Fashion: A Racist Industry
Fashion is all around us especially in Manhattan. Living in New York City, we have access to some truly amazing fashion. New Yorkers probably pass thousands of clothing stores everyday. Walk down Fifth Avenue and what do you see? Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Michael Kors, and more. However, Fifth Avenue is not the only attraction that draws hundreds of fashion lovers to this bustling city. Held twice a year in Manhattan, New York Fashion Week, also known as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, is one of four major fashion weeks in the world. In September, fashion week features the hottest, upcoming spring styles while in February, it showcases the must-have fall trends. Designers, stylists, celebrities and hundreds of fashion enthusiasts gather in Lincoln Center, previously Bryant Park, to participate in these beautiful runway shows.
Although thousands of people attend New York Fashion Week to view the latest and greatest fashion craze, I doubt many of them notice the models beyond their beauty. How many attendees have noted the models’ ethnicities? While fashion week attract fashionistas from all parts of the world, the actual runway shows do not. In today’s society, many people are still discriminated against based on the color of their skin and models are no exception. As seen on the runways of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, the fashion industry continues to favor the Caucasian models and lack ethnic diversity.
New York Fashion Week began in 1943 during World War I. Because of the fighting in France, many fashion editors and journalists could not travel to Paris for Paris Fashion Week. In response, Eleanor Lambert, a prominent fashion publicist, seized the opportunity to make New York a household name the fashion industry by assembling a showcase. Press Week, its original name, displayed the American inspired clothing of fifty-three American designers to an audience consisting of editors, national and regional media. In no time, New York City became a fashion capital with its own fashion week twice every year.
Although New York City quickly rose to fame in the world of fashion, the progress for black models has been slow. Nearly fifty years ago, Donyale Luna became the first-ever black supermodel. Luna was praised for her unique beauty and personality; however, today, she is often forgotten. Since then, models such as Kinee Diouf, Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, Chanel Iman have paved the way for African American models. Even though black models have made a name for themselves in modeling, white models are still dominant in this industry and are sometimes even painted black in photographs and runway shows.
Despite the movement away from the racist actions such as blackface, the lack of diversity is still a major issue in the world of fashion especially at New York Fashion Week. Although more ethnic women are casted in these shows, the numbers are just barely improving. For New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2014 Season Show, approximately eighty percent of models are white, eight percent Asian, eight percent Black, and three percent Hispanic. In comparison to last season’s show, the percentage of white models has decreased three percent while the percentage of black models has increased two percent, Hispanic models one percent, and Asian models has dropped one percent. Although designers such as Zac Posen and Diana von Furstenberg use thirty percent or more non-white models in their shows, other designers such as Victoria Beckham and Lacoste still only show zero to three looks on non-white models.
Despite the small improvement in numbers, black models still often lose jobs or opportunities when designer complete their “black quota.” African American models such as Joan Smalls and Chanel Iman have openly admitted repeatedly being told, “there’s only room for one” or “we already have one black model so we don’t need you.” Recently, Iman joined fellow model Naomi Campbell and veteran model Bethann Hardison in a movement, called Balance Diversity, to increase the number of black models on the runways. In their open letter to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the models stated the racism within the fashion industry and called out big named designers such as Donna Karen and Calvin Klein for using one to no black models in their previous fashion show. Although all the top designers, after reading their letter, used at least one black model in the most recent New York Fashion Week shows, there still remains a lack of diversity among the runways of fashion week.
In response to the lack of diversity on the runways, top casting directors explained that models are casted not based on their skin color but based on the vision of the designers for their collections. Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna, directors of major fashion brands such as Gucci and Burberry, claimed that models were chosen based on their body, face, attitude and the aesthetic of the designer. Nicoli stated in an article for the magazine, Business of Fashion, “I think if you’re very strict on your collection and have a vision, it’s pretty difficult to accept someone who is far from your idea of the woman wearing your clothes.” I respect the designers’ concept and their desire for cohesion; however, when twelve out of the 128 models booked for Nicoli and Ananna’s Fall 2013 shows are Asian and four are black, there needs to be a change in perception.
There is no excuse for the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. Regardless of intent, excluding women of color and different ethnicities is considered racism. Colors shouldn’t just be featured in the clothing on the runways of New York Fashion Week. Women come in all shapes, sizes, and skin colors and models should reflect that. By this day and age, racism should not be as prevalent in major institutions such as the fashion industry. It’s the 21st century and designers should begin to use more non-white models and increase racial diversity to represent today’s society and its different types of women.
Citation
Critchell, Samantha. “Black Model Campaign Brings More Diversity To New York Fashion Week Runways.” Huffington Post, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Goff, Kelly. “The First Black Supermodel, Whom History Forgot.” New York Magazine, 10 Jul. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Sinclair, Demi. “Racial Diversity on the Runway.” The Business of Fashion, 14 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Skarda, Erin. “A Brief History of New York Fashion Week.” Time, 9 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Spivack, Emily. “New York Fashion Week, Past and Present.” Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Wilson, Julee. “Black Models on the Rise, But White Models Still Dominate New York Fashion Week Runway.” Huffington Post, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
