Noemie Lenoir

[scriptgirl]

NL Images

 

[crow_watcher]

^Hmm...the ad is ok. They could have done better with her.

 

[scriptgirl]

I have more hilfiger ads I will post.
Backstage at Gaultier
Style.com

 

[crow_watcher]

^3 days early for Halloween aren't we? Seriously, typical Gaultier madness (not to say thats a bad thing).

 

[scriptgirl]

NL images

 

[crow_watcher]

^Whoa! Hottub...

 

[pinkvogue]

Can anyone tell if this is Noemie? She kind looks like her from the side.
victoriassecret

 

[ms_prissy]

looks like her to me.
scriptgirl?

 

[scriptgirl]

It's her.
Marks and Spencer

 

[crow_watcher]

I loooove that color sweater on her, and the make-up as well.

 

[scriptgirl]

NL images

 

[crow_watcher]

^^Not my favorite hair style on her. But, I'm sure it looks better then shown in that pic.

 

[scriptgirl]

Ebay

 

[crow_watcher]

^^Now thats a prime example of what sexy is!

 

[scriptgirl]

Credit Next

 

[scriptgirl]

From Platinum Celebs.com

Why is she special?
Noemie Lenoir's diverse Franco-African heritage imparts a true international flavor to the fashion industry. With her unique and refreshing look, she brings an equally refreshing attitude to her job, preferring a good night's sleep to partying and pep pills.

Why we know her?
Noemie has become a sought-after model in a few short years, appearing in top magazines like Elle and Sports Illustrated, and modeling in ads for Tommy Hilfiger and the Gap.

 

[scriptgirl]

daily mail
Fashion world 'bias against black and Asian models'

Last updated at 10:49am on 9th October 2007
Comments (13)

Naomi Campbell is one of the few successful black models on the catwalk




A summit is to be held between fashion designers, model agency bosses, politicians and race campaigners amid claims the fashion industry is guilty of racism.
It will examine why black and Asian models find it so difficult to break into the industry and comes as a talent contest to find a supermodel "of colour" is launched in London.
The summit is to be hosted by Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat culture spokeswoman on the London Assembly who ran an international fashion company in the Nineties.
She said today: "I don't think I was ever sent a model who wasn't white - it wasn't racism but total and utter ignorance. It's very difficult for anyone to break in but for anyone who is just slightly different it's impossible. It's a tragedy."
The Top Model of Colour competition will be held at Arsenal's Emirates stadium next month. Sophia White, one of the organisers and head booker at Mahogany Models, said: "There are very small percentages of models of colour at any of the top agencies and it shouldn't be like this.
"I think a little bit of racism is involved. We don't have enough people in positions of power who choose black models over white ones. Designers, ad agencies, editors and magazines need to take more risks.
"Brands seem to think it would be quite risky to get an ethnic model rather than a white model, but I don't think if someone black was wearing a dress customers wouldn't buy it."
Analysis of the websites of leading agencies showed that in most cases only a handful of the hundreds of female models featured were non-white.
Yet 33 per cent of the population of London is non-white, according to the latest data from the Greater London Authority. In the 15-to-19-year-old age group, the proportion is even higher, at 42 per cent.
Miss White said: "There are a few highprofile models but they tend to be only black African. We are trying to push Asian and Hispanic models because they aren't represented at the top in terms of the catwalk."
Ms Doocey said the emphasis on white models is having a damaging effect on teenage girls. "If the role models on the catwalks are tall, slim and blonde this is what people are going to aspire to being," she said.
Tanya Beresford, 20, a law student from Greenford, who has made it through to the Top Model of Colour finals, said: "It's hard for models of colour to progress. There are opportunities but not as many as there are for white models.
"You have to work twice as hard and be twice as ambitious and twice as determined. But no one's going to hold me back." Fellow finalist Tiffany Brown, 23, from Colindale, said: "I went in for the Miss London competition and got into the finals but being of colour you know you are not going to win. I guess it's just something you get used to."

