±±¾©Èü³µpk10

The brand has recruited four women of different ages to act as brand ambassadors and appear in press ads, which will be rolled out across titles including Red, InStyle, The Times and The Sunday Times Style next month.

The ads show the women wearing LK Bennett footwear, clothing and accessories in a variety of working environments, alongside the strapline "Life is the occasion". The images were shot by fashion photographer Anders Overgaard.

The above-the-line advertising will be supported by digital activity, including a dedicated campaign website that will feature videos of the brand ambassadors.

The retailer will also be inviting consumers to sign up to become the face of its next campaign.

LK Bennett is the latest brand to embrace the notion that featuring real women in its marketing campaigns will allow it to connect better with female consumers.

Other advertisers that have rejected heavily airbrushed models in favour of more relatable and authentic casting include Dove, Pretty Polly and Ultimo.

LK Bennett’s youngest brand ambassador, Anna, is a 26-year-old senior geophysicist who claims to spend her time studying the subsurface of the planet. She is pictured working at Klive Beach in Somerset.

Similarly, Gaby, a 39-year-old literary editor and author, is shown in her offices in London’s Notting Hill, while Lydia, an artist and set designer, poses  at Giffords Circus, run by her family in Gloucestershire. The final brand ambassador Helen, a 36-year-old chartered surveyor, is pictured on a development site in East London.

Brands using "real women"

Dove

The Unilever brand’s much-copied "±±¾©Èü³µpk10 for Real Beauty" pioneered the use of everyday women, rather than models.

Nike

The sports brand ran a cam-paign in the US featuring women’s body parts with lines such as "My butt is big".

Pretty Polly

The tights brand was involved in ITV2's 'Coleen’s Real Women', based on a search for non-professional models to front marketing campaigns.

Ultimo

Having used celebrities in ads in the past, the underwear brand has opted for non-professional models for its latest campaign.