I had the pleasure of attending a seminar sponsored by Harlem Fashion Row discussing “color on the runway” or should I say the lack of black models on the runway. After this lecture I decided to be conscious of how many Black models I saw on the runway the following fashion season. Almost all of the shows I attended for SS12 had between two and four Black models. I was especially excited to have received a seat at the ARISE show which happens to be one of the most coveted shows of the season.
ARISE, billed as the African designer showcase, had as many models that weren’t of color. They had models of color, which is ironic, to say the least.
I overheard various whispers and grumbles that went like this:
Attendee A – Why aren’t all the models Black? If they are not going to use all black models at least book the Latina, Middle Eastern and Indian girls before you book “the others.”
Attendee B – Of course there are enough Black models. This is politics.
So if it’s “just politics” and business as usual or there simply are not enough Black models, it seems that some designers, from indie to main stream are making an attempt to diversify the runway.