For Mic.com, John Ersing writes, «The fashion industry is notoriously homogenous — at New York Fashion Week in February, more than three-quarters of the models were white. But fashion’s diversity problem extends beyond just race. The runways focus on one strict standard of beauty, marginalizing models left and right because of unique characteristics.»
One of the eleven is long-time TBM favourite Jade Willoughby!
See our November featured interview with Jade here!
Of Jade, Ersing writes,
The term «diversity» is often assumed to simply mean the inclusion of both black and white. But diversity extends far beyond that, as Jade Willoughby reminded us this year. After signing with Wilhelmina Models in 2013, the Canadian model became just one of a handful of indigenous models to walk New York Fashion Week this year.
«The biggest thing that I found so far is the fact that there are so few First Nation models that the majority of the time, for clients, I’m not sure if they know how to handle where I’m coming from as a person,» the Whitesand First Nation member told Indian Country Today Media Network in March.
«I don’t fall under the category of being booked as a black model or any other ethnic models, so it’s sort of — I’m in a category all my own and that can be tough at times. They do use the term ‘ethnically ambiguous’ because I am mixed,» Jade told ICTMN. But her growing success is a positive reminder that fitting into a category need not be a requirement for success in fashion — or anywhere else.
Octogenarian Carmen Dell’Orefice, newly-out trans woman Andreja Pejic, and plus-size beauty Ashley Graham also made the list.
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