Caryn Franklin

Caryn Franklin MBE (born 11 January 1959) is a British fashion and identity commentator and visiting professor of diverse selfhood. She was former fashion editor and co-editor of i-D magazine in the 1980s and long-time presenter of BBC television's The Clothes Show from 1986 to 1998. She has been a commentator on fashion, image and identity politics for more than 40 years. She regularly blogs from her website.

Background

Franklin has always been interested in the politics of image and self-esteem as well as straight fashion. Her reporting has involved refugees in battle zones, workers in free-trade-zone slums as well as high end creators. In a variety of projects she has collaborated with mental health experts, MPs and government ministers as well as fashion industry innovators. She has contributed to many national newspapers, books and magazines including editing the i-D Bible part two. She has five books to her name, including a novel.

Personal life

She has two daughters, Mateda Phoenix and Roseby Ottoline, and is married to BAFTA-winner and RTS award-winning filmmaker Ian Denyer. Mateda's father was the award-winning script writer of Young Soul Rebels Mandu Saldaan, who died in 2014 as a result of Multiple Sclerosis complications.

In 2013, Franklin was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to diversity and positive body image in the fashion industry.