 

[scriptgirl]

The Independent
Modelling agencies blamed for racist culture
By Emily Dugan

Published: 10 October 2007



Fashion industry insiders have criticised modelling agencies for encouraging a culture of "blatant racism" in the business and announced an emergency summit with race campaigners and politicians to try to tackle the issue.
The meeting, scheduled to take place in London next year, has been organised by Dee Doocey, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson from the London Assembly. Ms Doocey, a former managing director of an international fashion company, believes the fashion world desperately needs to face underlying racism in the trade.
"I can't remember being sent a model who wasn't white," said the former fashion manager. "I don't know if it's racism, or just the fashion industry languishing in the doldrums, but it needs to change. Agencies only seem interested in leggy white blonde girls."
Designers, model agencies, race campaigners and politicians are among those who will be invited to the event, which has been announced ahead of a national contest in November to find the next British supermodel "of colour".
Sola Oyebade, managing director of Mahogany, the model agency behind next month's Top Model of Colour competition, said: "This event will start the debate. We've been trying to get more ethnic minority models into the industry but if you don't hold the purse strings or the power then no change can happen. Everyone looks at Naomi Campbell as the black model who's made it, but ...isn't it worrying that no-one else has come along?
"There are so many good quality black and mixed race-models that would be great, but the agencies and the clients are not willing to take a gamble.
"Non-white people make up about 30 per cent of the population of London but we don't even make up 1 per cent of the models."
Cassandra Lee, 18, a finalist in the Top Model of Colour competition, said her skin colour had been a problem for her in getting work. "You have to try much harder if you're not white," she said. "You have to be perfect to be looked at the same way as a white model. Sometimes you hear straight up that they're not looking for black models. It's quite blatant. " Another finalist, Stacey McKnight, 21, said it was ridiculous that black models were overlooked. "We're British too, why aren't we represented?"
One third of all Londoners are non-white, according to Greater London Assembly statistics, yet the websites of London's leading agencies show there are hundreds of white faces for every handful of models from other ethnic groups.
Maya Schulz, managing director at Acclaim models, an agency that specialises in choosing models from an ethnically diverse range of backgrounds, said: "I always find it more difficult putting black faces out there. The racism you come across is not underlying, it's blatant. People will say things like 'Don't send any more black models', and one designer even said black people didn't suit his clothes. And we're not talking about small designers here; it's all the big ones."
"The colour debate is far more important than the size-zero debate, but it's hardly had any coverage. The Black Girls Coalition was formed in the Eighties to combat it, but no progress has been made."

 

[scriptgirl]

dw.world.de
Runway Racism Clouds Paris Fashion Shows


Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Blond is in demand, but black is not


Paris has once again become the world capital of fashion. The pret-a-porter shows with the 2008 spring and summer fashions have already begun. It is pricey, ready-to-wear clothing -- but only for whites.


Tiguida is a strikingly beautiful young woman with almond-shaped eyes, black hair and heart-shaped lips. At 1.79 meters (5 feet 11 inches), 56 kilograms (124 pounds) and measurements of 83-63-91 centimeters (33-25-36 inches), she has the figure of the perfect model.
The French, however, appear not to think so.
As the daughter of parents from Mali and Niger, she's not part of the pret-a-porter fashion shows currently underway in Paris. In fact, she rarely works as a model for fashion shows. No matter that the face is flawless and the size is right: A black model has a particularly tough time in the Paris fashion world.
"At the Paris fashion shows, there aren't even two black models, but just one: A black model or a model of mixed races. Not two, just a single one," the 19-year old said. "Paris is the world capital of fashion -- for whites."
An awful scandal
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: An exception: Naomi Campbell
Tiguida does commercials for lotions, make-up and hairstyles -- for blacks. Even women's magazines rarely employ blacks. She has gone to auditions for Marie Claire but has never been hired -- though a biracial model was, Tiguida said.
"In London and Italy, black models get work," she said. "But not in France. That's racism."
It was in 1964 that fashion designer Paco Rabanne sent a black model walking down a runway for the first time. She wore a wedding dress made of white plastic.
"It was an awful scandal," Rabanne said. "After the show, American fashion journalists came backstage and almost spit in my face. They said haute couture is reserved for white women and not those girls over there."
Wanted: Blonde, tall and thin

