Monday 16 September 2013

Evening Standard : Black Fashion

Fashion : Where are all the black models on our catwalks?


As she launches a campaign to combat fashion’s ‘virtual white-out’, Iman tells Jane Mulkerrins about raising David Bowie’s daughter and why she won’t buy a handbag from designers who don’t use models of colour

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Walking tall: from far left, Iman, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls and Malaika Firth

Beneath an arresting Annie Leibovitz image, Iman — the Somali-born supermodel and wife of David Bowie — is growing increasingly incensed. “There were more black models on the catwalk when I started in the 1970s than there are today,” she exclaims. She waves an elegant hand, bearing a huge diamond, at the Leibovitz group shot, featuring 16 celebrated black models from various eras, including Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Cynthia Bailey and herself. “So when people say that there just aren’t that many black models, yes there are!” she cries. But, she says, to look at the runway of late is to witness a virtual white-out.

And Iman, along with Campbell, isn’t taking it lying down. The high-profile pair have joined forces with Bethann Hardison, former model-turned-agent-turned activist, to highlight the lack of models of colour currently taking to the catwalk.

On September 5, the opening of New York Fashion Week and the first stop on the fash pack’s glitzy four-city autumn tour, the three women sent an open letter to the heads of the fashion governing bodies in New York, London, Paris and Madrid, under the banner of Hardison’s Diversity Coalition. “Eyes are on an industry that season after season watches design houses consistently use one or no models of colour,” the letter reads. “No matter the intention, the result is racism.” The coalition then lists the designers and fashion houses it says are “guilty of this racist act”, among them Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Chanel, Armani, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Victoria Beckham, Roberto Cavalli and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

“People have said we are shaming the designers,” Iman tells me, her voice still infused with a rich African inflection after almost 40 years in the United States. “But that’s not what we’re doing. Nobody is calling anybody racist; the action is racist,” she explains. “I have a 12-year-old daughter [Alexandria, who carries Bowie’s legal surname, Jones; she also has a 35 year-old daughter, Zulekha Haywood, from her previous marriage to the American basketball player, Spencer Haywood] and when she does something wrong, she says, ‘I was very bad’. I say, ‘No, you did something bad. You are not bad’. The action is different from the person who is doing it.”

And, she points out, this is not simply a case of pitying the poor models struggling in the rarefied, well-paid world of high-fashion. “The absence of models of colour sends a message to our young girls that they are not good enough, they are not beautiful enough,” she says. “Photography and the runways are such powerful tools, and say such a lot about our society. It is so much bigger than the catwalk.”

It is a steamy September morning in Manhattan, a week after the politely explosive letter was sent, when I meet the feisty, formidable icons at the midtown offices of Iman Cosmetics — now a $25 million-a-year business, based on foundation formulations for non-Caucasian women, and one of the best-selling lines at giant nationwide pharmacy chain Walgreen’s. Her line grew from personal experience; on her first job for American Vogue in 1975, the make-up artist asked Iman if she had brought her own foundation, as he had nothing suitable for her skin tone. Out of necessity, she began mixing her own batches, which other black models would then ask to borrow.

As she crosses the lobby to greet me, it is clear that the 24 years since her retirement from modelling have had no impact whatsoever upon her walk, a graceful, runway-ready leonine lollop. And even in jeans, a simple green silk blouse and hounds-tooth blazer, she could cause serious traffic issues outside on 7th Avenue. She is now 58 years old.I scan her face for any conspicuous signs of ageing but find precisely none, only radiant skin and impossibly hewn bone structure. But, I’m thrilled to find, her wit is as sharp as her cheekbones. “They used to tell me that I was exotic,” she sighs, rolling her exquisite almond-shaped eyes. “What am I? A mango?”

She and Bowie, her husband of 21 years, officially split their time between London and New York, but these days live largely in the latter, where Alexandria is at school, and I ask whether she’d be happy for her daughter to follow in her footsteps.

“She is too young, she needs to finish her education,” she says, firmly. But what if she (as is highly likely) is scouted at 15? “She’ll be somewhere the scouts won’t find her: school,” she replies.

Hardison arrives moments later, an effervescent ball of energy, with close-cropped bleached-blonde hair. The New York native (who is in her sixties, but refuses to reveal her exact age) had sold her agency and stepped back from fashion entirely, when Campbell — the third wheel in the Coalition — persuaded her to come out of retirement to challenge the disappearance of diversity in the industry. “Every couple of months she’d ring me and say, ‘There are no black girls out there. You’ve got to do something,’” recalls Hardison. Campbell herself is across town today, keeping a sizeable army of stylists on their toes, filming a new series of the search-for-a-star modelling show, The Face.

This month’s call to arms came after Hardison employed a researcher to spend six weeks examining every catwalk image from the Autumn/Winter 13 shows and compiling the evidence. Their results were shocking: only six per cent of the models who appeared in the shows were black.

There are some straightforward theories as to why this regression has occurred, including the huge influx of Eastern European models in recent years, and the fact that designers have so many shows in their calendars that most no longer cast their own models, but instead employ stylists and casting agents to select them on their behalf. It’s no excuse, says Hardison. “It means they are not paying attention to what is happening to their brands.”

And they say guilty parties include some iconic brands. “YSL, Versace, Calvin Klein … these are brands that mean a lot to all of us,” says Hardison. “But they don’t see it as racism; they probably voted for Obama, because they are liberals.

“Phoebe Philo [London-born former creative director at Chloë, now at Céline] — she’s a cool girl. But Céline has never had a coloured person showing in their collection. Ever,” claims Hardison. “And yet they have the best accessories; every black woman who has money buys her accessories.” “Not me,” shoots back Iman. “I walk the walk. I can get another It bag. I have my wallet,” she says firmly. “I make a conscious decision not to buy that stuff.”

 The two women’s own early experiences as black models differ quite dramatically. While Hardison grew up in Brooklyn, became the first black saleswoman in the nearby garment district in the Seventies and a runway model in the Sixties, she didn’t fit the mould, she says. “I wasn’t a pretty little girl, I had large eyes, no make-up, very short hair. I didn’t look like a model, or like anything they had ever seen. The buyers wouldn’t even look at me when I first walked out on the runway.”

Iman Abdulmajid, meanwhile, was born in Somalia to political activist parents who sought refugee status in Kenya in the early 1970s. At 16, she was spotted en route to a political science lecture at the University of Nairobi by photographer Peter Beard, and was soon on her way to the US.

“I had never worn heels in my life, never worn make-up in my life, never seen fashion magazines, so I had no concept of what I was doing. And I started big,” she says. “My third day in New York City, I was working for Vogue; my first fashion show was Halston, my second was Calvin Klein.” Yves Saint Laurent called her his “dream woman”. Nonetheless, she, too, faced a racism deeply entrenched in the industry. “Many companies had a different price rate for black models and white models,” she explains. “So I refused to take jobs — if I wasn’t going to be paid the same as them, I wasn’t going to do it. I just sat it out.”

While much has improved, the pair agree that there is a perhaps a parallel with the current state of feminism, an assumption that the hard work has been done, the battle is won, and we can put our feet up now, when, in reality, there is so much left to do. ‘I do think that colour on the catwalk needs to be constantly talked about, that people need to be constantly reminded,’ says Hardison. ‘Activism needs to be active. See what happens if you stop?’

“This is not the end of it,” she promises. “This conversation will continue."


Sunday 23 October 2011

BRUNO HAS THE XFACTOR

I'm sorry.. but I LOOOOVE this!!!



NO ONE can ever take away the fact that Bruno is super talented and an amazing entertainer... no matter how short he is or how high his hair is (Am I the only one that think Bruno looks like a brown Johnny Bravo?! Is that racist?! lol)

Thursday 20 October 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY

World renowned Jimmy Choo celebrates it 15 year anniversary this year!

Thanks to the help of (fictional character) Carrie Bradshaw, and the sexually and emotionally frustrated girls of Sex And the City, Jimmy Choo footwear has become a household name to every fashionista in the world.

And so to celebrate, they have released 'The Jimmy Choo coffee table book'

Now i have to be perfectly honest... I'm not a fan of strappy sandal shoes, so Choo's don't always tickle my spot, but they've had several marketing campaigns that have slyly changed my mind, and made me want to reconsider and blow my monthly salary on a pair - so cudos to you Choo! so I'm posting a few of my favourites ad campaigns (that i can't yet afford *sigh*)














VERSACE OFF THE RACK

Yay!!! We Finally get a sneek peek at the Versace collection for H&M. In stores from Nov 17...
Who else is counting down besides me?!?!

"dresses come in the Italian label's trademark sunset colours and bright green tropical prints, men can dress head-to-toe in zebra print, and corset-style detailing once again helps accentuate the bust" - LAUREN PAXMAN (Daily Mail)



RHI RHI SKINS OUT IN THE 80s

I LOOOOOVE THIS VIDEO!!! #thatisall

Not only is the video of an indirect reflection of her 'whirlwind' relationship with Chris brown (with help of C.Breezy look-a-like, Dudley O'Shaughnessy), but also looks like a tribute to the 1990s rave scene in an episode of 'Skins'.

Watch video below...








Can i just say that this girl looks amaaaaaazing!!!

Monday 10 October 2011

SIN NO EVIL

Errrmmmm... i have to say that i'm slightly concerned about Angela's new PETA campaign - i love the fact that she's a vegetablist (vegitarian) and is trying to promote it... but it use regligion and 'the bible' to promote this.

Doesn't the bible say something along the lines of "Thou shalt not sell your body" .. and that's exactly what she's doing, all in teh name of saving a few cattle and chicken!

Wonder what would her dad aka 'Rev Run' said about this?!


Thursday 7 July 2011

RACHEL WEISZ IS BULGARI

Actress Rachel Weisz (who is the new face of Bulgari)...and newly married to James Bond actor, Daniel Craig, looks stunning in their latest fragrance campaign.

Shot by photography duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott


Source: Daily Mail

Tuesday 8 February 2011

TOP 5... Looks from Men's Fashion Week 2011

Milan & Paris' a/w 2011 Collection... left me speechless, I can't even grade. So i just threw together the five that made the most impact on me [or that I could see my future husband wearing]


Burberry Prorsum


Emporio Armani


Salvatore Ferragamo


Trussardi 1911



ok, i wasn't feeling these looks too much, but they definately made an impact.


Paul Smith - I know bright block colours are in but this just made me think i was watching a Pet Shop Boys Video.



Louis Vuitton - Man Bags were one thing but Man Clutches, I'm not completely sold on those yet... although LV does make them look mighty appealing... hmm...

Monday 7 February 2011

RASTAMOUSE


There's bit a lot of whoo-haa about the new children's animated show that launched in the UK several days ago, called 'Rastamouse'.

The show airs on CBeebies - the show seems to be a hit with the kids and then there's been a bit of a mixbag reaction from the concerning adults about racism and cultralism, etc

Rastamouse originally started as a children's book, were written written in rhyme with a Caribbean accent, by Genevieve Webster (an author and illustrator) and Michael De Souza, a Rastafari swimming instructor!


The show features an all-mouse Reggae band named "Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew" who also indulge in crime fighting (a bit like Batman... more like 'Josie & The Pussycats'). The stories show how people can get on and solve problems, such as those who commit crimes show remorse and explain why they did what they did, and promise not to do it again, then all can be 'easy' again.

Just because Rastamouse wears a Rasta hat, sports dreadlocks and has a Jamaican accent (voiced by Reggie Yates, a current Radio 1 DJ and actor/presenter), there's nothing racist about it!

I think, we as a 'second' generation (I think that's what we are) growing up in the western world aren't exactly used to seeing other cultures portrayed so freely on our TV screens - we grew up with the likes of 'He-man', 'Sherah', 'Postman Pat', 'Fireman Sam', 'Family Ness', 'Penny Crayon', etc... you get the drift, and it has probably thrown a few people off a bit.




We can't be outraged at the fact that there is an entire show teaching children the diversities of culture around us, with good values that teaches kids the difference between right and wrong, especially since many people would be outraged at the fact that in living in the 21st century, in this 'day and age' that we didn't have one before!

This may even spawn a TV series about 'Femi the Nigerian Jungle Cat' or 'Fei Ying the Chinese Panda'... the animated world is our oyster!!!


Sunday 6 February 2011

JAN 2011 ROUND UP


What a way to start the year...


Paris & Milan for (Mens) A/W Fashion Week 2011
Get your fix at Wallpaper, I did

"That's Dior Homme, Not Dior Homie!" - Kanye West

The 17th annual Hollywood Issue cover of Vanity Fair (including Anne Hathaway, James Franco, Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and more)

Spanish player Fernando Torres left Liverpool to join Chelsea for a record British transfer fee of £50 million... making him the most expensive Spanish player in history

Nicki Minaj greets fans outside the Kiss FM studios in London... I'm not mentioning the wig lol!

British comedian, Ricky Gervais, caused a liiiiiitlle bit of controversy at the Golden Globes 2011

And there were more awards (it is award season afterall) :)

The Golden Globes...






The 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards...





The NTA happended...






Annnnddd...

The Brit Award nominations were announced...
And of course the Razzie nominations lol!


Phew! Told you it was a good month ;)