We’re only halfway through June but already this year, there have been many uncomfortable racially-related moments for the fashion industry. Gallianogate, Kate Moss’ hairdresser mate James Brown and now, British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.
In a newspaper interview Shulman denied the existence of institutional racism claiming that she: “does not think fashion is institutionally racist in the slightest”-even though the magazine hasn’t had a black woman on the cover since 2008. Black-British model and star of C4’s The Model Agency, Leomie Anderson begs to differ. In an open letter in The Sunday Times, the 19 year old says:
“I’ve modelled at Paris, New York and London Fashion Weeks, but I haven’t done Milan Fashion Week. I’ve heard from other black models that it’s much harder to get work in Milan.The successful black girls don’t even bother travelling there for castings, because they know they won’t do as well, even if they’ve walked for great designers in all the other cities. Even people from Milan will say that the fashion market there is very behind.
I’ve only had one racist comment made directly at me. I’d gone to a casting for a London fashion designer, I can’t say who. They just said: ‘We only want pale-skinned girls to be in our show.’ Shadeism definitely exists: there are different attitudes to different shades of black. Lighter-skinned models are used more than darker-skinned ones, and if darker models are used, it tends to be for a traditional African look…”
Yes, there has been some improvement regarding the use of ethnic models but Leomie’s comments prove there are still serious issues that need to be dealt with.
