BLACK MODELS

Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Small wants the fashion world to know : black people are not a trend. Smalls  shared an Instagram video calling out the lack of meaningful anti-racist support for the Black Lives Matter movement from the industry she’s embedded in.

By posting pictures of black squares on social media with surface-level promises pledging change, Smalls believes agencies, magazines and brands are jumping on a bandwagon. “You’re part of the cycle that perpetuates these conscious behaviours,” she says in the clip filmed in a hotel room in Paris. “You have continually let us down with your insensitivity and tone deafness and the damage control apologies of, ‘We will do better’. You fall short trying to narrate our stories by toning us down or having them curated by people who haven’t walked or lived a day in our shoes. Well, it’s now time to give us a real seat at the table, because we are worthy, because we are talented, because we are unique.” Smalls thanked those creatives who do “see” her, and who have helped the model in her “constant battle” to progress in an industry where the odds are stacked against her. She then addressed her own ability to be a force for change – one who intends to use actions as well as honest words. Smalls,  pledged to give 50 per cent of her salary for the remainder of 2020 to Black Lives Matter organisations, and will encourage others to do the same.  “Together we’re stronger and together we can accomplish what is needed.” It’s time for others to stand with her.

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The recent and long standing acts against the black community have been saddening, frustrating and unacceptable. I feel these same emotions when I think about how my industry, the fashion world, is responding. It is time for this industry to do more than post a black square and say they’ll “Do Better!” It’s time for us to see the change starting from the ground up. Give us a seat at the table, include us, give us a chance, because we are worthy, talented and unique. There have been so many times where I’ve had to face issues against my race within this industry because I was their token black girl. The campaigns and editorials I had to share while my counterparts got to achieve that on their own. Or that my hair was an issue or that I made a show or campaign too ethnic, the list goes on and on. This industry that I love has profited from us but has never considered us equal. This. Stops. Now. It’s time for the fashion industry to stand up and show their solidarity. Time for you all to give back to these communities and cultures which you draw so much inspiration from. I do want to thank those that did see me for me and gave me a chance. Those that helped me fight my way to where I am today. Thank you, thank you for doing what you knew to be right versus what others said should be done. You will help us be the leaders of change. In saying all of this, I also pledge to donate 50% of my salary for the remainder of 2020 to Black Lives Matter organizations. I know I can’t just talk about change, I have to be a force for it. I encourage and will continue to encourage brands within this industry to do the same and give back. Let’s all be the change we want and need to see. These battles are long from over but together we’re stronger and together we can accomplish what is needed. #WeAreNotATrend #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Joan Smalls (@joansmalls) on Jun 11, 2020 at 6:12am PDT

Sheryl Crow attended the 2019 CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn on Wednesday night (November 13) .She wore a Naeem Khan Fall 2018 embellished gown.

Olivia Wilde attends SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s 4th Annual Patron Of The Artists Awards at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on November 07, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.  She wore Valentino  Spring 2020.

Mandy Moore was in attendance at the Los Angeles Confidential Magazine Impact Awards held at The Line Hotel on Sunday (June 9) in Los Angeles, California.

She wore  Galvan Pre-Fall 2018  styled with ‘The Ascot’ satin clutch

Imaan Hamman was featured in special issue  named , Faces of Now features  which features seven separate covers featuring the present  top models .

Dutch born Egyptian and Moroccan model  Imaan Hamman has  been featured on covers such as  Vogue Netherlands, British Vogue,  US Vogue cover, and Vogue Japan along with  Teen Vogue.

She has  also been featured in  her first campaign for Givenchy and  she is presently showcased in  the DKNY Pre-Spring campaign. Adding to her appeal, Imaan Hamaan has also rocked the runway of  New York Fashion Week for   Philipp Plein and La Perla .Below are pics  of Imaan Hammam by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue China March 2017.

Source: Visualizing Fashion

Vogue Japan features l Imaan Hammam on the cover of their May 2017 edition   which was shot  by fashion photographer Giampaolo Sgura and styled by  Anna Dello Russo.  Hammam is rocking  a black Ralph Lauren dress.  She hair  was styled by Andrew Guida at Close Up Milano, along with  makeup artist Jessica Nedza, and manicurist Annarel Innocente at Close Up Milano. Casting direction by Piergiorgio Del Moro.

Website: www.vogue.co.jp

Selah Marley who is the daughter to Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley along with being the grandaughter of the Legendary Bob Marley has been busy establishing her modeling career.  She has walked   for   the Chanel show, Kanye West’s Yeezy  New York Fashion Week, Beyonce’s Ivy Park brand  along with being featured in a  Calvin Klein ad .   Below are pics  of Selah from The Miu -Miu Pre Fall Collection.

Check out More Pics From The Collection on Vogue

The Calvin  Klein brand has made Nigerian International model, Mayowa Nicholas who won the Elite Model Look Nigeria in 2014 has been announced as the new of face of Calvin Klein underwear.

The 18-year-old who is signed to Elite Model Management became the first Nigerian to featured in a Dolce & Gabbana campaign for their Fall/Winter 2016 campaign and in 2017 she snagged a lookbook feature for Dolce&Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2017 lookbook presentation.

