BLACK THE NEW BLACK?

WITH ITALIAN V0GUE USING AN ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN M0DEL LINEUP T0 C0VER ITS PAGES, FASHI0N DESIGNERS USING 0NLY AFRICAN AMERICAN M0DELS 0N THE RUNWAY, AND THE NEW BURST 0F C0NCERN F0R DIVERSITY IN FASHI0N, BLACK IS SL0WLY BEC0MING THE NEW BLACK 0F THE SEAS0N, BUT IS THIS NEW INTEREST IN DIVERSITY AN0THER FASHI0N TREND 0R BABY STEPS F0R A M0RE CULTURED FASHI0N CONSCIOUS?

FASHI0N DESIGNERS PLACE THE BLAME 0N M0DELING SC0UTS F0R THE LACK 0F VARIED FACES 0N THE RUNWAY. M0DELING SC0UTS SAY THE P00L 0f AFRICAN AMERICAN M0DELS IS SMALL AND THERE ARE N0T MANY DIAM0NDS T0 CH00SE FR0M. HIP H0P M0GUL SEAN J0HN PR0VED IN A RECENT FASHI0N SH0W THAT SC0UTS MUST N0T BE L00KING HARD EN0UGH WHEN HE USED 0NLY AFRICAN AMERICAN M0DELS F0R A RECENT SEAN J0HN FASHI0N SH0W.



F0R ME, AN ASPIRING MENSWEAR DESIGNER, I KN0W THAT THE LACK 0F DIVERSITY IN THE FASHI0N INDUSTRY IS DIRECTLY LINKED T0 LACK 0F DIVERSITY IN DESIGNERS. I MEAN H0W MANY SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN AMERICAN DESIGNERS CAN Y0U NAME? N0, SEAN J0HN IS N0T A DESIGNER AND NEITHER IS RUSSEL SIMM0NS! I NEVER SAW CREATIVE DESIGNERS WH0 L00KED LIKE ME UNTIL I STARTED WATCHING PR0JECT RUNWAY. FINALLY AFRICAN AMERICAN DESIGNERS HAD A CHANCE T0 SH0W A WHITE LINED INDUSTRY EXACTLY WHAT WE C0ULD D0.

I BELIEVE IF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE HAD BIG NAME DESIGNERS SH0WING AT FASHI0N WEEK IN MULAN AND ADVERTISING IN CHIC MAGAZINE S0LD IN S0H0 CAFES THERE W0ULD BE N0 SUCH THING AS A LACK 0F DIVERSITY IN M0DELS BECAUSE THE FASHI0N INDUSTRY ITSELF W0ULD BE A M0RE DIVERSE ESTABLISHMENT. THIS ISSUE IS JUST AN0THER F0RCE THAT DRIVES ME T0 ACHIEVE MY DREAM, CAUSE I AINT THE 0NLY LITTLE BLACK B0Y WITH A PASSI0N F0R SEWING, DESIGN, AND STYLE AND I KN0W I W0NT BE THE LAST. S0 D0NT BE S0 QUICK T0 BUY INT0 THE FAD 0F BLACK BEING THE NEW BLACK. INSTEAD INVEST Y0UR TIME IN WATCHING BLACK DESIGNERS CHANGE THE GAME FR0M THE INSIDE 0UT.

LATER DAYS, URBAN FILTH xx