That's Amanda (Kevin/Ricky's model), not "MAnn". Dipshit.

Fashion Week Runways Were Almost A Total Whitewash

When New York Fashion Week kicked off, we swore to monitor the diversity -- or the lack of -- on the runways. CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg sent a letter to designers, model agencies and casting directors last month, encouraging them to create shows "that are truly multicultural." Well, the NY Daily News reports that despite von Furstenberg's efforts (and the numerous summits held by former model and agent Bethann Hardison), the catwalks were sorely lacking in models of color. According to the News, out of 66 shows at the in the Bryant Park tents, 18 designers had no black models. Jezebel editorial assistant Maria-Mercedes Lara, who went through each and every fashion show posted on Style.com, said that the models were overwhelmingly Caucasian-looking. She notes that von Furstenberg's runway "had the most models of color, but then again she did send the letter. Although Peter Som was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying 'I do not want an all-white cast,' his show featured a mere 3 models of color out of 18." A breakdown of the models, some examples of "diverse" shows and quotes from industry insiders (gathered by our own Jennifer Gerson), after the jump.

Keegan Singh, stylist:

Every show I've been styling this season has had all ethnicities represented. I work with a designer to help them achieve an overall modern look. To get a modern look, you need to represent a diverse group of people. You can't seem modern if you're only showing how one group of people look.

Mara Hoffman, designer:

I just like the look of having a diverse group of girls. I shouldn't say this, but I actually lean towards darker girls versus all those washed-out pale girls. I just don't look how all those pale, blonde girls look. I totally shouldn't say that! But, I don't know if there's anything the industry as a whole can do about diversity. As a designer, it's all about what your vision is of who your woman is. How do we make a standard for who you imagine your customer to be?

Frank Tell, designer:

You make clothes for anyone who would happen to like you taste: That's what fashion is. And guess what? That's not all white women. Not just white women like clothes -- I don't know why the industry hasn't realized that yet.

Araks Yeramyan, designer:

I don't cast models for who they are, but for how they fit a certain image I am trying to create. The image I have of who my customer is...I'm always thoughtful about making sure there's a broad range of girls in the show -- it's nice to have a range of looks. But really, I don't think the problem is with us. We are not not casting models of different races. The problem us there aren't enough working ethnic models...There aren't enough minority girls to go around, so they're only walking in a few shows. That's just how it is.

Really Ms. Yeramyan? Tell that to model Jourdan Dunn!

Of 103 runway shows, there were 2,278 chances to feature a model on the runway. Of these, women of color (meaning black, Asian or noticeably non-white Hispanic) were used 298 times. An Asian model was used 124 times, a black model was used 112 times, and a Hispanic model was used 62 times.

In other words, the runways were 88% white or European. (According to the census, the U.S. is 73.9% white; that's a non-white population of almost 30%. New York City is 37% non-Hispanic white; 28% black; 27% Hispanic of any race and 10% Asian. )

Of the women of color, the majority were Asian.

41% Asian; 38% black; 21% Latina.

Black models were used a mere 5% of the time.

Because we counted instances of black models and not the models themselves, this number does not mean that 5% of the models were black. Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn, Atong and Samira walked in multiple shows.

Here are examples of castings for a few of the top shows:

Erin Fetherston
Chanel Iman, black
Daul Kim, Asian
Han Jin, Asian
Hye Park, Asian
Total models of color: 4
Total white models: 23
Total models: 27

DKNY
Jourdan Dunn, black
Daniela Borges, Brazilian*
Total models of color: 2
Total white models: 21
Total number of models: 23

Diane Von Furstenberg
Liya Kebede, black
Samira, black
Du Juan, Asian
Atong, black
Maria, Latina
Joan Smalls, black
Georgie, black
Lee, Asian
Alek Wek, black
Emma Pei, Asian
Camila Finn, Brazilian*
Bruna Tenorio, Brazilian*
Total models of color: 12
Total white models: 31
Total number of models: 43

