Flashback Friday | Is the Fashion Industry Racist?

The annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week officially kicked off yesterday, and I am very excited to see what the designers have in store for us this season.

In addition to checking out the garments, I'm also always very interested to see which designers make the cut, how many of them are minorities, and how many designers select women of color to represent their garments on the runway.

Three years ago, I was new to blogging, but I wrote this quick post, which asked the question, "Is the fashion industry racist?"

At the Edge of Canada: Indigenous Research

When I was in Winnipeg the other week, I was asked to do an interview for the radio show At the Edge of Canada: Indigenous Research, and it was a wonderful experience talking with the host, Dr Robert-Falcon Ouellette, about the exciting world of Native fashion. The interview is available online as a podcast, and you can access it by clicking here or here (and I actually sound semi-intelligent. Rock out!)

Article | Behind-the-Scenes Documentary by Model on Fashion's Darker Side

Behind-the-scenes documentary by US model shines a light on fashion's darker side
By: JENNY BARCHFIELD

PARIS — Discovered at age 14 outside her Manhattan school, Sara Ziff was quickly swept up into the high-glamour whirlwind of the fashion industry, jetting to Paris and Milan for shoots and shows and getting paychecks with an astonishing number of zeros.

She and her boyfriend, a film school graduate, started taking home videos backstage on a lark, but the couple's hobby bloomed into something bigger — an inside peek behind the industry's high-gloss facade into its darker side of body image problems, drugs and even sexual abuse.

Ziff, a blue-eyed blond who walked for luxury supernovas including Louis Vuitton and Chanel, says the couple's documentary, "Picture Me," shows an industry sometimes out of control.

"It's sort of the 'Wild West,' with people feeling the rules don't apply in fashion, for some reason. I'd like to be a part of making some sort of changes in that way," Ziff, 28, told The Associated Press.

She and her boyfriend and co-director, Ole Schell, were in Paris Monday to promote the movie among the fashion glitteratti, who are flocking to the city for the spring-summer 2011 ready-to-wear show, which begins Tuesday. The movie, which is currently playing in Los Angeles, is scheduled to be released in Paris next month.

Shot over a period of five years by Ziff, Schell and their model friends, "Picture Me" makes a convincing case for the need for some sort of regulation in an industry where girls begin their careers at age 14 or even as young as 12.

Ziff waited until after high school to pursue her career in earnest. Soon, she was gracing mammoth billboards in her native New York and out-earning her father, a neuro-biologist and professor at New York University.

In the film, we see Ziff evolve from a wide-eyed ingenue into a harried and emotionally strung-out young woman.

She's often in tears, reeling from the sheer exhaustion of the brutal monthlong fashion show calendar, or upset about a tactless comment from one of the professionals backstage. Ziff says the industry tends to see models as objects to be poked, prodded and painted, rather than as sensitive young women.

The movie also prods what Ziff calls the "sordid and salacious" underbelly of fashion, with her and her friends talking on camera about the taboo subjects of cocaine use backstage, bulemia-clogged toilets and photographers' unwanted sexual advances.

Ziff, and Schell, 35, insist they hadn't initially set out to make a tell-all documentary.

"I started by just innocently shooting for fun," said Schell, adding it was his journalist father who convinced the pair to make a film. "So we took all this home video footage, about two years of home video footage, and then interviewed a bunch of Sara's friends, other models, and photographers and fashion designers."

In an industry that Schell describes as "all literally about the image, the final image, (and) all the money and effort that goes into that," it wasn't easy to get such explosive revelations on tape, the pair said.

"It's not always considered so cool to analyze things in the fashion industry," said Schell, who also directed "Win in China," a documentary about capitalism in the Asian giant. "When you peel back the layers and start to examine the machinations behind the scenes, not everyone is interested in participating in that."

Ziff said her modeling agency was not aware of the couple's project. After "Picture Me" debuted on the film festival circuit she changed agencies, she said.

