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So what designers currently do use lots of diversity in shows?

does anyone know the racial distribution of models in the modeling industry? like the entire industry.

I do feel kind of weird about that Rick Owens 2014 show that while, acknowledging race, appeared a bit too tribal/primitive/"angry black woman." Especially because its all the brainchild of a very white, artsy man.

To be fair to Rick Owens that show was either a direct reference or at least inspired by step teams and step performances. Within that area of performance exaggerated aggressive faces - literally referred to as "stank face" - are just part of the medium. Based on the way the show was done it seems as if Owens or at least somebody that advised him on the show is actually familiar with that aspect of black culture and referenced it in a way that to me came off as appreciative rather than exploitative.

Junya Watanabe's runway show for SS16 was pretty intense from a racial standpoint.





The 100% white casting with the blatent references to traditional tribal clothing and accessories seems to ask questions about appropriation and post-colonialism in fashion. Junya's designs seem to deliberately go past "flintstone" and into mockery.

I've given this show a lot of thought and I can't really make up my mind on it. He seems to be doing all this on purpose to make us all rethink the cultural significance of the clothes we wear--and whether we should wear them at all--but then he benefits from that concept by selling clothes. Money makes art really complicated :/

I'd love to hear more thoughts on this collection and the topic of race relations/appropriation in general.

I would like to see more brown models, everyone loves to talk about the topic of diversity but always forget about the brown models.

Helmut Lang bulletproof vest:



Very cool item of clothing as long as you aren't a brown man in an airport.



Maharishi Kurta shirts, very cool items if you're white, totally different if you aren't (still want)

I want to write a few words in praise of Umit Benan. Online, his work is largely ignored, save by a few yooxhounds on styleforum, since the isolated garments are wholly forgettable in the anonymous white grids of online retail. His presentations, however, I look forward to every time. Season after season, the sets, and more importantly, the casting imbue the clothes with character and narrative that unfortunately his retailers fail to replicate. I want to emphasise this consistency. Many labels (such as Junya above) will cast racially diverse models as a "statement" one season but will revert to default the next, undermining any statement they would hope to make. For Benan the default is racially diverse, and his shows are all the better for it.

I feel like a lack of diversity among designers is important and has a knock-on effect with stuff like casting. Somewhat related- Abasi Rosborough lookbooks / editorials are always beautiful and have some great models: