:37 more diversity and challenging the idea that models must be tall, thin and as flawless
00:43 as possible. Raising eyebrows with models that stand out from the crowd is the essence
00:48 of this agency's brand.
00:50 When I was a kid, people would touch my hair to see if it was real or a wig.
00:58 As an aspiring model, Benny Malungu had to overcome many difficult hurdles before he
01:05 was hired by the Imperfetta agency.
01:09 They told me that I had to do something with my skin because it wasn't right or I had to
01:14 cut my hair because it wasn't presentable for the clients or I had to lose weight.
01:21 In recent years, many labels have begun using larger-sized models to advertise their clothing.
01:28 But at recent shows in Milan, Paris and New York City, size zero appears to be back.
01:38 Almost all the models were extraordinarily thin.
01:42 Is the body positivity trend out once again? Was it all just a publicity move?
01:47 Paris fashion journalist Vix Foster wasn't surprised at this latest development.
01:52 Today, practically every show has to have at least one or two oversized models. It's
01:59 all this trend and fashion of inclusivity, of course, diversity. It's also a little bit
02:06 of a greenwashing at times.
02:10 When you look in the stores and if you ask for a huge size, they don't have it. They
02:16 really have, yes, large and maybe extra large, but then they don't have XXXL.
02:23 It may be a trend, but it has had an effect on the industry's image of beauty. Models
02:29 of different ethnicities are more popular than ever. It's also more common for magazines
02:34 to feature models with disabilities or ones that are older.
02:37 Is this trend going to continue? I think it's going to continue, but maybe not as much as
02:44 the press and social media is making out of it.
02:48 That may be the case, but the Imperfetta agency has steadily landed more contracts since they
02:53 started in 2020.
02:56 At first it was very difficult because the labels were only used to working with one
03:03 type of model. But gradually more and more labels are realizing the importance of better
03:08 representing their customers.
03:15 It's no longer only the labels that decide what's attractive and trendy. Now consumers
03:21 are having a say. The next generation is part of a changing society that values diversity
03:28 and they want models who reflect these times.
03:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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