We Speak Fashion

Fashion’s Two Giants Raise the Bar: LVMH and Kering Set 18 as the Minimum Age to Model Adult Fashion

Published

2 weeks ago

October 12, 2026

Fashion’s two biggest luxury groups have jointly raised the floor on how young a model can be. LVMH and Kering released a joint statement on October 8, 2026, strengthening the charter on working relations with models that the two groups first introduced in 2017 — and setting the minimum age for models representing adults in fashion shows and photo shoots at 18.

The change lands differently at each house. Kering first set an 18 floor in May 2019, effective 2020, while LVMH’s previous minimum, set in 2017, was 16 — so the update extends Kering’s policy across both groups and raises LVMH’s. The new requirements take effect from Paris Fashion Week in 2027.

The revised charter also establishes a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment, abuse and violence, particularly gender-based and sexual violence. Scenes involving nudity or partial nudity get stricter safeguards: prior formal agreement, dedicated spaces, and a guarantee that a model in those conditions is never left alone with a member of the production team.

Beyond the runway, the groups committed to training for brands, agencies and teams involved in castings and productions, strengthened reporting procedures guaranteeing anonymity and protection for witnesses, and unannounced workplace checks and audits beginning next year. The charter also reinforces inclusion and non-discrimination commitments in model selection, while recognising brands’ artistic freedom.

“Nearly ten years later, it is our responsibility to go further,” said Kering’s Marie-Claire Daveu, calling the respect, safety and dignity of models “non-negotiable.” LVMH’s Antoine Arnault said model protection is “a commitment shared by all players in the industry — brands, agencies, casting directors and models themselves.”

Because the two groups sit at the top of the luxury market, their joint standards tend to become the industry’s standards: an age floor, a harassment policy with anonymous reporting, and audits to check compliance now form a single baseline that agencies and casting teams working with either group will have to meet when the charter takes effect at Paris Fashion Week in 2027.

We Speak Fashion

L’Oréal Powers Past the Beauty Market: €35.33 Billion in Nine Months as Salon and Derm Brands Lead

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

We Speak Media

The world’s largest beauty company is growing faster than the market it leads. L’Oréal reported sales of €35.33 billion for the first nine months of 2026, up 6.9% like-for-like and 7.7% as reported, in a statement released on October 22. Third-quarter sales reached €11.56 billion, up 7.2% like-for-like.

CEO Nicolas Hieronimus called it “an exceptional third quarter,” saying the global beauty market “once again proved its resilience” and that L’Oréal “continued to significantly outpace it” — company commentary put the wider market’s growth at roughly 5% for the quarter.

The quarter’s heavy lifting came from the group’s two professional-facing divisions. Professional Products — home to Kérastase, Redken and L’Oréal Professionnel — sold €1,469.1 million in Q3, up 12.1% like-for-like, while Dermatological Beauty (La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals) sold €1,871.6 million, up 12.2%. L’Oréal Luxe added €4,176.6 million (+6.4%) and Consumer Products €4,044.3 million (+4.3%), as fragrances and haircare drove growth, skincare continued to accelerate, and e-commerce sales grew around 17% — well ahead of the online beauty market.

The brand highlights told the same story. Kérastase grew double-digit, powered by Gloss Absolu, Genesis and Chronologiste; La Roche-Posay launched Mela B3 Double-Dose and Anthelios UV Air; Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre and MYSLF fragrances grew double-digit; and the newly acquired fragrance house Creed performed strongly.

Regionally, SAPMENA-SSA was the standout at +19.2% like-for-like, followed by Europe at +9.9% and North Asia at +7.8%; North America grew 2.2% (5.6% adjusted), and Latin America was the only region to decline, down 1.0%. During the period L’Oréal also closed its acquisition of a majority stake in Innovist, a digital-first Indian personal care house of brands — a results statement that underlines a simple point: at €35 billion in nine months, L’Oréal is not just leading the beauty business, it is widening the gap.