Birmingham City University - Sign In. Fashion’s Blind Spot. This came shortly after Franca Sozzani, the editor of Italian Vogue, published a provocative issue using only black models and feature subjects; Bethann Hardison, a former model and agent, initiated a series of panel discussions on the subject; and Diane von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, urged members to be more aware of diversity in casting.
And since then, almost nothing has changed. 5 Top Casting Directors Explain Why Runways Are So White. Time To Make a Change The word 'change' is stuck in my mind.
Not only as a result of the big event that made London the live stage of a global wake up call about female empowerment - Chime for Change - but moreover for the sense of urgency that the recent news has stirred in me. Negative episodes like the death of the soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich arouse fear and despair, but to widely condemn and utterly disdain Muslim community is not the answer. Responding with hate doesn't help to fight the reasonable anxiety towards this extremely anti-social behaviour. On the contrary, this type of reaction simply destroys the progress made in building a bridge between different cultures. Amal Fashanu. Polaroid obsessions: Walter Van Beirendonck. For menswear AW14, we gave FujiFilm Instax cameras and a roll of film to industry insiders – from models, to designers and our own editors – to capture the magic as they saw it.
For the next week, we’ll be sharing their photo diaries. First up, it’s designer and repeat provocateur Walter Van Beirendonck. When Walter Van Beirendonck agreed to open us a window onto his world through a handful of snaps, what exactly were we expecting to see? Walter Van Beirendonck's Bold Dover Street Market Installation - Style.com. Spend any time in any Dover Street Market in the next few weeks and you’re sure to come across a futuristic totem pole, wrapped in 21st-century tribal gear, topped by a huge feathered headdress bearing the slogan “Stop Racism.”
It’s a characteristically provocative signpost for the latest collection from Walter Van Beirendonck, newly installed at DSM under the auspices of Rei Kawakubo herself. The playfulness of the candy-striped totem, the seriousness of the message…it’s a classic WVB combination, and it’s way past time that the world got to see it in its full glory, because until now, Van Beirendonck has been, by and large, a fanboy’s fave. Yet he’s been in business for three decades already.
As he says, “It’s not like I’m a young designer starting up,” despite which, there’s an energy, a brashness, an unholy enthusiasm in his work that would put someone half his age to shame. Walter Van Beirendonck Sends "Stop Racism" Headdresses Down the Runway at Paris Fashion Week. Walter-van-beirendonck-stop-racism-crop.jpg (JPEG Image, 600 × 385 pixels)
Fashion's Race Problem: Is Boycotting, Shaming And Black Twitter The Solution? Has outrage over the lack of diversity and racial insensitivity within the fashion industry reached its peak?
If not, Thursday's New York Times article entitled "Fashion's Blind Spot" will certainly ring the alarm. The powerful feature, written by NYT editor Eric Wilson, explores the blatant whitewashing of fashion runways, ads and companies, ultimately begging the question: why doesn't the industry recognize it has a race problem? Wilson makes a strong argument that despite efforts to combat the issue, the industry is still in denial and "nothing has changed. " That sentiment is shared by Bethann Hardison, a former model and modeling agency owner, as well as supermodel-turned-mogul Iman. These two ladies are leading the charge to inject some much needed diversity into fashion.
André Leon Talley Speaks Out On Leaving Vogue And The Lack Of Diversity In Fashion. After three decades at Vogue, André Leon Talley sent shockwaves through the fashion world when he left his position to become editor of a Russian fashion magazine last year.
In the above video from "Oprah: Where Are They Now? " Talley opens up about his decision to leave. Chanel Iman Strikes A Pose For 'The Edit' And Speaks Out Again On Fashion Diversity (PHOTOS) Chanel Iman's rise to supermodel status is the stuff of legends.
At only 15-years-old she walked in fashion shows for Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam and Proenza Schouler, she graced the cover of her first Vogue magazine by 18, and now at 23-years-old she has campaigns for Ralph Lauren, DKNY and Gap under her belt. And what's really amazing is that she has accomplished it all despite dealing with plenty of racism along the way. The daughter of an African-American father and a half African-American, half Korean mother Chanel hasn't been shy about sharing her tales of racial discrimination -- which has in turn helped to shine the spotlight on the fashion industry's overall diversity problem. Now Chanel is speaking out once again on the subject for the current cover story of Net-A-Porter's The Edit. “I think that everyone should be equal; it shouldn’t be about color," Chanel told the style and e-commerce website. Rick Owens Paris Fashion Week Show Took Runway Diversity To A Whole New Level.
Edward Enninful, W's Fashion And Style Director, Says 'Without Diversity, Creativity Remains Stagnant' If The Supreme Court Says Racism Is Pretty Much Over, Why Are So Many People Still Being So Racist? The U.S.
