Google. Fashion Designers Accused Of Racism In Letter. The moment has arrived -- Bethann Hardison has finally launched her attack against fashion's glaring diversity problem.
The fashion insider-cum-activist and former model, on behalf of The Diversity Coalition, sent out four letters on Thursday to the governing bodies of Fashion Weeks in New York (Council of Fashion Designers of America), Paris (Fédération Française de la Couture), London (British Fashion Council) and Milan (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana) accusing racism on the runways. The brief yet powerful letter reads: Eyes are on an industry that season after season watches design houses consistently use one or no models of color. No matter the intention, the result is racism. Diversity Is the Name of the Fashion Game for 2014 Diversity is the name of the fashion game for 2014.
I counted 12 entirely different body shapes on women in New York's Penn Station this morning as I went to work on a hot July morning on 7th Ave. The ladies were moving fast going to work, but I managed to sketch them all as I'm fast with a pen. Last year half the women would have worn tight black jeans or leggings and tunic top, but today anything goes. I only counted two looks on men, long cotton slacks and long "Bermuda "shorts. This means FASHION TRENDS ARE OUT. Since the Middle Ages in all the World Capital Cites women who could afford "fashion" had choices as styles could evolve or change every decade. Bethann Hardison Feted At Fab Party Thrown By Iman, Naomi Campbell & Tyson Beckford. The 2014 Council of the Fashion Designers of America Awards (aka the Fashion Oscars) are tonight, but one of its biggest honorees celebrated early.
Fashion icon and activist Bethann Hardison was feted Sunday night ahead of receiving her CFDA's Founders Award at a dance party thrown by Essence magazine at Marquee nightclub in New York City. The star-studded event was co-hosted by Hardison's close friends Iman, Naomi Campbell and Tyson Beckford. And a quick search of the hashtag #bethannCFDA revealed the type of party that any fashionista would die to attend. Jennifer Hudson, supermodel Joan Smalls, June Ambrose and more, stepped out in style to celebrate Hardison's amazing legacy. Council of Fashion Designers of America honors diversity activist Bethann Hardison. INTERVIEW: How Bethann Hardison Changed The Face of Fashion.
The 'mom' of supermodels received the CFDA Founder's Award for making fashion a more diverse industry In November 1973, Bethann Hardison became one of the first black models to ever walk a runway in Europe when she was cast in “The Battle of Versailles,” a designer walk-off that helped put American fashion on the global style map, and where she stole the show.
That was a different time, when the girls cast to walk on the runway were as essential to fashion as the clothes they modelled. They exuded confidence, personality, and attitude. They were the spiritual mothers of the supermodels who ruled the ‘90s. Is the Fashion World Finally Embracing Diversity? — Vogue. Every so often, a fresh cohort of models arrives and announces a new moment.
One of the happiest sights of fashion in 2014: Grace Mahary, Imaan Hammam, and Cindy Bruna (pictured here). With their multinational, multiethnic backgrounds—not to mention their cheekbones, upswept eyes, and long, beautiful limbs—they’re leading the sort of epochal shift that makes editors fight, designers throw money, and agents scramble. At long last, the “white-out” years that have chilled the heart of the industry appear to be on the way out. Models of color—from Pat Cleveland and Beverly Johnson to Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Joan Smalls, and Jourdan Dunn, among others—have had a place in fashion since the sixties, of course.
But progress in diversifying runways has been slow and at times has even run backward. Mahary is a 24-year-old Canadian who takes her breezy, down-to-earth attitude from home. Bruna, aged nineteen, is French. The change is also good for business. Call it a tipping point. Bethann Hardison, Activist and CFDA Honoree, on Diversity in Fashion. Photo: Julian Dufort/Corbis Outline.
A range of bodies and opinions Diversity NOW from All Walks. Everyone was keen to show us their best fashionable-foot-forward and make a statement in support of diversity.
Our supporters, captured here just before lift off, by photographer Daniel Sims are all advocates of being unique and individual. Founder Style Bubble. Diversità in passerella: i numeri. Sembra che la percezione abbia superato nuovamente la realtà, anche ora che questo ultimo studio sulla diversità in passerella ha lasciato tutti con l'amaro in bocca.
Dai risultati della ricerca condotta per un panel di Glamour USA, si evince infatti che nell'ultimo anno le cose non siano cambiate per niente, tanto che le modelle black e asiatiche hanno guadagnato solo l'1% in più di spazio rispetto alle stagioni precedenti. Tutto questo dopo un anno dal lancio della campagna Balance Diversity di Bethann Hardison, dalla scelta di alcuni brand di introdurre più modelle black in passerella e dalla quantità di new faces internazionali che hanno cavalcato le passerelle di tutto il mondo. "Le modelle non vengono discriminate per la loro etnicità. "Ai marchi non interessa la diversità, solo nell'ultima stagione abbiamo notato che più di un designer ha richiesto più modelle black del solito" ha dichiarato invece Roman Young, board director di Women.
Balance Diversity. Interview with an Icon: Bethann Hardison, Founder of the Diversity Coalition. Iman Naomi Campbell black models brand boycott Twitter - fashion news. She's been campaigning for diversity on the catwalk with fellow model Iman - and Naomi Campbell believes they are already making an impact this season with more racially diverse models being used on the runway.
Speaking at the UK launch of modelling show The Face, Campbell said "I've seen a huge change this season already...Giorgio Armani used four models of colour in his show...Jil Sander did; I'm naming names because this is a big improvement. " Alongside more established catwalk names such as Jourdan Dunn and Joan Smalls, model Malaika Firth (the current face of Prada, and first black girl to star in their campaign since 1994) has also been named the 'model of the moment' this season, walking for (amongst others) Christopher Kane, Burberry Prorsum, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli - and that's not even counting all her shows in Paris.
Iman Naomi Campbell black models brand boycott Twitter - fashion news. The Legendary Fashion Guru Bethann Hardison Explains Why Models All Look The Same These Days. Bethann Hardison photographed by Brigitte Lacombe.
In honor of Black History Month and in light of the recent interest in African Americans in fashion -- from the Stephen Burrows retrospective in New York to the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit in Chicago and the new documentary Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution -- we talked to industry legends and insiders about their pioneering careers and the role of race in fashion today. The late, great designer Willi Smith first introduced me to Bethann Hardison in 1984 when we were just starting Paper. Since she was launching her own downtown indie modeling agency, Bethann, at the same time we were launching our downtown indie magazine, we had a lot in common and became fast friends.
Bethann had a keen eye for spotting new beauty and Paper began exclusively using her models for our fashion shoots. Kim Hastreiter: When and why did you start the Black Girls Coalition? BH: That's right. KH:How did things change? Allwalks.org All Walks Beyond the Catwalk. The Life+Times of Naomi Campbell: Fame, "The Face," & Fashion.