color the
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eing in the “minority” defines individuals who are not considered Caucasian. Being in the “minority” can hinder individuals from a lot of things, including furthering themselves in their careers when compared to Caucasians in the same field. This trend is what society has been exposed to and has continued to follow. Despite how race in the fashion industry has come a long way the fact that minorities are not as widely represented is fairly noticeable in the fashion industry today. The world that we as a society inhabit is not represented on the runways, from our models to our fashion designers. The absence of racial diversity is a real issue especially in an industry that striving for creativity, imagination, progression, and differentiation. According to an article in New York Magazine, "Why Fashion Keeps Tripping over Race", the author of the article talks about an Elbaz fashion show she attended where the audience thunderously applauded a group of five African-American models that walked down the runway. Her confusion in the matter turned into a gross realization that these models were being applauded not because they were wearing pieces from Elbaz, but because they were African-Americans walking the runway. Robin Givhan, author of the New York Magazine article, explained that this reaction shows the gravity to which the fashion industry is failing to see that we do not exist in a non racial world. She states: “Fashion folks naïvely—bravely?—attempt to be racially blasé in a culture that still struggles with the burdens of prejudice and the wounds of history. As a result, the fashion community in general often comes across as bumbling on the topic of race.” Even more so, it would come as a shock to some individuals to note that in the 70s and 80s, racial diversity dominated the catwalk compared to today. Why is it that we are falling backward instead of racing forward? In a recent CNN article, Naomi Campbell, Iman Call for An End to Runway Racism, the author had
an interview with Campbell where she states that when she initially started modeling in the mid-80s, there were “Asians, blacks, whites, Indians, Chinese. It was very diverse.” Bring it back to present-day runways and the grotesque element is fashion designers are primarily choosing Caucasian models to wear their pieces over any other race. In the same news article, Carole White, modeling agent who managed Campbell’s career, said, “I think clients have this perception that black girls do not sell products, which goes way back to the 50’s. I think it’s engrained in every magazine editor. There are more products for blonde and blue-eyed girls. Everything is geared to that.” Olivia Whittaker, previously a model with CLUTTS Agency in Dallas, has been a victim to the unfortunate circumstances that there are more products for Caucasian models than there are for African-American models. One event in particular, a charity fashion show, had every Caucasian model with intricate and complex hairstyles, but when it came to Whittaker’s hair, the hairstylist did not know what to do. “When it came to do my hair, the hairstylist would try and get frustrated. He’d call over another stylist telling her he had no idea what to do with my hair and couldn’t work with it. All of this was at a volume more than loud enough for me to hear. It makes you feel slightly embarrassed sometimes, making you wish you were the same as all the others, but modeling, on the contrary, has grown to actually make me more confident about myself. Now, I think of a hairstylist’s inability to do ethnic hair a lack of training and huge weakness on their part,” Whittaker said. It is not only a cause for concern that models of color, or models of the minority in general, need to have a stronger place in fashion, but also, to have those hairstylists and makeup artists that work with these models to be more knowledgeable about ethnic hairs and skin tones.Their clients are not always going to be blonde, blue-eyed models and that understanding needs to happen now. ►
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