This Model Just Wore a Breast Pump Down the Runway at London Fashion Week
It was just last week that Rihanna‘s Savage x Fenty show made headlines for including pregnant women in lingerie at its presentation. And then again for what happened immediately backstage, when model Slick Woods went into labor and had to be taken straight from the show to the hospital. Now, on the other side of the Atlantic, another new mom and model is making waves on the internet.
At London Fashion Week on Friday, a model wearing a breast pump strutted her way down the stage, reportedly making her the first model to do so.
The model, Valeria Garcia, was in the Marta Jakubowski Spring 2019 show after giving birth to her second child in June. Her outfit featured an open trouser suit with what appeared to be a black-and-white bra—or at least that’s what it seemed like at first.
PHOTO: Eamonn M. McCormack
See those white bra-insert-y objects? That’s the Elvie breast pump, which is being billed as the first-ever wearable device. It’s cleverly designed to sit under bra cups, and moms can use an app to control milk flow “silently and discreetly,” no matter where they might be (even at, say, a Fashion Week runway show). It’s definitely an advancement when it comes to breast pumps, as lots of new moms still deal with clunky, noisy pumping equipment.
But she’s not the first model to use her runway platform to break down the stigma around breastfeeding in public. Sports Illustrated model Mara Martin walked at the brand’s swimwear show during Miami Swim Week this year while breastfeeding her five-month-old baby.
“I can’t believe I am waking up to headlines with me and my daughter in them for doing something I do every day,” she posted on Instagram after the event. “It is truly so humbling and unreal to say the least. I’m so grateful to be able to share this message and hopefully normalize breastfeeding and also show others that women CAN DO IT ALL!”
There’s no word yet on when or for how much the Elvie will be on sale. But there is a wait list, and suffice to say, with this kind of publicity, it’s likely to get some very interested customers fast.
RELATED: Model Mara Martin Walked the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Show While Breastfeeding