Debenhams: We don't 'airbrush' models

MANILA, Philippines - London-based fashion retailer and department store Debenhams, which has branches in the Philippines, said on Thursday that they do not retouch models' images to make them look unrealistically flawless.

Sharon Webb, Debenhams' head of lingerie buying and design, said in a statement that the store only employs minimal digital photography tricks and does not release perfect images of lingerie models.

"As a rule we only airbrush minor things like pigmentation or stray hair and rely on the natural beauty of models to make our product look great," Webb said.

Webb added that the campaign aims to prevent contributing to the prevailing trend of making consumers feel insecure by using "false comparisons."

"We want to help customers feel confident about their figures without bombarding them with unattainable body images," she said.

Webb also admitted that the retailing company also saves money by not spending too much time retouching images.

"As well as being a positive from a moral point of view, it ticks the economic boxes as well. Millions of pounds a year are spent by organizations retouching perfectly good images," the Debenhams official said.

Lingerie designer Aliza Reger, whose fashion line Debenhams sells, said that the models themselves already look good making "trickery" through digital imaging software unnecessary.

"Hopefully this act will demonstrate that products such as lingerie modeled by real women who have not been retouched can sell just as well as products advertised with extensive airbrushing, which has become the norm," Reger said.

The company, however, failed to mention whether they employ the practice in images for other products besides those of their lingerie department.

Debenhams is the second largest department store chain in the UK.