This topic is a little exhausted in general, yes, but not in the fashion world. It’s no longer a matter of how different races treat each other; it’s a matter of how different races appear to each other. Or how they think they’re supposed to appear.
According to the Jezebel, only 985 women of the 4,621 Fall/Winter 2014 runway models were not white. In specific, 78.69 percent were White, 9.75 percent were African American, 7.67 percent were Asian, 2.12 percent were Latina and 0.45 percent were of a different race.
Those statistics are more than a little disappointing. Fashion is supposed to be about the designer and his or her crafting of new garments that set the soon-to-be trends.
The runway is a designer’s stride of pride; it’s a moment’s stretch of time when all eyes are on the models in motion. These moments of glory don’t last long, however, so you have to make sure to catch the audience’s attention. This is when cultural diversity kicks in. If all of the models are comprised of a long, monotonous band of white, the audience will get lost in transition.
Racial variety is a designer’s friend – it’s their golden ticket to success. So why, then, according to the Huffington Post, did Tocca not use any models of color, and Calvin Klein decreased its use of such in the 2014 New York Fashion Show?
Bethann Hardison, the industry’s model casting guru, said, “Activism needs to remain active.” It’s time to rise above the stubbornness and open our eyes to a new world of color.
