Model Behavior: Is It Actually 'Embarrassing' To Fall On The Runway?

Embarrassing. Faceplant. Nasty spill. Candica Swanepoel’s recent fall during New York Fashion Week’s Givenchy Spring/Summer 2016 show garnered attention from major news outlets. Footage of the incident does not show whether Ms. Swanepoel’s left or right foot failed her, but she went down nonetheless, bracing for the fall by placing her hands in front of her body. Why does this happen so often in fashion? And should models find it “embarrassing”?

“I think there are two major factors as to why models frequently fall, and it is the shoes and the runway,” fashion consultant Jeanette Fabre told Patch. “Usually both are created in a way that are meant to compliment the theme or mood that the creative director is trying to portray for that particular collection.”

Fabre, who is a featured contributor to the feminist website Femsplain and a graduate of LIM College with a degree in fashion merchandising, went on to say, “As you can imagine, those elements are priority over how functional the set or architecture of the shoes may be.”

A quick online search for ‘models falling on the runway’ will show you that this sort of incident is well-documented. The top YouTube result is ‘Model Fail Compilation 2012-2013.’

Look no further than the exact same Givenchy show at which Ms. Swanepoel fell. Model Pooja Mor, walking that same runway, also dropped to the ground.

“Models falling is often expected along with the other things that could go wrong at a fashion show like accidental nudity or a model walking the wrong way,” Fabre said. “The industry and media are almost conditioned to expect to see this happen every season.”

The Givenchy show had other important considerations beyond the safety of the models. Art director Marina Abramovic created the stage from recycled materials, making the runway environmentally friendly.

“I could only imagine that these materials only made it easier for [Ms. Swanepoel] to fall,” Fabre said. “The wood could have been unfinished, or maybe wasn’t completely level because it was constructed on recycled materials. Yet, the concept of having a runway that is fully deconstruct-able was the main concern for the construction of the runway.”

From a health perspective, at least, the situation does not seem dire.

“Although it is concerning that models often fall, to my knowledge there has never been more than minor injuries that follows them,” Fabre said. “For that reason, I can’t really ever see the industry changing its strong focus on aesthetics.”