{"id":38621,"date":"2015-03-26T18:23:37","date_gmt":"2015-03-26T22:23:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/?p=38621"},"modified":"2023-03-18T18:24:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-18T22:24:37","slug":"heels-in-the-sand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/heels-in-the-sand\/","title":{"rendered":"Heels in the Sand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/MDX-Diversity-1280-notx.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/MDX-Diversity-1280-notx.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/MDX-Diversity-1280-notx-840x560.jpg 840w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/MDX-Diversity-1280-notx-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/MDX-Diversity-1280-notx-200x133.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<style>\n.post p:first-child {padding:0;max-height:800px;overflow:hidden;}\n#introbox {border:1px solid white;padding:80px;font-size:26px;text-align:center;}\n.mdcdidotro {font-family:'Didot W01 Roman';}\n.mdcdidoti {font-family:'Didot W01 Italic';}\n.mdcdidotb {font-family:'Didot W01 Bold';}\n.title a {color:black;}\n.capletter {font-size: 12rem;\n  margin-right: -20px;\n  margin-left: -20px;}\n.subcapletter {font-size:1.2rem;}\n.byline {font-size:1.4rem;}\n.introblurb {margin:70px 0;font-size:1.2rem;}\n.opensans,#introbox, .introcredits, .txtbox {font-family:'Open Sans', sans-serif;}\n#introbox {font-size:1rem;text-;align:justify;}\n#introcredits {font-size:1rem;margin-top:60px;}\n#introbox,.txtbox {margin:60px 0 10px 0;font-weight:300;}\n#introbox .title {font-size:96px;color:black;text-transform:uppercase;}\n#introbox .mdctitle {color:#999;}\n.introtext {width: 500px;margin:auto;}\n.credits {font-size:12px;font-family:\"Courier New\", Courier, monospace;font-weight:normal;word-wrap:break-word;padding:6px;}\n.separ,.separb  {clear:both;}\n.separb {border:1px solid black;}\n.txtbox {width:50%;max-width:640px;margin:80px auto;text-align:justify;}\n.quotebox {border-top:1px solid #fff;border-bottom:1px solid #fff;\npadding:80px;\nfont-size:24px;}\n.imgbox {text-align:center;margin:40px auto;}\n.boxed img {border:1px solid black;}\n.portraitbox {margin:40px auto 0 auto;max-width:500px;text-align:center;}\n.fullwidth {max-width:100% !important;}\n<\/style>\n<link type=\"text\/css\" rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/\/fast.fonts.com\/cssapi\/544ca7db-3ebc-42aa-9645-62e7779154a9.css\"\/>\n<div id=\"introbox\"><span class=\"mdcdidotro title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/heels-in-the-sand\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" >Heels in the Sand<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"introblurb\">\nWhile fashion has been dragging its feet when it comes to diversity, this season heralded an optimistic turn &#8211; but for how long?\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"introtext\">\nModels.com reviews the current state of diversity with several industry insiders to understand how the scales have been tipped.\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"introcredits\">\n<p><span class=\"byline\">By <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/people\/irene-ojo-felix'>Irene Ojo-Felix<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<br \/>\nCover photos: Fall\/Winter 2015 shows by <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/people\/casey-vange'>Casey Vange<\/a> for Models.com<br \/>\nPortraits courtesy of interviewees<\/p>\n<div class=\"credits\">\nRunway photos<br \/>\nYUAN BO &#8211; Valentino Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nBHUMIKA &#8211; Fendi runway photo by Catwalking \/ Getty Images<br \/>\nAMILNA &#8211; Giambattista Valli Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nDYLAN -Alexander Wang Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nKARLY &#8211; Celine Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nLINEISY &#8211; Prada Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nMAE &#8211; Louis Vuitton Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images<br \/>\nAAMITO &#8211; Balenciaga Runway Photo by Catwalking\/Getty Images\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"txtdiv\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"txtbox\">\n<p><span class=\"capletter\">D<\/span><span class=\"subcapletter\">iversity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In the present day, it\u2019s something that seems like it should be standard. Not forced, pushed, or reminded of. <\/p>\n<p>Yet, when it comes to fashion\u2019s runways, the ever-changing, liberal industry seems stuck on this one sore subject \u2013 the continual inclusion of models of color. The importance of racial diversity amid models has been discussed for many years but none more fervently than in 2013 with the efforts of Bethann Hardison and the Balance Diversity Coalition. The activist along with supermodels, Naomi Campbell &#038; Iman, directly called out fashion designers and their dominant preference of all-white model castings. Since then, there has been a push for dialogue between the different sectors in the industry to combat and eliminate this problem. Four or so fashion weeks later, this season has been heralded as the season many designers finally incorporated a range of looks into their castings. But how right has it been? Industry insiders gave us their take on the movement for balance and how things have changed \u2013 for better or worse. <\/p>\n<p>As far as quantifying change, it seems like numbers aren\u2019t telling the whole story. Hardison asserts when sites &#8220;come up with ratios and percentages to indicate that there\u2019s been very little improvement, I don\u2019t agree. I don\u2019t like looking at them now.\u201d She optimistically turns to the visual representation of girls of color on the runway and in editorial, saying she &#8220;only likes seeing the improvement of the girls. If you don\u2019t have great models to compete with their white counterparts you\u2019re not going to get a job. Now we have a fighting chance.