Still, the movie is not all negative. It showcases the camaraderie and the close bonds that develop between models as they turn to one another for support, and it often focuses on the lighthearted and happy moments they share.

"Picture Me" also underscores the way modeling allows teenage girls, often from small towns in Eastern Europe or Latin American, to lift their entire families out of grinding poverty.

At the end of the movie, Ziff is looking for a way out of modeling and gets accepted at Columbia University. Having paid her way through the Ivy League college on her income from modeling, Ziff is to graduate with a degree in political science in December.

In addition to making the movie, Ziff also worked on Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo's campaign for New York governor and said she was surprised about the amount of crossover between fashion and politics.

"In the end, they're both about image," she said.

Jezebel Reports: Fashion Week Diversity By The Numbers

Jezebel Reports:
Fashion Week Diversity By The Numbers
By Jenna Sauers

In September of 2007, it was reported that of all the 101 shows that took place during New York fashion week, one third employed zero models of color. Since then, we've tried to track diversity on the runway every season.

We do this here at Jezebel because what we see on the runway — and who wears it — influences the faces we will go on to see in magazine editorials, advertising campaigns, and all the other images the fashion industry will create over the coming season. The models who walk in the shows are working with the stylists who matter, and being seen by the top editors. Those stylists are thinking of the campaigns, editorials, and other jobs they'll be consulting on over the coming months; the editors are thinking of their feature wells and the garments and stories and faces that might fill them. The industry at large is watching these shows and thinking: Who has buzz? Who's that new face? Who do we have to have? The runway is like a hopper that feeds the fashion industry's image-making machine. And the fact is that those images overwhelmingly feature white faces; this, we believe, perpetuates the cycle of marginalization and racism experienced by people of color.

Even if, come spring, you don't buy any of the overpriced designer clothes fashion week notionally exists to unveil, and even if you are not a habitual reader of the hard-core fashion magazines, chances are you'll still be bombarded with the perfume ads, the Gap campaigns, and the Maybelline billboards — not to mention the garden variety ladymag editorials — that will stem from this season and its casting.


This fashion week, there were 128 New York shows and presentations that were covered by Style.com. (We've always used Style.com as the basis for our data because it publishes look-by-look slideshows, often with models' names included, for a comprehensive swath of New York's shows.) Those 128 shows together presented 4,170 runway looks. That means 4,170 opportunities to choose a woman or girl to model that outfit.


3,410 of those opportunities, or 81.8%, went to white models. That means of course that 760, or 18.2%, went to models who were non-white. Non-white Latina models were used 95 times in all of fashion week, or around 2.3% of the time, and Asian models were used 296 times, or 7.1% of the time. Black models were used 353 times, or 8.4% of the time. Models of other races, like the Moroccan Hind Sahli and the Canadian model Tara Gill, who has Native American heritage, were used 16 times, or 0.4% of the time.

Since Jezebel has been been tracking the relative diversity of New York fashion week for so many seasons, I thought I'd try and chart the last few seasons and their numbers. (We did not generate data for Spring/Summer 2009, or Spring/Summer 2010.) You will notice that this season presents a small improvement on six months ago, in terms of its diversity, but that essentially New York fashion week is right back where it was 18 months ago.


Lots of people within fashion will tell you that casting models is an extraordinarily complex, creative pursuit, one that requires balancing multiple subjective qualities (does this model give me the right feeling?) with more objective ones (does this model fit the clothes, and can she walk?). Some people always say that choosing a cast that suits a designer's creative vision is more important than taking even the most basic steps to insure that cast isn't all-white. (At least, the apologists for the status quo prefer to talk about designers and "creative visions" rather than about casting notices that say "No Ethnic Girls" and black models who say they work less than their white friends.) But why is it considered acceptable for a designer's creative vision to not include people of color? Do those designers not want any black or Latino customers either?