Mayowa Nicholas, who is a newcomer who only began modeling two years ago. Since winning an Elite modeling competition in her native Nigeria in 2014.

Nicholas has walked for a number of top-tier European fashion houses including Christian Dior, Prada, Miu Miu, Hermès and Loewe. After closing Loewe, Nicholas posted on Instagram: “Dreams do come true.

We have all been waiting for the release of Gucci’s Pre Fall 2017 campaign . Gucci teased us in January  and released a sneak peek  series of casting videos, that was featured and  posted to Gucci’s official Instagram page .

We are so excited to see the release of the Gucci  Pre-Fall 2017 campaign, which  features an  all black  model cast .  The campaign is Titled “Soul Scene,” .

Gucci’s  campaign  theme is  inspired  and shot by  iconic Malian photographer Malick Sidibé .

Sidibe, photographed parties in  Mali ,  and Bamako . Gucci was also inspired by England’s Northern Soul movement, a musical era influenced by African American soul music.

“Dance is an important part of this story and consequently the casting reflects this.  Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michelle   has always celebrated diversity in all of its forms in his approach to his work,” a Gucci spokesperson tells Business of Fashion.

Gucci  model in  a teal leather tracksuit for its pre-fall 2017 men’s collection.

Kylie Jenner  was in attendance at the Sinful Colors #IAmMoreThan event on July 13, 2016

She is wearing a Galvan blue satin and crepe jumpsuit which features a  pleated front and back panels with sheer tulle inserts, loose fitting legs  along with short sleeve top.

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Supermodel Jourdan Dunn by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin for W Magazine. Styling by Edward Enninful.

READ MORE ON  W MAGAZINE

Supermodel Iman for L’Officiel Netherlands September 2015.

Iman for L’Officiel Netherlands September 2015. Source: L’Officiel Netherlands & Olivier Rousteing Instagram

Joan Smalls was spotted and photgraphed in June 2015, at a photo shoot in New York City . The model is wearing a white crop top, paired with jeans, boots, along with a Gucci Red Nouveau Fringe Crossbody Bag and layered tresses.

Chanel Iman is featured on the February 2015 cover story of GQ South Africa.

The shoot was photographed by Gavin O’Neill . For her feature , Chanel opens up about her relationship with fellow models Jourdan Dunn and Joan Smalls.

She says about the two models, “Those are my girls. I love them. They’re awesome. They’ve become good friends of mine. We have a special bond that’s unique, because the three of us have been through the same things in the fashion industry. We have a connection that brings us together.

Jourdan Dunn   is featured on  Vogue UK  February cover  which makes her  the first black model to grace a solo Vogue UK cover in twelve years. According to the Telegraph, Naomi Campbell was the last black model to get a solo feature in 2002 while Jourdan previously appeared on the cover in November 2008 along with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Eden Clark.

Dunn shared a preview of the image on her Instagram page earlier with the following caption: “I’m so Happy to finally say I’M ON THE COVER OF BRITISH VOGUE!!”.   “Thank you @britishvogue,Patrick Demarchelier and Kate Phelan for making this happen and also thank you all for the Love and Support it means everything to me #2015YearOfTheDunn.” She was photographed by Patrick Demarchelier . On the cover she is  while wearing a Prada dress  spring-summer 2015  dress.

Iman is a Somali fashion supermodel, actress and entrepreneur. A pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics, she is also noted for her charitable work. She is married to David Bowie.

While still at university, Iman was discovered by American photographer Peter Beard, and subsequently moved to the United States to begin a modeling career. Her first modeling assignment was for Vogue a year later in 1976. She soon landed some of the most prestigious magazine covers, establishing herself as a supermodel.

With her long neck, tall stature, slender figure, fine features, copper-toned skin, and exotic accent, Iman was an instant success in the fashion world, though she herself insists that her looks are merely or typically Somali.She became a muse for many prominent designers, including Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake, Donna Karan, and, in particular, Yves Saint-Laurent.

During her 14 years as a high fashion model, Iman also worked with many notable photographers, including Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Annie Leibovitz.

“My dream woman is Iman.”
—Yves Saint-Laurent

Iman credits the nurturing she received from various designers with having given her the confidence to succeed in an era when individuality was valued and model-muses were often an integral part of the creative process. She is signed to TESS Management in London.

Iman Cosmetics
Mataano founders Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim at an event for Iman’s cosmetic line (2013).

After almost two decades of modeling, Iman started her own cosmetics firm in 1994, focusing on difficult-to-find shades for ethnic women. Based on her years of experience mixing her own formulations for make-up artists to use on her, she had a personal hand in the final product and also acted as the commercial face of the company.

As of 2010, Iman Cosmetics is a $25-million-a-year business. It is centered on $14.99 foundations in 4 formulations and 14 shades, and is among the top-selling foundation brands on Walgreens’ website.

In spring 2012, Iman signed fellow Somali designers Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, founders of the Mataano fashion company, as brand ambassadors for her cosmetics line.

Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls stars in the new Gucci Fall 2014 ad campaign. Smalls is rocking a fur and matching bag, The campaign is shot by photography duo Mert & Marcus. The ad features Anja Rubik, Natasha Poly, Raquel Zimmermann, Karmen Pedaru, Nadja Bender and Suvi Koponen. Check out the full ad below:

Beverly Johnson on Vogue’s August 1974 cover

Supermodel Beverly Johnson was the first Black model to be featured on the cover Vogue magazine.  Johnson, spoke with Women’s Wear Daily, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her iconic and history-making cover .

Johnson, reflects about being told by Eileen Ford that she’d never be featured on the cover of Vogue.  This conversation ultimately served as the reason for the legendary model to leave the Ford agency . One day Johnson received a call from Wilhelmina Cooper telling her she was actually the August 1974 cover girl.

Johnson remembering her Vogue cover like it was yesterday:

“I was in my first New York apartment on the East Side — mattress on the floor, candles. I threw on my jeans and ran to the newsstand. All these people were rushing to work trying to buy their papers so I had to wait. Of course, I didn’t have any money on me. I told the guy that it was me on the cover and he kind of rolled his eyes like, ‘Oh lady please, if you were on the cover you would have enough money to buy the magazine,’” she laughed. “I had to go to the phone booth — a phone booth? The girls [in my office] are looking at me like, ‘What’s that?’ — to call my mother collect in Buffalo. We were both screaming [with excitement], but I’m not sure my mother knew what I was talking about.”

Johnson on the lack of Black models in the fashion industry today:
Johnson, points out that there is lack of models of color in fashion today from the models to the makeup artists

“Sometimes we live in this very elitist bubble called the fashion industry.” “we have become really oblivious to what’s going on in the world,” Johnson said. “I like to think that is the reason.”

According to WWD, “She [Beverly Johnson], along with Bethann Hardison, Iman and Naomi Campbell, will be paying close attention to the number of models of color on the runways in New York this fall. In the meantime, she is working on a biography for Simon & Schuster, shopping around a docu-series, “Beverly Inc.,” selling her signature hair extensions online, branching out into handbags and mineral-based makeup and planning for her wedding next year to investment banker Brian Maillian.”

Fashion model Joan Smalls is starring in The Missoni‘s Fall/Winter 2014 campaign. Smalls who is also the face of Estée Lauder poses at an futuristic archeological site which gave the shoot structure in the midst of a background with vibrant colors.

Joan Smalls Is Stars In Missoni’s Fall/Winter 2014 campaign

Viviane Sassen was the photographer for this campaign and styling was provided by Stephen Mann and Vanessa Reid , with creative direction by Angela Missoni and M/M (Paris)

Joan Smalls Star In Missoni’s Fall Winter 2014 campaign1

“It’s an imaginary world, one thousand years forward, and a surreal and humorous setting comprised of ancient ruins, bright vivid color, metallic shades, sharp geometric patterns, and robotic futuristic creatures—an ideal frame for Missoni’s contemporary and stylish woman,” Angela Missoni told Style.com.

Angolan MARIA BORGES who is managed by Women in Paris and Milan, Supreme Angolan MARIA BORGES who is managed by Women in Paris and Milan, Supreme Management in New York, and Premier in London, has modeled for brands such as Marchesa, Marc Jacobs, Dior Haute Couture, Jonathan Saunders, Erdem, Tom Ford, Missoni, Mugler, Kenzo, Vesace, Victoria’s Secret, and Givenchy. Borges was voted by Forbes Africa as number one among the best African models in 2013 and she reached the top spot in ranking of Black models at New York Fashion Week to make a record 19 shows in a single season.

Angolan MARIA BORGES who is managed by Women in Paris and Milan, Supreme Management in New York, and Premier in London, has modeled for brands such as Marchesa, Marc Jacobs, Dior Haute Couture, Jonathan Saunders, Erdem, Tom Ford, Missoni, Mugler, Kenzo, Vesace, Victoria’s Secret, and Givenchy. Borges was voted by Forbes Africa as number one among the best African models in 2013 and she reached the top spot in ranking of Black models at New York Fashion Week to make a record 19 shows in a single season.

She moved to Ottawa, Canada at the age of 14 due to her mother being a diplomat. She was discovered when she went to an open call of Angie’s, a model agency based in Ottawa, Canada. Paul signed with Women Management New York in June 2010.

She has appeared in editorials for Vogue Italia magazine, i-D, Wonderland and Teen Vogue. Paul appeared on a Vogue Italia cover with Arizona Muse and Freja Beha. In July 2011 she was the cover model of Canadian Elle. The caption on the cover read: “Naomi Move Over . Why We’re Hot For Herieth.”

Paul was one of three models in the Tom Ford Fall/Winter 2013 campaign, photographed by Tom Ford. This campaign was named one of the top ten campaigns of Fall 2013 by The Business of Fashion and by Racked.com.

Herieth has worked in some of the biggest campaigns including Stella McCartney, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and One Colour Cosmetics. Herieth has also appeared in beauty campaigns for CKone and most recently, as one of the models for fashion wear brand GAP.