Women’s fashion retailer Jacob is implementing a ‘what you see is what you get’ policy with its new fall campaign.

From now on, the Montreal-based, family-run company will not retouch images of models in both its Jacob and Jacob Lingerie brands. The policy took effect in mid-August, around the same time that Jacob unveiled a new brand positioning that brought the Jacob and Jacob Connection banners under one roof. The reason the policy – which the women’s fashion brand intends to be a long-term commitment – is being implemented, says Cristelle Basmaji, spokesperson and communications director, Jacob, is to promote a healthy, honest and realistic image of the female body, a reflection of feedback received from customers and store employees..

‘We’ve always been on the more moderate side of the industry in terms of retouching, but we decided that it was time to go a step further,’ says Basmaji. ‘We really believe that, in terms of marketing strategy, this is going to help differentiate us from the competition and really reflect our values, which have always been about respecting women, respecting our customers and supporting women’s causes.’

Jacob admits, however, that some aspects of photos will continue to be retouched in order to calibrate colours for better product representation, even out skin tones or erase tattoos and scars. Images from the retailer’s fall campaign are currently being displayed in windows of Jacob and Jacob Lingerie stores across Canada, but a campaign that will featuring a significant ad buy is being planned for an October launch.