By ninemsn staff
An Australian designer's search for models that look like "everyday Australians" has reportedly created controversy at a Melbourne fashion week.
Against the advice of the event's organisers, MaraJoara designer Leesa Fogarty put out a call for ordinary Aussie women to model her swimwear.
But it seems the women she chose were too real for organisers of the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week.
"We wanted to cast everyday Australians because they're the ones that are going to buy our swimwear," Fogarty was quoted as saying in the
Herald Sun.
The organisers allegedly told Fogarty her everyday models — who were set to appear in the event's closing show — were putting the parade in jeopardy.
"They had [other] models on standby," Fogarty said.
"They said our models weren't the quality that Australian Fashion Week would want behind it."
Fashion week organisers denied suggesting Fogarty's models were too fat.
Simon Lock, managing director of IMG Fashion Asia Pacific which operates the week, told National Nine News his company would never interfere with what a designer wanted to do.
"The were unprofessional models and we were a little bit concerned about the way they were walking, the way they were posing and some of their antics."
"We are not here to criticise, or comment on the collections."
Despite the controversy, the show did go on and the smiling everyday models triumphed.
"Someone said this week is anorexia week on the runway," Fogarty said.
"You need to set real examples and what a woman should look like. We stayed true to the brand with our show."
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