Vogue breaks under age model rule

Julie Borawska has featured in Vogue despite being under 18. Photo / Fashionmodeldirectory.com

Vogue has violated its own health initiative by featuring a 15-year-old model.

The November issue of Vogue Mexico features 15-year-old Polish model Julie Borawska, which goes against the Vogue initiative that states that the magazine won't use models that are younger than 16.

Vogue Mexico's editor in chief Kelly Talamas says the magazine was not part of the casting process.

"[The magazine] did not cast any models for this shoot and was not involved in any manner with the production," Talamas told Fashionista.

Talamas says that Vogue purchased the story from photographer Kevin Sinclair, and the magazine has now contacted Sinclair to clarify why this has happened.

"I am aware of the age restrictions with Conde Nast. I was not aware the model was 15 years of age. When we communicated with her agency in Poland they never mentioned that she was so young. We were all under the impression that she was 18 years or older, not 15," Sinclair replied, reports Fashionista.

Vogue first went against the initiative when they used American model Ondria Hardin, who was also 15 at the time she was used for a shoot.

She featured in the August 2012 edition of Vogue China.

The magazine's editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung quickly apologised for violating the initiative's age restriction, and Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Conde Nast International, said the rule was being taken very seriously by the company and it would do "everything possible to prevent future errors".

But the problem occurred again a month later when another 15-year-old model, Sarah Kees, was used.

- Cover Media