Bluebella has staged its most daring lingerie campaign yet, sending 19 models to strut their stuff in skimp smalls on one of London’s busiest junctions.
But bosses feared they would have to scrap their ‘Dare To Bare’ campaign – which involved 19 fans of the brand criss-crossing the street in its award-winning lingerie – when police arrived.
But once the two officers realised the women were only posing for the cameras in the road when the green man was flashing, they gave it the all-clear and the fun-loving Met pair even posed with the lingerie wearing group.
Bluebella organised the show early in the morning to minimise congestion ahead of London Fashion Week which starts on Friday 15th September.
The ‘models’ included a medical PA, a company boss, four students, two actors, a musician and two writers.
Emily Bendell, Bluebella chief executive, said: ‘We put out an appeal on Instagram and were amazed at the response with many of the women posing to overcome body confidence issues.’
Two Metropolitan Police officers join in the fun with the Bluebella models on a catwalk shoot at Oxford Circus
Bluebella’s ‘Dare To Bare’ models taking part in the walk after volunteering for the show
Visual merchandiser Lexi Brown, 26, from Beckenham, Kent, had lost two-and-a-half stone after suffering from ulcerative colitis, which is similar to Crohn’s Disease.
She said: ‘This is a great way to get some confidence back. I was a little nervous but it was brilliant fun.
‘I play roller derby, like rugby on rollerskates, for Kent and still play despite my condition. I hope to try out for Team England next year.’
Rachel Atherley-King, 23, a physiotherapy student at Brunel University in West London, said: ‘It was a confidence test for me. I wanted to see if I had the guts to stand in the middle of London in my underwear.
Nineteen fans of Bluebella criss-crossing the busy junction in its award-winning lingerie
One of the models lost two-and-a-half stone after suffering from ulcerative colitis and wanted to get her confidence back
‘I have had anxiety issues in the past where I didn’t do anything and I thought this was a good way of properly testing if I have overcome them. I think I have.’
The youngest model was Chilli McCormack, 18, a make-up worker from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
She said: ‘I’ve loved Bluebella for a long time – it all about empowering women and its model always have strong, unique looks. It was a lot of fun and people’s reactions were great.’
Cheyanne March, 24, a medical PA from South East London, said: ‘I wanted to challenge my inner naughtiness. I was nervous but excited.’
The ‘models’ included a medical PA, a company boss, four students, two actors, a musician and two writers
Police joined in the fun when a lingerie brand staged a sexy catwalk show at Londonís Oxford Circus
Bluebella chief executive Emily Bendell thanked the police for being such good sports.
She said: ‘We have the best police in the world. The officers had some initial concerns about the safety of the models, but once they knew we were being sensible they were good fun.’
‘All the women were amazing on the day. We only had 26 seconds for each take while the green man was flashing, so we had to be super quick.
Some of the models volunteered because they’ve struggled with anxiety in the past and wanted a confidence boost
‘We had a brilliant response from the public who were cheering all the girls.
‘The girls perfectly represented our diverse and sassy Instagram family and they all looked incredible.
‘We have a history of shoots demonstrating both our commitment to celebrating diversity in beauty and of celebrating the city around us and this was the most exciting yet.’
Move over Victoria’s Secret! The amateur models showed off their fabulous figures in barely there lingerie
Student Samantha Higgins in lead as Bluebella’s Dare To Bare models cross Oxford Circus with onlookers taking pictures
Bendell picked Oxford Circus for the shoot because the diagonal paths on the crossing are similar to a catwalk.
She said: ‘We are very much a London brand and are constantly inspired by the city around us and this is an iconic London landmark, so it seemed like a great fit.’
Bluebella, one of the world’s fastest growing lingerie labels, raised £1 million through crowd-funding last year to drive rapid global expansion, particularly in America.Bendell got the idea for Bluebella when she was studying at Oxford University and struggled to find fashion-led luxe lingerie at affordable prices.