Essex woman with alopecia to model in London Fashion Week
She's hoping to raise awareness of her condition
A woman from Essex with alopecia will walk the runway during London Fashion Week to celebrate Alopecia Awareness Month and encourage others to embrace their baldness.
Laura Mathias, 31, from Manningtree, first began losing her hair aged 12, and has alopecia universalis, meaning she has no hair on her body.
She'll be making her runway debut on 17th September, walking for Unhidden, a fashion brand which specialises in adaptive and inclusive clothing for all, designed by Victoria Jenkins.
Laura told us she's nervous for the day to come around: "I think it will be one of those things that it will be terrifying in the moment, but I will be able to look back and say that I've walked at London Fashion Week and that I've been a model for the day!
"I spent so many years asking 'why me? Why did I lose my hair?' and thinking 'this sucks, I can't do this or that' but it was all in my head. It was me telling myself I couldn't do those things because I was a bald woman.
"Now, when someone asks me to do something crazy like model at London Fashion Week, I think why the hell not me as a big, chubby, bald eczma-y woman?
"Because I can see that I'm beautiful now thanks to designers, and friends, like Victoria, who are doing amazing work to campaign for better inclusion."
She's hoping her actions will inspire others with alopecia to embrace the condition: "I was a lurker on social media two years ago, looking for inspiration from other people with alopecia and thinking I'll never be able to leave my house without my wig...
"Now I've gone so much further than the goals I set myself. I still have more goals to reach for my everyday confidence, but by doing out there things like this, I find that is really helping me step up my confidence.
"I love the idea that a girl or boy at the start of their alopecia journey will see me and think: 'wow, she looks great and she's doing that - so I can too'."
September is also Alopecia Awareness month, which Laura describes as "perfect timing", as she's using the catwalk to help make alopecia more visible in the mainstream: "I don't want to be a model and I don't even want to be an influencer.
"It's not about money and it's not necessarily about fashion. For me, it's about raising awareness of Alopecia and building my confidence - I'm being selfish in this as well!
"I have felt like I can't exist how I want to for nearly two decades because I'm a bald woman and I'm so done with that!
"This Alopecia Awareness Month, I'm trying hard to do things like this. I'm just going for one of the scariest possible things I can think of - walking down a catwalk in front of loads of fashionistas - and going for it head on - why not?"