Are black designers and models welcomed in the fashion industry?

BY SELINA McCALLUM

The question of if there is enough inclusion and representation in the fashion world has been asked for the past decade.

African Fashion Week which took place between August 22nd and 25th in Toronto, showcased apparel by African designers and worn by African models on the runway.

African Fashion Week also awards designers, photographers and models for their hard work. Something that has never been done before is awarding two female models the Rising Star Female Model of the Year Award. Kelechi Ofoha was one of the two winners.

When accepting her award, she brought up her struggle of trying to break into the fashion industry as a model.

“I’ve always wanted to be a model since I was a little girl. When I was 15, my mom spent thousands of dollars on portfolios, management fees and nothing ever came of it,” said Ofoha.

Generally, a model will pay between 20% to 23% to their agency of their rate for a job. However, what is often undisclosed is that the agency always charges 20% extra to the client that hires the model.

Commercial and catalogue agencies charge fees because they are unable to survive in the cutthroat industry without one. That being said, many scam artists operate under the appearance of being a smaller agency dependant on expensive initial fees.

“In 2017, my 30th birthday was coming up and I said if this doesn’t happen by my 30th birthday then this was never meant to be,” said Ofoha.

A statement said by Ofoha that is likely to have been said by thousands of young black girls across the world. In reality, the fight to have inclusion and diversity is still a long road ahead.

In 2018, out of 66 models that walked in the prestigious Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, only 16 were black. Brands and fashion designers alike have felt the backlash and have tried to make changes.

According to the Fashion Spot, the New York Fashion Week Fall 2018 Diversity Report concluded that the fall 2018 runways were the most race and transgender-inclusive ever, but not so much for age and size.

During the Fall 2018 season, more women of colour walked the runway than ever before. Out of 242 shows and 7,608 model appearances in New York, London, Milan and Paris, 32.5% of castings went to models of colour, a 2.3 point increase from Spring 2018’s 30.2%.

African Fashion Week in Toronto provides more than just a platform but makes dreams come true for designers and models who never thought they would be able to showcase their talent to a large audience.

“In February 2018, I connected with African Fashion Week and here I am, 32, and my dreams are coming true,” said Ofoha.