Is there a need to diversify models in the fashion industry to be more representative of the populat
For my Masters Degree application I was tasked to write a critical article on an aspect that interested me in fashion and I wrote the following article. I decided that I wanted to share that with you guys so I hope you enjoy :). p.s. I was successful and am now studying International Fashion Management at Nottingham Trent!
Fashion industry consumers are increasingly becoming more diverse particularly in the luxury category. Why then in catwalks, magazines, and campaigns do young white, cisgendered, petite models dominate the industry? Shouldn’t the industry be more representative of its consumer base? Does the problem stem from the aesthetic visions of designers, stylists and creative directors or is lack of diversity in senior positions within the industry at fault? This essay will explore these questions and put forward an argument about where the problem lies, outlining what has been done to address the problem.
The fashion industry needs to ensure that it is as diverse as the population that it serves. Lack of diversity in model selection for campaigns is one of the main issues forcing its way to the forefront of the modern fashion industry. Though trends seem to be ever changing, the outlook on diversity is not as promising; it is slow and not consistently improving season by season.
When striped back to basics, fashion’s core objective is to create products for consumption. That being the case, surely the best sales strategy is to make products relatable to their consumer base?
The fashion industry has historically been centred in the west, with major fashion companies such as Kering and LVMH whose fashion presentations occur mainly in Paris, New York, Milan and London. As a direct result, the major fashion press focuses on those four cities, which have generated a narrow global view as they are catering for a primarily western consumer.
Industry efforts to improve diversity, whilst good, are not in line with rates of change in the population that it serves. Since 2007 Asia’s interest in the global luxury goods market has grown by 10% making it one of the fastest growing luxury markets in the world along side the Middle East and Africa. Whilst these are amongst some of the top global consumers for luxury products the gap between what is being shown on the catwalks and the consumers continues to grow.
Young, white, petite models not only dominate the catwalks but editorial and advertising campaigns as well. Examples of the problem are evident when we look at the British Vogue covers archive where we see that as little 12 covers out of 260 featured a person of colour, during the last 21 years, the majority of whom were celebrities rather than models. There were also no examples of plus sized models or models who are above the age of 50.
Reina Lewis professor of Cultural studies at London College of Fashion says that the principle of exclusivity causes the luxury industry to cast so narrow-mindedly, as well as a desire to stay authentic to a brand history many of which catered predominantly to the western market and whose consumers appreciate the brands preservation of its heritage.
The most racially diverse season to date has been Autumn/Winter ’16, closely followed by Autumn/Winter ’17 where 68.5% of models from New York’s 116 major shows were white compared with only 31.5% being people of colour. This marked the first New York season where, based on 2,700 models, every runway included at least one model of colour. That is not say that steps haven’t been taken to improve diversity, on the contrary, greater media coverage and advocacy by organisations such as Models for Diversity have helped to raise its importance, as well as notable industry figures speaking out about the lack of diversity. These efforts have sadly resulted in only incremental changes in representation of mature models, models of colour, plus size models and models with disabilities in magazines and on catwalks.
Casting Director James Scully argues that the fashion landscape and mentality have barely changed. The emergence of social media and comment culture are given credit for recent changes, not designers, stylists or creative directors. Additionally, it is credited for enabling a wider audience to comment on issues within the industry and for fashion companies having to sit up and listen.
As a result fashion industry designers are becoming more open minded about inclusiveness, representation and promoting diversity in the fashion industry with regards to the types of models they hire for their campaigns and runway shows. Progress however has been slow and in my opinion is not where it should be at this juncture.
Some fashion diversity milestones include Madeline Stuart (Australian model with Down syndrome) walking the Hendrik Vermeulen show at New York Fashion week in Spring 2016, Christian Siriamo use of Ashley Graham and others (plus sized models) in his SS17 collection presentation and Jack Airs (amputee) walking at New York, Milan and London fashion week and featuring on the front cover of men’s health in 2015. Whilst it is a move in the right direction, countless examples remain where companies use the traditional white size 0 model.
Balmain is an exemplar fashion brand with a global outlook. Creative director for Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, argues that you can’t expect to propagate a global fashion brand without embracing global and diverse casting.
Sara Ziff, founder of The Models Alliance, is doubtful that we’ll ever see significant change ”… without clear financial incentives or penalties for designers to prioritise health and be inclusive across categories”.
Blogging and social media has enabled users to make more visible different types of diversity and ethnicity, with bloggers of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders becoming more active in the fashion world, making brands start to take notice and realise the potential profitability these communities can bring.
As fashion imagery changes and consumers become more involved with social media we have greater exposure to more diverse landscapes. From our phones and computers we can see across the world and are able to access alternative beauties not previously shown in western print media. Hopefully this social media revolution will help foster a more globally orientated industry that celebrates diversity.
Hope you enjoyed it feel free to leave comments - Courtney xx
