Fashion Models Create the Diversity Coalition [Pre-J.8]

The Dark Side of Modeling

With its estimated annual revenue of $1.5 billion in the US and the global fashion industry valued at over $2.5 trillion, the industry offers significant financial potential.

Race- Absence and Aggression

The 1970s saw a golden era in fashion for the black model. Black people in America, despite racial inequality, disenfranchisement, and poverty, were birthing the “Black is Beautiful” moment, which gave them visibility and elevated their sense of pride. Black culture began penetrating all types of media and influenced many art forms, notably, high fashion. As the movement took off, fashion’s decision makers saw the need to include black models on the runway and in glamourous fashion editorials and advertisements. American fashion designers took an unprecedented chance on ten black models who stormed the runway, winning the Battle of Versailles against the already established French designers. Even through the 1990s (the era of peak Supermodels) black women saw steady careers in modeling.

Models were becoming household names and experiencing a heightened level of fame. Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb, and Tyra Banks experienced a variety of “firsts,” and were thriving in their careers. This moment in fashion was the antithesis of what was to come. The aesthetics of the fashion designer began to change, and black models suffered. So drastically--that the exclusion of black models had the world asking, “Is the fashion industry racist?” Since then, black models have not been used in the same volume as they were previously. They are only experiencing “moments” that are few and far between.

Naomi Campbell has reflected on the racism she faced early on in her modeling career. The supermodel, 53, spoke about some of her experiences in the fashion industry in the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary, The Super Models, which also features modeling legends Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. “For whatever reason, those designers simply didn’t use Black girls; I didn’t let it rattle me. From attending auditions and performing at an early age, I understood what it meant to be Black,” she wrote. “You had to put in the extra effort. You had to be twice as good.” She emphasized that she was “lucky to have Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington stand up” for her, describing how they told designers that “if they wanted to have them in their show”, they had to book Campbell as well. “That kind of support was unheard of. I will be forever touched. When I got to walk in those shows, I felt a huge sense of victory, but also gratitude,” she added.

 “I understood what it meant to be Black, you had to put in the extra effort. You had to be twice as good.”

In 2013, fueled by the incessant lack of race representation in the fashion industry, Bethann Hardison, Iman, and Naomi Campbell (three very successful black models) created the Diversity Coalition, a campaign created to increase inclusion in runway shows. 

They started by sending written complaints to the Council of Fashion Designers (the CFDA) and other governing bodies of international fashion. A strongly worded letter posted on the coalition’s website Balance Diversity reads: “Eyes are on an industry that season after season watches fashion design houses consistently use one or no models of color. No matter the intention, the result is racism. Not accepting another based on the color of their skin is clearly beyond 'aesthetic' when it is consistent with the designer’s brand. Whether it’s the decision of the designer, stylist or casting director, that decision to use basically all white models, reveals a trait that is unbecoming to modern society.” 

Campbell: I feel like this is our campaign. And as I said, Bethann Hardison is a woman that I’ve looked up to and known since I’m 15 years old, and Iman, also the same—huge respect to them both. And I feel if I’m able to open my mouth—something Mr. Mandela told me I could do when I was younger—you can use your mouth to help others, you can speak to help others.

Campbell’s voice has influenced London fashion houses to acknowledge fashion diversity, with special credit going to Burberry, Topshop and Tom Ford, who have since seen an increase in the models of color on their runways.

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