Italian Vogue shows black models only

by amyjudd | June 20, 2008 at 03:29 pm | 609 views | 2 comments

I can't believe that it's still necessary to use these measures to make a statement, but I suppose discrimination is still present in all walks of life.

For their July issue, Italian Vogue has used only black models for their magazine, as a statement against discrimination in the fashion world.

More than 100 pages of the issue, including the cover, will feature images of black women taken by the acclaimed New York based photographer Steven Meisel.

The pictures will be accompanied by articles on successful black women in arts and entertainment.

The move is in reaction to recent anger over the reluctance of fashion magazines to feature black models on their covers. Many industry insiders claim black girls are not used because they just "do not sell".

Leading black figures, including models, designers and agents, have now formed a protest group in New York to highlight the problem of racism in the industry.

Italian Vogue's editor, Franca Sozzani, said her decision was influenced by the New York group, as well as by Barack Obama's success in the US presidential primaries.

Meisel photographed several of the black fashion world's biggest names for the issue, including Naomi Campbell, Iman, Tyra Banks, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn, Alek Wek and Pat Cleveland.

Meisel said: "I thought, it's ridiculous, this discrimination. It's so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place. Age, weight, sexuality, race - every kind of prejudice.

"I have asked my advertising clients so many times, 'Can we use a black girl?' They say no."