Ad Standards has dismissed a complaint against Sydney label Redrew Clothing over an Instagram carousel for its Willow Dress, finding the advertising did not present an unhealthy or unrealistic body image as aspirational.
The Community Panel handed down the decision on 26 August, ruling the post did not breach section 2.6 of the AANA Code of Ethics, which covers health and safety.
The complaint concerned a four-image organic post published to the brand's account on 16 May, captioned "The Willow Dress. Designed for the modern woman." The complainant argued the label consistently used a model who appeared unhealthily underweight, and that the advertising promoted an unrealistic body ideal to young audiences.
Redrew, which designs and manufactures in Sydney, rejected the characterisation.
Its submission argued slimness alone was not the test, and that the question under the Practice Note was whether the advertising portrayed a body shape unattainable through healthy practices. The label said the model was fully clothed across all four frames in a structured, high-necked garment, that no frame cropped to the ribcage, waist or hips and that the caption referred to the garment rather than to weight or body shape.
The brand also confirmed the campaign was shot and edited in house, with no retouching applied to the model's body. The only processing was colour and exposure grading applied uniformly to each image. The model was a friend of the label rather than an agency-engaged professional.
On the allegation of a pattern, Redrew told the Panel the posts complained of featured different women of different builds. It pointed to a swimwear campaign shot in September 2024 on a model with an athletic build, a Jessica Dress campaign in April 2025 featuring a model of a fuller build and an Apollonia Dress campaign shot on a further body type. Its garments are produced in standard Australian sizes XS to XL.
The Panel assessed each image individually. A minority considered the first frame accentuated the model's slender build through prominent collarbones and the taper of the dress at the hips. The majority found this an inherent consequence of the garment's construction that would be visible on larger models. A minority also took issue with the fourth frame, where the angle and the position of the model's arm were considered to emphasise thinness. The majority put that down to the composition of the shot rather than an attempt to present an unrealistic body type.
The Panel noted its role is not to determine whether a model is healthy, only whether the advertising promotes an unhealthy or unrealistic body image, and that the use of someone who looks different to an average person is not in itself grounds for a breach.
Body image rulings have tightened the compliance picture for local labels. Ad Standards upheld a complaint against Bec + Bridge in September 2025 over a website banner, with the Panel weighing pose, make-up, lighting and photography style in reaching its decision. The asset was discontinued.
The Willow Dress retails at $745 in ivory silk and is sold direct through the label's own site.