Racial Diversity In Modeling

[janznote]

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/refer...le/g/frida_giannini/index.html?inline=nyt-per

Frida Giannini

, the Gucci designer, said after the show, “I think it would be great if there was an industry initiative on this issue, because I am always looking for black models, or even Chinese or whatever, for the shows.”
“I’m after a specific kind of look,” she added, “and I request the agencies — I asked last season — to send me someone interesting. But they never send me anyone very new.”[

/QUOTE]



Why am I not believing this??. It's the usual "let's blame the agencies" excuse when designers get called out on their blatant exclusion of non-white models.

Perhaps the designers should sit in on the castings more often. There are black girls who show up but never considered.

 

[fer19dog]

thats true Janznote I wonder how many designers are involved in the selection of the girls

 

[J'ador-DioR]

Whether the designers are attending the castings or not, most casting directors are briefed before hand on what kind of girl the designer is looking for. Hair colour, race and various other factors are discussed before they begin to see the girls because they have a collection to work from. If black models are turned away at castings, it's the designers that don't want to use them.

The problem has always been the designers and advertisers...they pass along the blame the most when they're confronted. I'd rather they just say that they don't want to use black or asian models because that's what they mean.

 

[TraiT]

^I guess that speaks for Giannini...

Which is really sad. After all that the fashion industry had TRIED to achieve last year, it has just proven again, it's just another trend.

Next season might just be
1) another asian models trend,
2) most designers have them all over the runways and campaigns,
3) die off a few months,
4) and back to colourless runways again.

Of course, I wish I will prove myself wrong in the future. But for now, that's the fact.

 

[notmanons]

It shouldn't be a trend

 

[crow_watcher]

I'm tired of it. So much so that talking about it seems only to make it worse. Bigots and Dogmatists run ramped in the fashion industry.

 

[carmen_kass]

Frida Giannini

, the Gucci designer, said after the show, “I think it would be great if there was an industry initiative on this issue, because I am always looking for black models, or even Chinese or whatever, for the shows.”
“I’m after a specific kind of look,” she added, “and I request the agencies — I asked last season — to send me someone interesting. But they never send me anyone very new.”[

/QUOTE]



Why am I not believing this??. It's the usual "let's blame the agencies" excuse when designers get called out on their blatant exclusion of non-white models.

She asked for someone interesting yet she decided to go with girls like Sigrid, Toni and Yulia K. instead? Lakshmi Menon completely personifies Gucci, just as Ujjwala did before her. I pray she gets the campaign someday.

 

[ApertureRomance]

It's difficult to say where the change needs to come from. I mean the agencies can argue it's supply and demand. I just think that society isn't going to change any time soon in the sense that our ideas about beauty are very much consciously or subconsciously formed by the images we are bombarded with every day and frankly I'm bored of the ideal and idea I'm being sold.

But at the same time people like Duro Olowu have no trouble finding black models.

 

[notmanons]

I think it's been great in NY so far...

 

[kimair]

wwd / february 24, 2009

COLORS OF THE REVOLUTION: Did the election of Barack Obama bring more faces of color to the runways this season? Some show attendees have noticed an uptick in the number of ethnic models during New York Fashion Week, although it’s hard to pinpoint whether that’s a result of the excitement over the new President and First Lady or the ongoing conversations about the lack of diversity in fashion.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an invasion” of ethnic faces, said Stephen Lee, an agent at Next Models. “But it’s an acknowledgement.” Popular models on the catwalks include Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman, whom Lee called “staples” at fashion week.

The progress came after much work within the fashion community to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in fashion, both on the runways and in the ateliers. A series of panels spearheaded by former fashion model and model agency owner Bethann Hardison helped jump-start the conversation about race and fashion in 2007. From there, small victories ensued, including the July issue of Vogue Italia that featured all black models — Iman, Tyra Banks, Liya Kebede, Dunn and Alek Wek, among others. This year, American Vogue featured Dunn and Chanel Iman in a well shoot in its January issue, and now has First Lady Michelle Obama on its March cover.

Still, observers agree the increasing use of faces of color in fashion partially stems from the impact of the new First Lady. “Every designer would love to be dressing Michelle Obama, so if you have someone in your show that looks like her, it probably isn’t a bad thing,” said Cindi Leive, editor in chief of Glamour.

