The purpose of fashion is to represent our current time and our various cultures through clothing and design. Imagine a world in which every person you saw wore the same uniform of the same make and style; a world in which everyone looked exactly like everyone else. Such a world would be monotonous and bland. However, what you see when you browse through the pages of a fashion magazine or watch a runway show is a showcase of the same models, clothes, shoes, hairstyles, music, and ambiance. Clothes aren’t just made to be worn; they’re made to tell a story.
I stand firm on believing that labels don’t need to be involved with anything. Especially when you’re describing a woman
Ashely Graham, Plus Size Model and Mom
Diversity is a word that produces much “talk” but little action in the fashion world. There is a specific image that is being shown to an audience—lack of variety in cultural differences and respect of these differences.
Embracing diversity consists of far more than simply adding one or two models of color to the runway. Seeing that these designers are reluctant to face the criticism when it comes to the absence of diversity being distributed, they strategically try to find a way around this. They put models of different size and color into an outfit and let the show go on. As a result, these models not only will get less coverage; they won’t get the opportunity to express their uniqueness and individuality fully. Models are the face of the brand. Although they are defining the brand and presenting the clothes, the models presenting this is it really in the correct way? The way a company upholds itself on the runway, such as in its designs, is just as important as selling the clothes to consumers.
“I’m half Moroccan, half Egyptian, and I was born in Amsterdam. I’m Muslim, and I’m superproud of my heritage and of my roots. I want to be a role model for young girls who are struggling with racism or struggling with their looks or with their skin color.
Imaan Hammam, Model
All pictures are sourced from Pinterest.
Fashion should reflect the diversity of our world, and it can only do that through inclusivity. Designers have a responsibility to give all segments of our culture a voice. The vision and creativity behind this, is what inspires people to pursue this industry in the first place. They want the chance to put their own work out for others to see too. Where will the confidence and eagerness spark in someone’s mind when they continue to notice the same buttoned beige coat, blush pink dress, or cream plaid skirt on the runway from a company over and over again?
There are individuals in the world who aspire to take part in this industry, but what will they think when they see clones of the same women and designs? When you create diversity in the workplace, and not just fashion, it becomes so much more dynamic and introspective. There is no fun or excitement in this industry when consumers constantly see the same dull models who look like your average cover girl. Even on the clothes being displayed, it is extremely important for a brand to touch on certain points and express a concept correctly.
Fashion will always have flaws and face judgement upon the public. Beauty standards will continue to expand and when the quality of variety in culture increases on runways, this is what will catch the public’s eye. The importance of fashion is to tell a story and leave this everlasting imprint of inclusivity and expressiveness in the minds of this upcoming generation of artists.
Glamour & Guide 