“Representation is the bare minimum,” states transgender model Ariel Nicholson. Nicholson
among her peers bought to the surface the issue of ‘tokenism’. Tokenism on the
runway means recruiting a small number of people from under-represented groups in order
to give the appearance of equality. It’s a good idea, but does it go far enough?
“There’s different realities as a model,” the Black model Aighewi states, “If you are not a black model,
you just get to be a model you get to be sexy, carefree on a yacht doing whatever you want.
But if you’re a black model all of sudden you are a pioneer for your race.” The issue of
tokenisation is increasingly on the agenda. Although it might seem like change is being
made (such as with the rebrand of Victoria’s Secret, replacing their typecast ‘angels’ with a
group of 10 diverse women). It is in the views of many in the industry merely skin deep,
leading to the rebrand being labelled “as flimsy as a polyester thong.”
The issue is obviously very important. As the model Kaia Gerber says “every single little kid
should be able to see someone who looks like them being considered a model.” But the
runway is the only the tip of the iceberg. Look beneath the tip and you will see a much
larger challenge. Curve model Paloma Elsesser records how she will often turn up to a
fashion show in which the cast are incredibly diverse but this is rarely mirrored in the stylists
and designers.
Perhaps an area of representation that should be most in the spotlight is that of the
designer. Brought to the light recently when Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton stepped
down to be replaced with (shock horror) a white male. It has caused uproar. Luxury
conglomerate Kerring (who own many designer brands including Bottega Veneta and Gucci)
announced Burton’s successor to be designer Séan McGirr. Kerring’s six creative directors
are male and white. It doesn’t take one long to realise Kerring is not the exception. Out of
LMVH’s fourteen brands that make up its fashion and leather goods division only three have
women creative directors. Many of these brands pride themselves on diversity being a
central value of their company. The systemic nature of the problem has been voiced by
some Parsons students, who claim that the problem begins as early as design school where female
students outnumber their peers, meaning that the boys could potentially get more attention.
Some fashion houses are attempting change: Chanel is led by creative director
Virginie Viard and has started to feature curve models. However, the problem of
representation is clear both on and off the runway. Fashion is made mostly by women and
worn by many so, perhaps it is time for a turn away from fashion conglomerates. This
season representative runways were put on by many smaller brands, two of my personal
favourite being Paloma Wool, directed by Spanish Tana Latorre and Djerf avenue directed
by the infamous Matilda Djerf.
Although it is clear that a lot has to change on the runway a lot must also change behind the
scenes for this industry to begin to claim itself as representative.
“Desainer Australia Unjuk Karya di Jakarta Fashion Week 2023” by Australian Embassy Jakarta is licensed under CC BY 2.0.