Caryn Franklin

Caryn Franklin is a British fashion journalist, broadcaster, and activist known for her influential work in fashion, identity, and body image. Born in London in 1959, she has spent over four decades exploring how fashion shapes self-expression, confidence, and social attitudes. She began her career in the early 1980s as a fashion editor and later co-editor of i-D magazine, where she helped shape contemporary fashion media. She went on to become widely known as a presenter on the BBC’s The Clothes Show, which she hosted from 1986 to 1998, bringing fashion into mainstream television and reaching a large audience.

Beyond television, Franklin has worked across multiple areas of the industry, including writing, producing documentaries, and contributing to major publications. Her work often goes beyond style and trends, focusing instead on the politics of image, identity, and self-esteem, and how these are influenced by media and culture. A major part of her career has been dedicated to activism. She co-founded the initiative All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, which promotes diversity and challenges narrow beauty standards in the fashion industry. She has also supported campaigns related to body confidence, ethical fashion, and sustainability, working with organisations, governments, and educational institutions.

Franklin is also involved in education and is a visiting professor at Kingston School of Art, where she teaches and speaks about identity, inclusivity, and representation. Her academic work, including a master’s degree in applied psychology, informs her approach to understanding how fashion affects people psychologically and socially. In recognition of her contributions to diversity and positive body image in fashion, she was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2013. Today, Caryn Franklin continues to write, speak, and campaign, using fashion as a platform to promote inclusivity, challenge stereotypes, and encourage a broader understanding of identity and self-worth.