Marks & Spencer (M&S) has teamed up with body casting artist, Lydia Reeves to create a ‘love your boobs’ art installation on London’s Southbank.

The installation was created as part of the brand’s ‘love your boobs, it starts with a bra fit’ campaign which aims to celebrate boob diversity and remove some of the unease that people associate with the bra-fitting process. With 2000 expert bra fitters helping more than 900,000 customers every year, the retailer is on a mission to normalise the uniqueness of boobs. 

The art installation, titled ‘Sixteen’, was created with the help of media agency Mindshare UK and featured artwork from female body casting artist, Lydia Reeves. The installation was made up of the chests of 16 M&S colleagues that were cast at Lydia’s studio in Brighton. 

The eight-metre square installation aimed to showcase a diverse cast of women across the M&S business, including Bra Fit experts and support centre colleagues, aged between 22 and 65. One woman featured underwent mastectomy surgery and another had a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstructive surgery to lower the chances of getting breast cancer due to family history. The compelling installation served as a reminder that all boobs are unique and encourages people to look after their own with a well-fitting bra.

To help bring the campaign to life authentically Mindshare worked with the Diversity Standards Collective, to help gain a better understanding of three core communities: black, transgender, and disabled people, who felt underrepresented when it came to their lingerie and bra-fitting needs.

The installation is also part of the brand's ongoing commitment to breast health. Last month M&S rolled out signage to more than 2,000 fitting rooms featuring  guidance on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer to raise awareness among its customers.