Vogue Italia's Historical All Black Issue: So Now What?

Sold-out at news stands on two continents and an exceptional reprint to satisfy sustained demand in the U.S. and the U.K. So, now what? Most women of color I've spoken to privately thought Vogue Italia's all black issue was a nice idea but did not believe it would bring about any lasting change in the fashion industry. Sadly, I have to agree with them. Other than Alek Wek, the Sudanese-born model usually described as "unusual looking" (read: very dark-skinned with strong black features), the models featured certainly didn't run the gamut of black features. Most had the kind of features closely associated with western conceptions of beauty - light skin tone, aquiline noses and straight hair. Also, you couldn't fail to notice that the advertising pages with the notable exception of the Pinko ad-spread featuring Naomi Campbell, are still lily white. Will designers now cast more black models for their runway shows? Will brands now select more black models to front their advertising campaigns? Will fashion editors now cast more black models in their editorial pages? Or, will Franca Sozzani's valiant effort at Vogue Italia be relegated to a footnote in fashion history? So many questions.

I'm of the view that the issue is less one of beauty standards or racism per se than of economics. The commercial roots of fashion and the rise of the Chinese and Indian middle classes with their spending power would suggest that we're more likely to see the emergence of Asian and Indian models rather than black models on the catwalks and on the pages of fashion magazines. There is a parallel to be drawn with the return of the super models (all now in their mid-30's and early 40's) in both editorial pages and advertising campaigns this fall - women in their 30's, 40's and beyond want to be able to identify with the women in the ads, a difficult task when an advert features a gaggle of emaciated teenaged girls. In uncertain economic times, designers (and the business executives who control the purse strings), are more likely to play it safe. It's less a matter of promoting a different standard of beauty than of appealing to the end-customer. In other words, money talks.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles