Fashion Blogs

 

 

 

It’s been a little over a year and half since I held a town hall meeting to call attention to the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. I needed to give it air, let the newness, find its on footing. It was important to not be such a “watch dog” that showed lack of faith.

I am happy to report since September 2007, there has been, great improvements in some areas.  Casting directors no longer say blatantly “no ethnics“ when calling to see models to consider casting for fashion/designer shows. The models agencies gained due to the birth of these discussions, as we garnered national and international media support and exposure, which encouraged agencies to find better models of color to offer to the casting directors and get less resistance.

Being a former model manager and having a model agency, I always quietly and sometimes vocally blamed the model agencies for not providing competitive models of color.

To me they were not trying because the market was not interested. When Bethann Management Co Inc. started in 1984, there was often that resistance whenever it came down to the job or the pay for anyone of color. But being a black owner of a white model agency with Black, Latin, Asians and mixed race kids represented, gave me a great edge.  I had a great eye and I believed in everyone I took on. I was already established in an industry that knew me as “Bethann”. I cared to make clients conscious and feel responsibile. It was obvious to me, but it was also a different time, there was support by others who could help make things easier.

I am concerned as we talk diversity, that the results won’t become permanent. That my industry of fashion designers, old and young, seem stuck in a groove. Casting directors? They never even existed during my days of modeling nor during the time of Bethann Management. I must have been out of town when they became ingrained in our industry.  Let me say, not all designers, casting directors, and stylists find it hard to comprehend the brown girl or guy along side the white counterpart.

I stepped away from the NY collections for a couple of seasons and let others tell me the “temperature” of the industry. I kept my eyes on the model agencies and watched the new crop of model talent being represented. I was definitely pleased. It is time again for me to make a physical appearance.

There are still fashion design houses that choose to remain “all white” in their presentation. May be one model of color or two. It is difficult to stand by and watch. I have tried the organic approach and it seemed to have worked for the first couple of years but now I hear since last season in Sept/Oct…” things are slipping back”. This was the concern of Edward Enninful, which inspired his wonderful Black Allure in the February issue of Italian Vogue. It is time for me to start to review, call it like it is seen, and ask will fashion ever integrate?