\u201d  Hardison would instead like to focus on the encouragement of agencies scouting girls of color in mass. &#8220;These last few seasons it has been much better because we now have more girls of color, whether they\u2019re Black, Middle Eastern, or Asian&#8221; inferring that there\u2019s now a bigger pool from which to draw. <\/p>\n<div class=\"portraitbox\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Bethann1.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Bethann1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Bethann1-150x200.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quotebox\">\n&#8220;These last few seasons it has been much better because we now have more girls of color, whether they\u2019re Black, Middle Eastern, or Asian&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/people\/bethann-hardison'>Bethann Hardison<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Similarly, Angus Munro and Noah Shelley, the casting directing team behind AM Casting that was responsible for the line-up at Kenzo, Matthew Williamson, Rick Owens, and <em>that<\/em> Kanye West x Adidas show, both echoed the sentiments of Bethann. Talking about how things were done in the past, Munro says, &#8220;I don\u2019t think scouts were particularly out there looking for black or Asian girls. It\u2019s a supply and demand industry just like any other one.\u201d Shelley breaks it down further, &#8220;If there aren\u2019t enough scouts going to African and Asian countries then the model agencies don\u2019t have as much diversity in their ranks. And then those models don\u2019t get shown to me and I can\u2019t show them to my client. When we do a casting and 500 models come in in 3 days, and 15 of them are black girls what will be the percentage that 1-5 of them will make it in that show? It all of a sudden becomes a numbers game.\u201d And the numbers aren\u2019t in the favor of many models of color that are overlooked because of filled quotas. <\/p>\n<div class=\"portraitbox\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/AM.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"394\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/AM.jpg 500w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/AM-200x158.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quotebox\">\n&#8220;I don\u2019t think scouts were particularly out there looking for black or Asian girls. It\u2019s a supply and demand industry just like any other one.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/people\/Angus-Munro-for-AM-Casting'>Angus Munro<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Across the board the designers that got it right when it came to diversity were pointed out. Casting director, James Scully, who has worked with brands like Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, &#038; Derek Lam, expressed frankly, &#8220;Balmain supports (diversity) so much because of him (Olivier Rousteing). It\u2019s the one place where you see more girls of color than anywhere else and I think that some people take that lead and follow. Balenciaga was great as well with what Alexander Wang did.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"fullwidth\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/runway1280wDiversityb.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"240\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38690\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/runway1280wDiversityb.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/runway1280wDiversityb-840x158.jpg 840w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/runway1280wDiversityb-1024x192.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/runway1280wDiversityb-200x38.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"credits\">On the runway F\/W 2015: <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/Yuan-Bo-Chao'>Yuan Bo<\/a> @ Valentino, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/bhumika-arora'>Bhumika<\/a> @ Fendi, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/amilna-estevao'>Amilna<\/a> @ Giambattista Valli, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/Dongqi-Dylan-Xue'>Dylan<\/a> @ Alexander Wang, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/karly-loyce'>Karly<\/a> @ Celine, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/lineisy-montero'>Lineisy<\/a> @ Prada, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/mae-lapres'>Mae<\/a> @ Louis Vuitton, <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/models\/Aamito-Lagum'>Aamito<\/a> @ Balenciaga<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"txtbox\">\nCertainly, brands like Celine and Prada that were notorious for going seasons without including a single Black or Asian girl, seemed to embrace both this season.  Scully confirms this notion disclosing, &#8220;The last two most interesting black girls that have really been launched started at Prada. Aya Jones and Lineisy Montero. In a way, the company that used to lead the way in the worst sort of offense is now leading the way in breaking the new girls of color.\u201d Indeed, many models of color like Aamito Lagum, Yuan Bo Chao, Bhumika Arora, Dylan Xue, Mica Arganaraz, Jing Wen, &#038; Amilna Estevao had terrific seasons walking a heavy number of shows that put them on the radar of many.<\/p>\n<p>Kyle Hagler, president of the NY division of Next Management, agrees that this past season had a lot of new faces of color on the runways but cautions that &#8220;the job is a multi-layered job and it\u2019s not just about runways, it\u2019s about advertising and editorial too; so it\u2019s about having a presence in totality and consistently.\u201d As it stands, runway is normally the introduction of many models into the fashion world with advertising and editorials taking them to the next step. Without all three components, success stands out of reach for many hopeful contenders and the latter two are where many models of color fall short.