Joe Zee, Elle’s creative director, agreed, saying, “There’s a residue left over from the excitement of the inauguration. People just want to bring that sort of optimism or element of change on the runways.”

Even the modeling agencies are seeing more ranges of ethnic backgrounds come through. “The last two years have seen a broader, not just black, but whole range of ethnic girls,” said Lee of Next. “Girls are coming in with [different] skin colors, but they have a story to tell as well. The trip from, say, India to New York, or India to France, Australia to Milan is totally different. Clients are becoming more interested in that.”

Some are still skeptical, however. “You hear people paying a lot more lip service to it, but from the runway point of view, I haven’t seen such a surge,” said Memsor Kamarake, international fashion director of Vibe. “You go to the shows and you see only one or two faces of color. You do see Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman. But on the men’s side it’s quite deplorable. Not to say that there should be 90 percent faces of color. But instead of two black models, make it four. The world won’t come undone.”

Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, said he noted no notable increase of models of color on the runway. He said the CFDA sends out a letter before each fashion week that, among other things, stresses the importance of diversity. “Promoting diversity is something we should all be doing,” he said.

There have been strides, but most stressed there is still a long way to go. “I’ve seen a more consistent use of black models,” said model Veronica Webb. “Does it have to do with the Obama effect? Since the Black issue of Vogue and since the Obamas took the White House, that inspiration is running through a lot of the collections,” said Webb. However, she added, “I still don’t see more of different kinds of faces, but we’re getting there.”

Hardison stressed that, as much as the Obamas help the cause, they won’t become the standard images of beauty. “We made an extraordinary impact. The Obamas help in the fact that when we have images of color in high places where whites can see, it always improve subliminally the thinking,” said Hardison. “You start getting more accustomed to the idea. It helps to have images of color around because it helps people feel more comfortable about adding color to their aesthetic, as one designer loves to keep saying. It’s not going to change the world of racial thinking completely because our President and First Lady are of color. But it helps.”

 

[Fontenrose]

Perhaps the most exciting exclusive was the 17 year old American, Lyndsey from Click Models, scoring the first Calvin show exclusive for a young woman of color.

models.com

 

[ApertureRomance]

I thought London was terrible , Vivienne's show of course wasn't !

 

[J'ador-DioR]

London was quite alright, same as last season.

2 days into Milan and the first bigger show of the week had no black models (there was an Asian model in the line-up, however).

 

[retailqueen]

Im not expected any big changes in Milan.....

 

[Fontenrose]

Stats for NY from Jezebel

There were 116 labels that held shows at the recently ended New York fashion week; that's 3,697 spots in runway and presentation lineups. Of those, 668 were given to models of color — which, at just over 18%, is 6% better than one year ago.

 

[oxymoron]

As expected, Milan is eh.

Some of the major shows:

Missoni: 1 (Liu)
Jil Sanders: 0 (I don't remember when the last time a non-white model walked the show, unless you count Bruna Tenerio..)
Burberry: 1 (Rose)
Gucci: 3 (Chanel, Jourdan, Liu)
Etro: 2 (Jourdan, Lakshmi)
Prada: 0
Marni: 1 (Liu)
Roberto Cavalli: 3 (Daul, Liu, Chanel)
Moschino: 1 (Tao)
Alessandro Dell'Acqua: 2 (Jourdan, Tao)
Bottega Veneta: 3 (Arlenis, Chanel, Daul)
Alberta Ferretti: 3 (Du, Jourdan, Tao)
Pucci: 2 (Jourdan, Liu)

I'll expect Dolce to have maybe 4 or 5 girls and possibly MaxMara

 

[J'ador-DioR]

^ Dolce & Gabbana - 5 (Chanel, Jourdan, Liu, Daul & Tao)
Dsquared2 - 3 (Chanel, Jourdan, Du)
MaxMara - 4 (Lakshmi, Rose, Liu, Tao)

 

[oxymoron]

Heh, I predicted correctly for Dolce and MaxMara.

Fendi - 1 (Mia)
Versace - 1 (Jourdan)

For Paris, it'll probably be JPG or Hermes (maybe Vuitton) being the most diverse (in terms of the major shows).

 

[Northern Star]

It doesn't matter we dress this up (no pun intended) ......it's still just not good enough.

 

[oxymoron]

Miu Miu had not 1 or 2, but 3 non-white models (Jourdan, Liya, Tao).

Aside from that, Paris really wasn't that great either.