Kulture 2 Couture

Kulture2Couture promotes some of London’s most talented African and Caribbean designers. It should be a good.

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Where are the Black models in fashion?

So the discussion has now moved from weight to race. It’s like at the turn of each season there is a new focus, wasn’t it age previously?

But seriously can you count the number of Black British models that you know of? Due to my little fashion knowledge I only know of Naomi Campbell. In America you’ve probably heard of Black models like Ajuma Nasanyana, Oluchi Onweagba and Selita Ebanks, Alek Wek (She used to live in London), Iman, Chanel Iman, and Liya Kebede – past and present.

Comparing the Black models in the UK to America you can see an actual difference in numbers. Black American models face the same struggles as those in the UK but I think they’ve managed to break through the many barriers still unbreakable in the UK, particularly with regards to modelling agencies – making it more apparent that racial discrimination is certainly rife in the UK fashion industry.

The next time you walk into a newsagent spend a minute scanning the covers of the magazines and you will barely see any Black models on the covers. In a way I believe through media we are manipulated into believing what fashion is, be it through magazines, television etc.

Dee Doocey the Lib Dem culture spokesperson on the London Assembly, who used to run a model agency, plans to hold a summit discussing discrimination in fashion (I’m not too sure what to make of that right now) and there is also going to be the Top Model of Colour Competition – Is positive discrimination the only way?

She’s spoken to agencies and many have openly admitted they consciously do not choose Black models. But I had to question Dee herself because I wonder if she’s ever looked inside her party because they don’t have one single ethnic minority MP.

The issue of the lack of Black models has been an ongoing debate, and at the moment it’s generated quite a bit of press – of course like most news it will eventually die down but I do hope that something comes out of the summit rather than it becoming only a talking point with no conclusion or action…