Calvin Klein
Liya Kebede, black
Total models of color: 1
Total white models: 20
Total number of models: 21

Donna Karan
Chanel Iman, black
Total models of color: 1
Total white models: 22
Total number of models: 23

Jill Stuart
Total models of color: 0
Total white models: 20
Total number of models: 20

Jovovich-Hawk
Total models of color: 0
Total white models: 3
Total models: 3

Luca Luca
Atong, black
Total models of color: 1
Total white models: 19
Total models: 20

Tracy Reese
Sasha Gaye-Hunt, black
Dahlia, black
Hollis Wakeema, black
Sonny, Asian
Mo Wandan, Asian
Lily, black
Britnee Nicol, black
Cecilia Mendez, Argentine*
Total models of color: 8
Total white: 15
Total: 23

Zac Posen
Du Juan, Asian
Liya Kebede, black
Jourdan Dunn, black
Chanel Iman, black
Han Jin, Asian
Bruna Tenorio, Brazilian*
Total models of color: 6
Total white: 40
Total: 46

According to the Daily News, Michelle Smith, the designer behind Milly, blamed the modeling agencies for the lack of black models. "They're not giving us any people to choose from," she said. Funny how Zac Posen, Diane von Furstenberg and Tracy Reese didn't seem to have a problem!

Jourdan Dunn, who is British, is gearing up for London Fashion Week, and, reports This Is London, she's worried about the lack of diversity on those runways as well, saying: "London's not a white city so why should our catwalks be so white? I go to castings and see several black and Asian girls, then I get to the show and look around and there's just me and maybe one other coloured face. They just don't get picked."

*Clearly, many Brazilian and Argentine models are of European heritage; we tried to include the ones who offer a different look than the pale, Eastern-European model dominating the scene right now, like dark-eyed, dark haired Bruna, who is of indigenous Brazilian descent.
http://jezebel.com/354782/fashion-week-runways-were-almost-a-total-whitewash

Fashion Week runways lacked minorities

NICOLE CARTER, PATRICK HUGUENIN, PAULINE MONTUPET, NICOLE LYN PESCE, JO PIAZZA and GINA SALAMONE and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Sunday, February 10th 2008, 4:00 AM

Warga/News

The majority of models that took to the runways during Fashion Week were noticably white.

Elite Model Management

Joan Smalls says she missed out on at least one because of the color of her skin.

The fashion shows in Bryant Park were a glorious explosion of color - unless you were looking at the models.

A campaign to promote diversity on the runways during New York's Fashion Week appears to have failed miserably.

In one of the globe's most multicultural cities, the talent in the tents last week was as white as a Vera Wang wedding gown.

A survey by the Daily News revealed that out of 1,584 model slots, 94 went to black mannequins - a paltry 6%.

Latinas accounted for only 17 slots, about 1%, and Asians for 95, or 6%.

Out of 66 shows in the tents at Bryant Park or the adjacent space in the New York Public Library, 18 designers had no black models, and six of those put on all-white lineups.

"I'm disappointed," supermodel Naomi Campbell told The News when she learned of the findings. "For this to be going on in 2008 is just shocking."

Even more disturbing is that the racial divide persisted despite a high-profile crusade to get designers to diversify their model stables.

Diane Von Furstenburg, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sent a letter to designers, agencies and casting directors last month, urging them to craft shows "that are truly multicultural."

She might have expected the industry to at least pay lip service to the directive. Instead, the numbers suggest many designers gave it the kissoff.

A council spokeswoman declined to comment on the survey results but said the group takes the issue "seriously." IMG Models, which produced the shows, said it expects improvement in the future.

But others weren't as blasé.

"We are losing the colors in fashion," said supermodel Tyson Beckford, who was seen applauding the rare black model to strut past him at several shows. "Every season, you notice it's starting to get worse."

He put designers on notice that the whitewash won't be silently tolerated. "We're not afraid to call them out," he said.

Michelle Smith, the designer behind Milly, said she signed up one black model this year - but then had to cut her because she gained some weight.

"I really think it's stemming from the modeling agencies," said Smith, who did book a Latina model. "They're not giving us any people to choose from."

Jill Stuart's show had not one black, Asian or Latina model. CEO Ron Curtis blamed modeling agencies for not sending enough minorities to casting calls.

He said his casting director, who is not white, tried to hire two of the most popular black models, Jourdan Dunn and Liya Kebede. "But they were exclusive to Oscar [de la Renta], whose show follows ours," he complained.

Academy of Art had one Latina and two Asians showcasing its designs, but no blacks. The show's creative director, Roger Padilha, also pointed fingers.

"Of the approximately 450 girls we saw on castings from 16 different agencies, only 12 were African-American," he said.

Vivienne Tam, who had three Asian models out of 35, beat the same drum when asked about the lack of black and Hispanic women at her event. "I'd love to use them but there are not enough," she said.

Neil Hamil, director of Elite North America, said it's so difficult to get designers to book his black models he donated $1,000 to underwrite the industry's next "Absence of Color" town hall forum.

"This Fashion Week I know we had higher hopes to see more of our ethnic talent, but it's been kind of a disappointment," Hamil said.

Ex-model and agent Bethann Hardison, who has been leading the diversity push, thinks there's plenty of blame to go around. "Everybody has a little hand on it," she said.

And the designers' pale palette could translate into more red for the bottom line, industry insiders said.

The chorus of "no ethnic models" from casting directors in the last decade has put fashion into a funk, Hardison said. "It's not exciting anymore. The clothes are great, but the vibe of fashion is so dead."

'They just say ... have a nice day'

Model Joan Smalls hit the catwalk in eight shows last week, but says she missed out on at least one because of the color of her skin.

"There is a certain type of prejudice and you can sense it from certain casting directors, so you're not given that opportunity to go further," Smalls, who is black, told the Daily News.

Without naming names, the 19-year-old New Yorker told how she went to meet a director for a big designer and was summarily turned away.

By chance, Smalls ran into the designer himself in the elevator and he took notice of her classic, sultry beauty. "He actually told me that I was really beautiful and he went up with me toward his offices and introduced me to everybody ... and made sure that they saw me [at the casting call] the following day."

After the designer's intervention, Smalls was invited to the casting call, but the director took a pass on her again.

Smalls, who is represented by Elite Model Management, said the incident was the "most noticeable" case of discrimination in her career.

It may not have been the only time she was rejected because she's black. "They don't give you a reason," she said. "They just say, 'Thank you, have a nice day.'"

Gina Salamone and Tracy Connor

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/02/10/2008-02-10_fashion_week_runways_lacked_minorities.html?print=1&page=all

'Why are our catwalks so white?'

By Sri Carmichael Last updated at 12:52pm on 11.02.08

Add your view

New face: model Jourdan Dunn

A London teenager hailed as the next Naomi Campbell spoke out today about the lack of black models on the catwalk.

Jourdan Dunn, 17, who designers are clamouring to hire during London Fashion Week, says the runways should reflect the city's ethnic diversity.

She said: "London's not a white city so why should our catwalks be so white? I go to castings and see several black and Asian girls, then I get to the show and look around and there's just me and maybe one other coloured face.

"They just don't get picked. I hope it's because the designer just didn't think they were good enough as a model but I don't know."

Jourdan, who lives with her mother and two younger brothers in Greenford, west London, was spotted by agency Storm while trying on sunglasses in the Hammersmith Primark.

The current face of Gap, the 5ft 10in teenager was picked by Kate Moss to launch her Christmas Topshop collection last year and has appeared on New York catwalks and the pages of US Vogue.

But a fashion stylist for a top women's magazine said the industry was weighted against non-white models.

The woman, who said she would lose her job if she was named, said: "It's all about what sells clothes, and people aspire to be white, blonde and thin, so there we go. We're being naive if we say that's not racist."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23436847-details/%27Why+are+our+catwalks+so+white%27/article.do