Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Fashion industry has become more racist, says Naomi Campbell

 

Sherna Noah
Wednesday 18 September 2013 07:18 EDT
Comments
Naomi Campbell said the 'act of not choosing models of colour is racist'
Naomi Campbell said the 'act of not choosing models of colour is racist' (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has accused fashion designers of snubbing black and Asian models on the catwalk.

She said the situation had deteriorated since she made her name in the industry more than 25 years ago.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, the 43-year-old denied she was accusing the industry of racism. But she said: “I’m saying the act of not choosing models of colour is racist. So... we’re not calling them racist, we are saying the act is racist.”

She has lent her voice to the Coalition, a group of fashion professionals who issued an open letter to Fashion Week councils in London, New York, Milan and Paris listing the designers they claimed used only one or no black models in last season’s runway shows.

The model said during last year’s New York Fashion Week, just six per cent of models were black and nine per cent were Asian. She said the discrimination she had suffered “made me stronger” but added “not all of the young models today are like that and... able to speak for themselves”. She said of London Fashion Week: “London is going to do the right thing. We’re going to see a lot more models of colour on the runway [in London].”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in