A word from Naomi Campbell to designers:
“Women of color are not a trend. That’s the bottom line. Fashion needs to go back to the way it used to be when wonderful designers like Yves St. Laurent, Gianni Versace and [Azzedine] Alaia just had a great lineup of beautiful women – white, black, Chinese, Hispanic.”Campbell, who called in from London to weigh in on last season’s troubling absence of women of color from the runway, is a strong supporter of former model and modeling agent Bethann Hardison, who has created awareness of the issue through three hotly attended panel discussions she organized.
“I support Bethann with this initiative 100 percent and I’m trying to keep it moving and keep the consciousness growing.”
Campbell, who says she’s “disgusted and sad about the whole issue,” is doing her part with her own personal boycott of designers who don’t include women of color or are guilty of tokenism. Though she won’t disclose names, she says one design house refused her clothes because they said, “We already dress Beyonce.”
Says the supermodel, “I’ve taken it on myself to never wear that designer – it’s such an ignorant thing to say.”
Similarly, there’s another European designer that she won’t wear because they don’t use women of color in the shows.
As for the right here, right now of Fashion Week which opens at Bryant Park on Friday, well, we won’t get the thrill of seeing Miss Naomi on any catwalk at all.
“Nope, I’m not even coming and I haven’t been asked. I love it and miss it, but understand this, it doesn’t have to be me. It has to be amazing women of color.”
– Anne Bratskeir
[Be sure to click here for all of amNewYork's, and click here to see all of Newsday's, coverage of Fashion Week--with live blogging for all the important/funny/surprising moments from the tents, hundreds of photos from each designer's runway shows, and video highlights of all the top collections.]
Comments (18)
naomi is quick to kick someone's ass but i support her on this 100%.
OH SHE IS SO RIGHT .I SUPPORT HER 100 PERCENT
Dam this is never gonna change. them white people will never like our black asses no matter what they do but you know what they'll see cuz GOD is black and they will be smitted
I agree with Naomi...the girl is usually slinging a blackberry at someone..but thats another issue that she is addressing on her own time. I do agree about the lackof women of color missing from the collections.. I design clothes and I agree that you if you limit yourself to who and what you think is considered "beauty"..thats crazy...it would have been interesting to know of what designer made that comment on they already dress a black women..Beyonce. I found it interesting that designers limit themeselves to one race..thats a form of racism.... the last time I went to a fashion show that had a variety of models of various ethnic background..the show was beautiful...it's sad that we are still stuck on color...
I have to point out the obvious here. "Black" women are looking very, very white these days. In fact, ever since the OJ thing when black women were very honest in venting their concerns about how black women were cast aside so that black men could chase white women, I have noticed this trend. Lighter skins (bleaching? interracial breeding?) Straight hair, no nappiness (chemicals, extensions) Hair color (is blonde really a natural occurrence on blacks' heads??) Smaller, more compact straight noses (plastic surgery)....... See what I am getting at? When the black girls have almost become white, then what is the point of hiring a "black" girl? There is no contrast, no variety, no flavor. It is the same. I think they have become the victim of their own success of looking white. They got good at it, and now have lost the very things that made them unique. As for Naomi, she should just fade away. The girl is notorious and not exactly known for any redeeming quality.
WHAT YA'LL KNOW ABOUT A SUPERMODEL!
@kath
Did the white designers use them when they had nappy hair? I don't think so. And no white woman should dare open her mouth about trying to look another race coz you guys already hold the trophy. Fake tans, (brown skin in a bottle), lip injections trying to have fuller lips, butt implants and then going out with black men. So who is trying to look like who. And for your info. black people come in all colors, if you have any white blood you are considered black, thats where the light skin comes from. Black women are very confident don't repeat what u typed here infront of their face.
Kathy and Mimi I am so appalled by your postings. This is not a black girl trying to look white issue, nor a white girl trying to look black issue. Truth is, just as there are lighter and darker shades and different hair types for white people, there are the same for blacks. That is what makes this world beautiful, the variety and differences, but under it all we all are made up of flesh and blood. Women try to fit in with what the media and entertainment world portrays as beautiful period. Yes cultural diversity is a real problem in the industry just as size diversity is as well. There has always been this issue in the fashion, entertainment and media world...I actually applaud Ms. Cambell for speaking against it. I would personally like to know of the designers myself because I am sure the designer dresses more than one white celebrity or model so why would there be a problem with dressing more than one black celebrity or model. It is an issue we should all be aware of.
www.celebrityinterviews.zoomshare.com
Who cares what white people like it is time for black people do things for themselves and stop wondering if Sammantha Tom Dick and Bob like them or not.