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June that a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act designed to prevent racial discrimination in certain voting laws was no longer necessary. The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, stated that “things have changed dramatically” in the South and that the "country has changed" since the Voting Rights Act was passed. The court argued the law had successfully defended against discrimination, but was no longer needed. Racism, the court majority appeared to suggest, was over, and laws created during a time when such hatred was in its heyday served now to place unjust "burdens" on certain states and jurisdictions that wished to pass new voting laws -- laws, of course, that had nothing to do with trying to suppress minority votes.
For some Supreme Court justices, the history of racism that guided this discrimination is a thing of the past. - Style.com. Daniel Peddle, the Runway Casting Director, Looking for Diversity — Vogue. Daniel Peddle and Phillip Lim at the designer's casting.
Evan Sung. WHAT IS BEAUTY NOW? - Elle. Our April issue is our BIG beauty issue – from award-winning must-haves, to lip-sealed secrets, we deconstruct the meaning of true beauty today.
In our Beauty Now feature we select six of the most beautiful models right now – models that represent the values we respect, from happiness to innocence and confidence. ‘Real beauty is not about perfection, but rather emotion – what emanates from within,’ says ELLE beauty editor Sarah Hoberman. Get your April issue now to see the shoot come alive inside.
ALEK WEK NEW H&M AMBASSADOR FOR CHANGE - Elle. South Sudanese-born and raised supermodel Alek Wek is a catalyst for change. The 37-year-old beauty is a model ambassador with a difference, joining forces with high street giant H&M in the fight for basic human rights in the world’s poorest countries. LUPITA NYONG’O TALKS DIVERSITY ON SESAME ST - Elle. Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is taking on the subject of diversity and self-acceptance with a little help from children’s character Elmo on Sesame Street. The Kenyan-raised, New York-based actress has become a role model, and never shies away from the subject of self-worth. TSHOLOFELO DIKOBE ON BOTSWANA'S CREATIVES - Elle. Tsholofelo Dikobe, the blogger behind The Khoi-Fro, recently launched the Twitter campaign #30DaysofBotswanaFashion.
The campaign aims to show that the talent in Botswana is rife and deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged, and has featured creatives including jewellery designers, slogan-bag creators and make-up artists. Tsholofelo, who is the face of Africa Fashion Week London, says she got the idea after winning the Innovative Designers of the Year Award at Africa Fashion Week London 2014, with her business partner, Gaone Mothibi.
‘We want to expose and profile Botswana’s very own fashion industry players: designers, fashion power-houses, fashion multipliers, bloggers and brands. MISS MILLI B AND THE POLITICS OF BLACK HAIR - Elle. If you haven’t already checked it out, Miss Milli B – creative consultant and all-round Joburg It girl – has re-launched her popular blog that she started back in 2010, initially to document her travels to New York Fashion Week. The new-look narrative is now less about seasonal trends and more about substance – yes, Milli has grown up and she’s tackling the issues we all want to talk about but so often skirt around for fear of sounding, well, dumb, ignorant, too controversial, offensive, politically incorrect.
Yes, Milli is taking her content to places many of us dare not and we like what we see. Her motivation? ‘The need to restore a positive self image to being black.’ And that is something that gives all of us goosebumps. Each month there’s an over-arching theme, a hot contentious topic that will guide the content of the blog. Sound interesting? Image: Chris Saunders. Lupita Nyong'o Delivers Moving 'Black Women in Hollywood' Acceptance Speech. Newcomer Lupita Nyong'o was honored with the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the 7th annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon for her work in critically acclaimed film, 12 Years a Slave, presented by fellow actress, Alfre Woodard. Racisim In The Modeling Industry. Alek Wek Talks South Sudanese Conflict And Her Journey From Refugee To Supermodel.
South Sudan is a dangerous place, especially for children today. Dior Casts Black Models For the First Time In A Long Time...FINALLY! (PHOTOS) United Colors Of Benetton Spring 2013 Campaign: Alek Wek & Dudley O'Shaughnessy Strike A Pose (VIDEO, PHOTOS) United Colors of Benetton is just as well-known for its classic and colorful designs as it is for its diverse and thought-provoking ads. The international clothing brand is a genius at mixing their social and political views (world hunger, racism, war and anything else that will raise eyebrows) with fashion. In 2011 the company dropped jaws after launching there #UNHATE campaign, which featured photoshopped images of opposing world leaders locking lips and followed it up with ads addressing unemployment in 2012. This year UCB is taking a less controversial route with its Spring 2013 campaign. Burberry's new campaign reflects UK's ethnic diversity. Diverse diversions, from Hood by Air and DKNY.
Black editor to follow on Instagram. Philipp Plein on Why He Cast Only Black Models in His Spring 2014 Show.