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Model speaks our at lack of black faces on catwalk

By Lucy Hutchings on Monday 18 February 2008

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Jourdan Dunn

London based model Jourdan Dunn has spoken out about racism in the fashion industry.

The seventeen year old who was discovered while browsing the rails in Primark is one of the few black models to have featured during this month's London Fashion Week, and has spoken out about the event's lack of non-white faces.

'London is not a white city, so why should our catwalks be so white?' Dunn asked while speaking to The Independent this weekend.

'I go to castings and see several black and Asian girls, then I get to the show and look around and there is just me and maybe one other coloured face. They just don't get picked. I hope it's because the designer just did not think they were good enough as a model, but I don't know.'

Dunn is not the first model to speak out at the lack of black faces on the catwalk. Naomi Campbell has consistently been vocal on the matter, and added last week, 'Women of colour are not a trend. That's the bottom line.'

Dunn was discovered by a Storm model scout in 2006, and has since starred in campaigns for Topshop and Gap, aswell as making appearances on the catwalk for Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Diane Von Fürstenberg and Tommy Hilfiger.

Monday 18 February 2008

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I totally agree with Jourdan Dunn. If the look of the season is "ethnic inspired" the designers can't seem to get enough of black models - presumably to add a touch of authenticity. But when it comes to the sort of clothes that women - black and white - wear on a daily basis, we are noticeable by our lack of exposure on the catwalk. But it's not just black models who are noticeable by their absence, where are the asian and chinese models? It's about time the fashion industry realise that not only do we live in a multi-cultural society but that women of colour - whatever their race - contribute to the profits they make in the same way as their white couterparts.
Comment by suzanne on February 18 15:13

AGREE! Even last year, there weren't many Asians in the catwalk. But now, it's like they've infiltrated the modeling world, which, I am happy for.
But the fact remains that there are still only a few of them compared to the white ones.

Anyways, most of the models on the runway for NY Fashion Week this year were booked from
www.newfaces.com they say, as it's the very first modeling portfolio site since 1995. And casting directors wanted to stretch out their horizon to look for models worldwide - so they used the internet and this site.
Comment by Stella on April 18 18:18