Fashion’s lack of model diversity has long been a problem for the industry. Many key fashion players, including the likes of Naomi Campbell, Olivier Rousteing, and Riccardo Tisci, have been very vocal in expressing the need to increase the diversity of the models featured on runways and in advertisements. Rousteing and Tisci have both been known to cast a variety of races for their runway shows and Campbell has used her status as an icon to open conversations about fashion’s race problem. While there is still plenty of progress to be made, The Fashion Spot’slatest diversity report shows there has been some improvement from previous seasons.
Their seasonal Spring 2016 report reviewed a total of 236 ads (featuring 422 different models) and noted that 78 percent of the models featured were white. While still an overwhelming majority, it’s important to note that it’s a nearly 7 percent decrease from their Fall 2015 report, which showed a whopping 85 percent white models used. While it’s a positive sign of the slight improvement, it’s still hard to overlook that only 22 percent of the models were people of color. And when it comes to size diversity, the report found that plus-size models were featured only six times in total, clocking in at less than 2 percent of the model appearances included in the review.
It’s not all bad, though. Thanks to progressive campaigns from brands like Alexander Wang and Calvin Klein, the industry appears to be headed in the right direction. Both the #WangSquad and #MyCalvins campaigns from this past season featured people of all different races and genders—showing that big labels can still create impactful and engaging marketing while featuring a diverse roster of models. This progressive mindset has also made its way to fashion weeks; Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 show, perhaps the most talked about show of the season, was also one of the year's most diverse. Here's to hoping that more brands will take cues from these exciting campaigns and continue to work towards fixing the diversity problem within the industry.
