Ebony Salutes Black Models With Fall Fashion Issue

The fashion world’s lack of diversity is no secret. Over the years, runway goddesses including Naomi Campbell and Iman have addressed how whitewashed the industry is. With New York Fashion Week quickly approaching and Black models only making up 8 percent of those booked for fall 2015 shows, Ebony decided to pay tribute to six models of color who are currently doing the damn thang with a 10-page photo spread  in the September 2015 issue.
The fresh faces include Chantelle Winnie, Milan Dixon, Fatima Siad, Marquita Pring, Diandra Forrest, and Samantha Archibald. The September roll-out will also include a “Black Designer Watch” feature that will highlight designers Rocho Omondi, Charles Harbison, Stella Jean, LaQuan Smith and Mimi Plange.
“Thank you Black models of then and now—so present and despite what seems like fewer of you working today—so there. We see you injecting brown bodies into spaces where we have all but been erased,” said Ebony Editor-in-Chief, Kierna Mayo.
Readers can also expect interviews with former models Beverly Johnson, Tyra Banks, Roshumba, and Pat Cleveland, who will “share testimonies that affirm that Black models are ambassadors representing far more than the physical grace of Black people; they also represent our pride.”