This season, there were six shows and presentations that included no models of color at all. These included Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti — which is cast by the highly influential casting director Russell Marsh, who also casts for Prada and Miu Miu — as well as Mulberry, Reem Acra, and Doo.Ri. Prada, you will recall, is the Italian global luxury brand that went more than a decade without casting even a single black model in any of its shows. (This season, Prada had two black models — Jourdan Dunn and Melodie Monrose — present one look apiece in its 41-look collection.)

There were also plenty of shows that had all-white casts but for one or two models. Anna Sui, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Jeremy Scott, Jill Stuart, Narciso Rodriguez, Rodarte, Diesel Black Gold, and Thakoon are among them. What's worrisome is that that list is thick with some of the most influential and prestigious labels in all of fashion. And they don't seem to see any use for more than a couple token models of color. Mass-market powerhouse Max Azria, via his brands Hervé Leger by Max Azria, Max Azria, and BCBG Max Azria, booked his customary nearly all-white casts, all while telling us he was the "king of diversity in fashion."

Who were the designers who did things better? 3.1 Phillip Lim, who hired nine models of color, and Sophie Théallet, who showed 13 of her 32 looks on models of color, were among the buzzed-about younger designers had very diverse casts. Among the old guard, Carolina Herrera (11/52), Oscar de la Renta (13/60), and Diane von Furstenberg (17/50), had the most diverse casts. Rachel Comey, Betsey Johnson, Costello Tagliapietra, Tara Subkoff's relaunched Imitation line, Jason Wu, Christian Siriano, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. line, both Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Richard Chai were also among those labels that valued diversity in their casting.

Melodie Monrose, with 19 shows including Tory Burch and Rag & Bone, was fashion week's top black model. Shena Moulton and Joan Smalls, who booked 13 apiece, were second. Moulton was the only black model at Calvin Klein, and Smalls walked for Alexander Wang, Derek Lam, and Michael Kors, among others. The top Asian model at New York fashion week was again Liu Wen, who walked in 18 shows. Fei Fei Sun and Shu Pei Qin had 16 each. Among non-white Latina models, Simone Carvalho booked nine shows, while Juana Burga had a respectable eight. The only models of other ethnic backgrounds to speak of were Hind Sahli, who worked six shows, and Tara Gill, who booked three.

Why doesn't fashion — especially multi-national brands whose profitability rests on convincing the largest number of consumers possible to purchase their perfumes, underwear, and diffusion lines, like Calvin Klein — have more consideration for the beauty and worth of people who aren't white? Is New York fashion week plateauing at around 82% white, no matter how much advocacy or consciousness-raising gets done, or how many trend pieces get written about this issue? Will it ever become unacceptable to put on a fashion show in a thoroughly multi-racial city like New York and not hire a single model of color? Will it ever become unacceptable to blame that choice on an alleged "creative vision"? As long as these questions remain, we'll continue to ask them, time and time again, and look for answers in seasons to come.

Is Ethnic Beauty The New 'It' Factor?

Check out this recent article from CNN:

(CNN) -- Women who desire a more "exotic" appearance are looking to the fashion world's growing multi-culturalism for inspiration.

There was a time when the Caucasian girl-next-door looks of Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford and more recently Kate Moss dominated the fashion pages. Then came new fashion icons: Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce - and then Giselle, Kim Kardashian and Shakira.

More voluptuous figures, fuller lips and darker skin, features traditionally associated with women of African, Latin and Asian cultures, are "in." Over the past decade, an appreciation for ethnic beauty has been on the rise, and these natural features are becoming popular among Caucasian women who desire to look more "exotic."

Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who studies the science behind the brain and beauty, believes that the shift in our perception of beauty is a sign of the times.

"Our standards of beauty are changing and ethnic women are at the forefront today," she said. "It emulates our growing sense of cultural awareness."

Etcoff, who also authored "Survival of the Prettiest," adds: "If you study plastic surgery textbooks, the notions of an ideal feature have changed. In the 50s, the ideal look featured thinner lips, upturned noses, smaller eyes, and paler makeup," Etcoff said. "Now you see broader noses, darker skin, and larger eyelids. All these attributes suggest shifts in demographics and an appeal to a more multicultural look instead of an overly Caucasian appearance."