Bildunterschrift: Blonde and white is preferred
During fashion shows, the phones practically ring off the hook at well-known fashion agency Elite, when designers choose models for their collections.
Elite discovered black top model Naomi Campbell. Today, however, the agency only has two models of color, a Jamaican from New York and a biracial Frenchwoman.
Sabine Killinger, vice president of Elite Paris, said there simply isn't enough work for more black models. She added that this wasn't the fault of model agencies, who are just suppliers for the fashion houses, magazines, advertising clients and catalogues.
Lacking global appeal?
Advertising campaigns are made for the world market, and only models who appeal to the whole world are considered, she said.
"A black model does not appeal to Asia," Killinger said. "There are also stories that there isn't necessarily much love between the Arabs and blacks."
The fashion industry is about identification and customers prefer to dream about a blonde, tall and slim girl, rather than someone who is black, Killinger said.
Few agencies specializing in black models have been established in Paris. Most of them, however, had to shut down. "Mode Black" survived, because the company also functions as a communications agency and does not only manage black models.
In Europe, blacks can only live off modeling in England or Italy, according to "Mode Black." In England, that's possible because of the local black communities and the ethnic advertising that caters to them. In Italy, designers simply book more blacks.
Away from France
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Another exception: Iman
For Tiguida this meant moving abroad. In mid-October she will travel first to Mali and then to the festival of African fashion in Niger, then to South Africa and the US to model.
It's only a slight consolation that others in the industry, such as models from the Maghreb region, are even worse off. An Arab friend of hers decided to go back to school after three years of modeling because she couldn't find any work.

"She really tried everything," Tiguida said. "She could work abroad, but her family doesn't want to let her go. That's why she quit -- she cannot work in France."

 

[scriptgirl]

NYT times
Ignoring Diversity, Runways Fade to White By GUY TREBAY
Published: October 14, 2007
Correction Appended
IN the days of blithe racial assumptions, flesh crayons were the color of white people. “Invisible” makeup and nude pantyhose were colored in the hues of Caucasian skin. The decision by manufacturers to ignore whole segments of humanity went unchallenged for decades before the civil rights movement came along and nonwhite consumers started demanding their place on the color wheel.
Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image
Photograph by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters; photo Illustration by The New York Times
THE LINEUP At recent spring shows, black models were scarce or nonexistent, including at the Chloé show in Paris, above.

Multimedia

Audio Slide Show A Review of Paris Fashion Week



Audio Slide Show A Wrap-Up: London and Milan Fashion Weeks




Complete Coverage


2008 Spring Collections

Coverage of New York and Europe Fashion Weeks, including reviews, Cathy Horyn's blog, video, audio and photos.


Blog


On the Runway

Cathy Horyn announces the collection of the season.

Firstview
FRESH FACE Honorine Uwera was hired for five New York shows, too few to justify a trip to Europe.



Nowadays the cultural landscape is well populated with actors, musicians, media moguls and candidates for the American presidency drawn from the 30 percent of the American population that is not white. Yet, if there is one area where the lessons of chromatic and racial diversity have gone largely unheeded, it is fashion. This reality was never plainer than during the recent showings of the women’s spring 2008 collections in New York and Europe.
Although black women in the United States spend more than $20 billion on apparel each year, according to estimates by TargetMarketNews.com, it was hard to discern an awareness of this fact on the part of designers showing in New York, where black faces were more absent from runways than they have been in years.
Of the 101 shows and presentations posted on Style.com during the New York runway season, which ended a month ago, more than a third employed no black models, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Most of the others used just one or two. When the fashion caravan moved to London, Paris and Milan, the most influential shows — from Prada to Jil Sander to Balenciaga to Chloé and Chanel — made it appear as if someone had hung out a sign reading: No Blacks Need Apply.
“It’s the worst it’s ever been,” said Bethann Hardison, a former model who went on to start a successful model agency in the 1980s that promoted racial diversity.
AMONG the people she represented were Naomi Campbell and Tyson Beckford, the chiseled hunk who broke barriers in the 1990s by becoming the unexpected symbol of the country-club fantasia that is a Ralph Lauren Polo campaign.
“It’s heartbreaking for me now because the agents send the girls out there to castings and nobody wants to see them,” said Ms. Hardison, referring to black models. “And if they do, they’ll call afterward and say, ‘Well, you know, black girls do much better in Europe, or else black girls do much better in New York, or we already have our black girl.’”
Last month in New York, Ms. Hardison convened a panel of fashion experts at the Bryant Park Hotel to discuss “The Lack of the Black Image in Fashion Today,” an event she will reprise Monday at the New York Public Library on 42nd Street. “Modeling is probably the one industry where you have the freedom to refer to people by their color and reject them in their work,” she said.
The exclusion is rarely subtle. An agent for the modeling firm Marilyn once told Time magazine of receiving requests from fashion clients that baldly specified “Caucasians only.”
The message is not always so blatant these days, but it is no less clear. Take for example the case of two young models, one white, one black, both captivating beauties at the start of their careers. Irina Kulikova, a feline 17-year-old Russian, appeared on no fewer than 24 runways in New York last month, a success she went on to repeat in Milan with 14 shows, and in Paris with 24 more. Honorine Uwera, a young Canadian of Rwandan heritage, was hired during the New York season for just five runway shows.
While Ms. Uwera’s showing was respectable, it was not enough to justify the cost to her agency of sending her to Europe, where most modeling careers are solidified.
“We represent a lot of ethnic girls,” said Ivan Bart, the senior vice president of IMG Models, which represents a roster of the commercially successful models of the moment, among them black superstars like Alek Wek, Ms. Campbell and Liya Kebede.
“We have new girls, too,” Mr. Bart added, young comers like Ms. Uwera, Quiana Grant and Mimi Roche. “We include them in our show package, give them the same promotion as any other girl, and get the same responses: ‘She’s lovely, but she’s not right for the show.’”
Although, in fact, Ms. Roche and Ms. Grant, both black, were seen on runways in the last five weeks, the reality was that only one black model worked at anything like the frequency of her white counterparts: Chanel Iman Robinson, 17, who is African-American and Korean. Particularly in Milan and Paris, Ms. Robinson’s was often the only nonwhite face amid a blizzard of Eastern European blondes.
It is not just a handful of genetically gifted young women who are hurt by this exclusion. Vast numbers of consumers draw their information about fashion and identity from runways, along with cues about what, at any given moment, the culture decrees are the new contours of beauty and style.

