in brief: fashion line uses women PhDs rather than traditional models

Online clothing store, Betabrand, have wowed the public by advertising their spring collection through women with doctorates, rather than traditional models.

To find models, the site sent out a request via social media. Sixty PhDs and doctoral candidates replied. Betabrand founder Chris Lindland said, ‘When you look beyond the ranks of the professionally beautiful, photography becomes a lot more fun.’

And the women look gorgeous. Each shot features a model either smiling, posing happily, or (my personal favourite) reading a book. Included is a short by-line about the model and her field of expertise.

‘Our designers cooked up a collection of smart fashions for spring, so why not display them on the bodies of women with really big brains?’ said Lindland.

After reading about the brand’s recent shoot, fist-pumping and manically smiling, I had a look into the company’s history.

Betabrand is funded through crowdsourcing and their designs are sent in by the public. Rather than creating an image that people should like, they do it the other way around.

As their website says:

‘Our customers are our models. Our customers are our designers. Our customers are helping us build a brand unlike any other.’

And it’s a great idea. I know I’d love to see more unconventional modelling like this in the future. Let’s hope that Betabrand continue promoting diversity in their shoots. In the meantime, I’ll be buying a pair of their dress sweatpants.