Read more by clicking here.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Some women desire ethnic features to achieve an "exotic" look,
- Larger bottoms and fuller lips are among the most popular exotic beauty trends,
- As America's population changes, the standards of beauty change experts say,
- Companies earned over $3 billion between 2005 and 2009 in multicultural beauty market .

Miss Aussie Costume Controversy

The unveiling of the Miss Australia national costume for the Miss Universe pageant has caused quite a buzz - some calling it tacky, others calling it perfectly Australian. The 'national costume' part of the pageant is an important moment when the audience sees each contest for the first time representing their country. The national costume is meant to reflect the contestant's country and to display that country's unique character. What do you think of the outfit: fashion fail, or fashion fabulous?


Nation Barfs Over Miss Aussie Costume
One critic calls it 'a national joke,' another 'a travesty'
By Emily Rauhala| Posted Jul 30, 2010

The first problem: High-heeled Uggs. The second: Everything else. The outfit designed to represent Australia at next month's Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas is being blasted as "a travesty" and "a national joke," reports the Telegraph. The ensemble combines Ugg heels with a one-piece bathing suit, a multi-colored flamenco-inspired skirt, and a lamb's wool shrug. The skirt "looks like it was made from discount fabric bin scraps," says one fashion editor.

Miss Universe hopeful Jesinta Campbell, 18, defended the costume. "An Aboriginal artist hand-painted my swimsuit, which is the base of the outfit, which is very special," she says, adding that the bulky shrug is "very Australian — very Outback." The overall look, she says, is "incredible." Incredible, eh?



Miss Australia's fashion: What's all the fuss about?
Hilary Alexander, the Telegraph's Fashion Director, sees the positives in Miss Australia's controversial attire.

Starve the lizards! The Aussies have got themselves into a real tizzy over the new Miss Australia costume. Now, as a Kiwi - or one from Australia’s market garden - as our neighbours often refer to New Zealand, I should be busting a gut over the rather bizarre outfit which seems to be about as popular as a dingo’s breakfast, Down Under.

But I have to confess, I rather like it. I agree the skirt is ‘iffy’, a bit of a ‘bitzer’ and looks as if it would be more at home in a bar in San Fernando rather than Sinny. But the sheepskin shrug is bang on trend, the Ugg boots are as quintessentially Australian as Aussie Rules, and having the ‘togs’ hand-painted by an Aboriginal artist is a master-stroke.

Don’t get your knickers in a knot, all you Bruces and Sheilas. It’s only fashion. Just be thankful she doesn’t look as camp as a row of tents.


[Note: the pageant will be held Aug 23 in Las Vegas.

To view other National Costumes, click here.

Click here for more about controversies with national costumes]

Article | Jerry Hall Shuns Surgery For American Indian Look

Sorry but this article was just too much of a gem to pass up -

Hall Shuns Surgery For American Indian Look
on 02. Apr, 2010

Mick Jagger’s ex-wife Jerry Hall has passed her modeling mantle onto her daughters – because she’s now too "fat, wrinkled and old" to grace magazine covers.

The Texan beauty was an acclaimed fashion model during her 1970s and 1980s heyday, and strutted the runways well into her 40s.

But the star admits her time in front of the camera is up and she’s adamant she will steer clear of surgery – insisting she wants to look like an ancient American Indian.

She tells Woman and Home, “I’m going for the eccentric, wrinkled suntanned look instead. I love the sun. I want to look like a North American Indian – big jewellery and wrinkled, suntanned skin. Much better than the skinny, cut-up look.”

And Hall is happy to let her daughters with the Rolling Stones legend – Lizzie and Georgia – grace the covers of magazines these days.

She adds, “I used to love modeling but now I’m fat, wrinkled and old it’s not so much fun. My daughters Georgia and Lizzy are such beautiful girls and they are both modeling. I’m glad they are doing it and not me. It’s their time now.”

[read original here]