What: Has the “Obama Effect” Come to Runway Castings? by Guy Trebay
Where: New York Times, Fashion & Style Section
Not too long ago, I alerted you to an article about race diversity — or lack thereof – in the men’s runway shows in Milan. And in that post, I alluded to the idea that Obama’s presidency might help coax designers into selecting a more diverse cast of models for their fashion shows.
In this follow-up to Eric Wilson’s article, Guy Trebay echos my thought, reporting on signs that change might not just be reserved for American politics, but also American fashion runways and the models who walk them. Things are looking better in Paris and New York fashion weeks in terms of ethnic diversity.
While the article is a little short on details, I especially liked it because of the amount of space devoted to quotes from the models themselves — the people who experience the rejection and/or acceptance first hand. My favourite quote comes from Shawn Sutton: “I’m not really a black model, I’m a model.”
For an industry that prides itself on change, I can’t help but wonder why it hasn’t already.
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