<\/p>\n<div class=\"portraitbox\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Kyle.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"588\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Kyle.jpg 500w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/Kyle-170x200.jpg 170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quotebox\">\n&#8220;The job is a multi-layered job and it\u2019s not just about runways, it\u2019s about advertising and editorial too, so it\u2019s about having a presence in totality and consistently.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; Kyle Hagler \/ <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/agency\/Next-Models-NY'>Next New York<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>So which designers got it totally wrong this season? Despite some finally stepping up to the plate, other designers maintained a largely white casting aesthetic. Names like Gucci, Saint Laurent, Carven, and many others came up constantly this season for their regretful omission of more models of color.  Scully feels like the issue is &#8220;designers are really led by their stylists and casting directors. A lot of these castings directors are French or English and I just think culturally they don\u2019t think about it. Unless they\u2019re called out in force, they wouldn\u2019t if they didn\u2019t have to.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Scully focuses on monotony being inconceivable in a globalized business like fashion stating, &#8220;When you\u2019re a global brand like Gucci and you just totally erase half of the customers out of the cast, I think they think it doesn\u2019t matter. But it does matter and I have plenty of friends that say then \u2018I can\u2019t buy it.\u2019\u201d Scully goes on to admonish Saint Laurent and its creative director, Hedi Slimane, saying, &#8220;there are so many Black and Asian rock and roll stars so I don\u2019t see why Black or Asian people don\u2019t fit into Hedi Slimane\u2019s world. I don\u2019t understand it. And again these are 2 big global brands that have a lot of people to talk to and even with the amount of Asian shoppers they completely omit them from campaigns. They\u2019re basically saying they don\u2019t exist and in 2015 it\u2019s just ridiculous now. It\u2019s a global world and everyone in the world shops and wants to be part of something.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"portraitbox\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/James-2.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"369\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-38668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/James-2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/mdx\/i\/2015\/03\/James-2-200x148.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quotebox\">\n&#8220;It\u2019s a global world and everyone in the world shops and wants to be part of something.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/people\/james-scully'>James Scully<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bethann echoes James\u2019s sentiment when describing this season as inflexible designers having their &#8220;heels in the sand\u201d saying, &#8220;I look at Lanvin and I look at a designer who I know used to work for Geoffrey Beane&#8230; he\u2019s always been conscious of color and he\u2019s using so few girls of color in such a way that it is really disturbing now. This time, Lanvin had 1 black and Asian girl and this is one guy I know has a clue. It shouldn\u2019t be about white and it shouldn\u2019t be about black. It should be about finding the girls that look beautiful.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"quotebox\">\n&#8220;We all can do better. We all have to make sure that every woman in the world can see themselves in images in an aspirational way.&#8221;<br \/>\n&#8211; Kyle Hagler \/ <a href='https:\/\/models.com\/agency\/Next-Models-NY'>Next New York<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>So how do we continue? It seems obvious that to make change for the better the industry has to finally come to grips with its problem of repetition. It seems that many brands get caught up in the archaic ideas of yesteryear without thinking, or caring, about their global outreach. Hagler reaffirms that &#8220;we all can do better. We all have to make sure that every woman in the world can see themselves in images in an aspirational way\u2026 let\u2019s face it, what our business generates people pay attention to. I think we also have to be conscious of the fact that people do look to us to drive their emotional state sometimes and if you\u2019re not represented sometimes people feel like they don\u2019t matter and it should never come across like that.\u201d The problem may be more rooted in the stubborn sentiment of many and lack of taking responsibility for the issues of the business. Shelley states that, &#8220;it\u2019s tough because people want to just say \u2018Oh it shouldn\u2019t matter. Everything is fine\u2019 but until it\u2019s actually an even playing field somebody has to put the energy into changing it a little bit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s to hoping that a little turns into a lot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While fashion has been dragging its feet when it comes to diversity, this season heralded an optimistic turn \u2013 but for how long?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":38644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4260,2130,320,2129,1538],"tags":[2064,2065,346,1604,2082,1884,1917,2554,1083,2092,2072,2086,63,2031,2030,2047],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38621"}],"version-history":[{"count":58,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48446,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38621\/revisions\/48446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}