@Brandi
It's "smitten" or "smote". How about instead of glancing at the Bible you try and sit down to an evening with the dictionary.
@Kathy & mimi
Good to know racism is still alive and kickin'! Keep perpetuating bigotry you two!
who cares!!! Waste of time!!!
Oh lord will this never stop. I think black women should be aware that there will always be racism. We should also be confident enough to say screw you, I am me. I think we should love ourselves first and whoever does not like us screw them. I think we should educate ourselves. I also sometimes think it really is not about black or white beauty, I just think it is fear about allowing blacks too much power and getting over-run, There are many successful black people. The only way to sock it to them is to own things and hire more blacks, and control things like whites do. If it is in the movie industry, we should have more black studios, if it is in the fashion, have more black fashion designers. I think black people also like to stero type themselves as well, when this stops... that’s a move. Black men are racist against their own women, when that stops, its another step, when we stop hating on each other, and being jealous of each other, then we are in the go... No one, not white or black can love us if we DO NOT LOVE OURSELVES! so before you guys go throwing stones, tell these black kids to stay in school and stop trying to be gangsters and kill each other... that will count for something and start to make other races respect us...
The designer is Ellie Saab
Congrats Miss Campbell!! I applaud your awareness and taking a stance on a matter that has been prevalent in the fashion industry for numerous years. Now for my people posting to this site, let's not go in left field. The number of dropouts, gangsters, killers, etc has nothing to do with racism in this industry. Every ethnic group (whites, hispanics, etc) experience and reflect societal ills but that is not a rationale to discriminate against them. In our community if we are going to ever "overcome" racism, it has to be placed on our agenda. We have a preconceived notion that if we're all successful business owners, entrepreneurs, multi-millionaires, college graduates, etc, the white establishment will stop discriminating against us. Sorry, we're already projecting images of successful blacks and racism is still rampant. Therefore, that's not the answer.
@ Sepiastar. What then do you suggest? Success is a way of socking it to a lot of people and like I said we should learn to not care what other people think. I think Instead of posting such a comment you should come up with a SUGGESTION. We do have issues in our community that needs to be dealt with and it starts from us. I think we all see color, it's not something you can miss when it comes to black and white. It is NOT a preconceived notion to think of success as SUCCESS and being black... it does HELP, it does INSPIRE... so give a suggestion because we cannot mask what is out there in our community... THE BLACK COMMUNITY...!!!!! We SHOULD own things... more and MORE of it... and we SHOULD DO what they do... hire our own and give them the jobs other WILL NOT GIVE US... THAT IS WHY THERE ARE PEOPLE such as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson... MLK... equality. If we DON'T DO IT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO "DEPEND" on any body else to like us?... I THINK NOT...!!!!
Bottom line is white women are much prettier than blacks. The only blacks that are pretty have the race traitor white blood mixed in to get rid of the monkey nostrils and chromag forhead. But thanks to affirmative action,whites have to pepper in a spook or two here and there to keep the spooks at bay "wit dey racist claims". It makes me sick to see people getting jobs they are not qualified to do simply because of the color of their skin. Just like President Lincoln said,everyone deserves to be free,but we were not meant to integrate.,,"for our physical differences are greater than that of any 2 other races". Segregation is the only solution in America. And dont start yelling "racism" to me,,,just look at people like the good reverend wright and youll see that blacks are just as if not more racist than whites.good day.
Tracy,,you have affirmative action lady and your still complaining? Its harder for a white guy to get a job these days than all other races. It just looks like it does because most blacks dont want to work for their money. Therefore they dont have a good job. They want to sit at the top floor office with their feet up giving orders,watching tv,buying gold and clothes,but not work for it.They think working their way up the ladder from the bottom is degrading and therfore "is racist". What a joke. Sorry,but thats the reality.