In 2008, the fashion industry faced a reckoning over the startling lack of diversity among the models on major design runways. That same year Franca Sozzani, the editor of Italian Vogue, published a provocative issue featuring only black models; Diane von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, urged members to be more aware of diversity in casting; Vogue published a substantial article in its July 2008 issue that asked, in the headlines, “Is fashion racist?”
Since then, almost nothing has changed. Paradoxically, fashion is always looking for what’s new, but the industry’s principles are deeply outdated. Last October, Business of Fashion reported that, of the 3,875 models used over the course of September’s Fashion Month, only 797 were models of color. That means that about 79.4 percent of models used were white. Asian, Black, and Middle Eastern models all saw a minor bump in castings from previous seasons while the number of nonwhite Latina models decreased from 2.9 percent for fall to 2.6 percent for spring. This is hardly the first time a reputable industry source has published such a report, and every time it happens, all of the guilty parties point to each other in a circle of blame. Designers say that casting directors only pick thin white models, casting directors say the agencies only send them thin white models, and the agencies say that designers only want thin white models. Everyone assumes the prejudice lies somewhere else. Casting agents, modeling agencies, and major design brands staunchly believe that there is no race problem because they “already have their black girl.” Time and time again, runways return to the same models of color, so few in the history of modern fashion who were able to break through that it’s easy to name them: Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Beverly Johnson, and Pat Cleveland in the past, and Cindy Bruna, Lineisy Montero, Imaan Hammam, and Jourdan Dunn now. This almost feels like an insult when I see the standard two models of color in succession at shows -- as if the designer is checking off a box marked “inclusiveness.” People think in cliches and they find a few people safe; designers rotate between only the select few because they’re continually safe, which lowers the opportunity for others. Jourdan Dunn and Imaan Hammam might be safe for designers, but safety is bad for fashion and for diversity. Luxury fashion customers are more diverse than ever, but on catwalks and magazine covers, white models still dominate. Why doesn’t the industry reflect its consumer base? Achieving a fair and attainable market for our chosen skin from its roots on the runway can only happen if the whole industry works together. The industry is driven by artistic expression, but also by a bigger force that looms over all called profit. Once designers realize that they’re missing out on a market and not serving that clientele, and that other companies have an advantage because they’re addressing that market, then we will start to see correction. http://www.vogue.com/13263763/bethann-hardison-interview-diversity-on-the-runways/
2 Comments
Robby
12/16/2016 11:15:07 am
Very thoughtful response to representation in the fashion/modeling industry. I love your comment about how the different arms of the industry point to one another while trying to avoid being labeled as racist, rather than coming together to create better systems that can truly address the problem. And you're right, even if they are looking at profits rather than just representation, it would be to their benefit to include more diverse models. Yet another form of systemic discrimination that those in power cannot quite grasp.
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