Years ago, runways were almost dominated by black girls,” said J. Alexander, a judge on “America’s Next Top Model,” referring to the gorgeous mosaic runway shows staged by Hubert de Givenchy or Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s. “Now some people are not interested in the vision of the black girl unless they’re doing a jungle theme and they can put her in a grass skirt and diamonds and hand her a spear.”
Skip to next paragraph Multimedia

Audio Slide Show A Review of Paris Fashion Week



Audio Slide Show A Wrap-Up: London and Milan Fashion Weeks




Complete Coverage


2008 Spring Collections

Coverage of New York and Europe Fashion Weeks, including reviews, Cathy Horyn's blog, video, audio and photos.


Blog


On the Runway

Cathy Horyn announces the collection of the season.



And some people, said Diane Von Furstenberg, the designer and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, “just don’t think about it at all.” Ms. Von Furstenberg herself has always employed models of all ethnicities on her runways. (This September, she hired seven black women, more perhaps than any single label except Baby Phat and Heatherette.) Yet she is increasingly the exception to an unspoken industry rule.
“I always want to do that,” she said, referring to the casting of women of color. “I can make a difference. We all can. But so much is about education and to talk about this is an important beginning.”
But isn’t it strange, she was asked, that she would have to invoke the rhetoric of racial inclusiveness at a time when Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in media, and Barack Obama is running for president?
“Why did we go backward?” Ms. Von Furstenberg asked.
Agents blame designers for the current state of affairs. Designers insist agents send them nothing but skinny blondes. Magazine editors bemoan the lack of black women with the ineffable attributes necessary to put across the looks of a given season.
The current taste in models is for blank-featured “androids,” whose looks don’t offer much competition to the clothes, pointed out James Scully, a seasoned agent who made his mark casting the richly diverse Gucci shows in the heyday of Tom Ford. In today’s climate, it is far more difficult to promote a black woman than her white counterpart.
“You want to sell the model on the basis of her beauty, not her race,” said Kyle Hagler, an agent at IMG. Yet when he sends models out on casting calls based on what he terms a “beauty perspective,” omitting any mention to potential clients of race, “You always get a call back saying, ‘You didn’t tell me she was black.’”
THE reasons for this may seem obvious, and yet the unconscious bigotry is tricky to pin down.
“I’m not pointing a finger and saying people are racist,” said Ms. Hardison, who nevertheless recounted a recent exchange with the creative director of a major fashion label: “She said to me, ‘I have to be honest with you, when a girl walks in, I just don’t see color.’ Meanwhile, they have one girl, or more likely, none in their show.”
Ms. Hardison explained: “‘I don’t see color?’ Does that mean, you don’t want to see?”
There is something illustrative of the entire issue, and the state of the industry, to be found in this September’s Italian Vogue.
Just one image of a black model appears in the issue, midway through a 17-page article photographed by Miles Aldridge and titled the “Vagaries of Fashion.” In it, the glacial blond Anja Rubik portrays an indolent, overdressed Park Avenue princess with a gilded apartment, a couture wardrobe, two towhead children and a collection of heavy rocks. The sole black model in the pictorial is more modestly attired, in an aproned pinafore.
She plays the maid.