With New York Fashion Week coming to an end and Fall 2015 ads making a prominent appearance in all of our magazines, The Fashion Spot could not think of a better time to debut their Diversity Report! With television becoming more diverse by the minute, it makes us wonder has the fashion industry followed in their footsteps?
Related: Get Like Me : CBS Senior Vice President Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i
The Fashion Spot Diversity Report Statistics
Well as you can guess, the fashion industry still has a ways to go. After reviewing 460 fashion print ads of this year, the Fashion Spot team came to the conclusion that 84.7 percent of models cast were white including celebrities. Asian models followed with 6.2 percent. Only 4.4 percent of Black models and 1.7 percent of Latina models were casted for Fall 2015 ads, which happens to be fewer than the amount of campaigns they acquired for Spring 2015.
With the world socially progressing everyday, it is unfortunate that the fashion industry cannot keep up. Major fashion houses such as Gucci, Burberry and Saint Laurent (which was known for its diverse campaigns) adorned their campaigns with models, however none of them were of color.
Diversity doesn’t only pertain to color, The Fashion Report found that out of 707 model appearance, only 11 of the models cast were plus size. What is even more baffling is that brands that offer plus-size lines and cater to the plus size community, did not use plus-size models in their campaign. Well isn’t that strange? This is exactly why the #PlusIsEqual movement is imperative. While we may have come a long way, we still have a ways to go in the fashion department. I guess it’s safe to say that they’re a work in progress.
Related:LBS Chic: #PlusIsEqual Style Essentials With Lane Bryant
Check out more fashion ad demographics on The Fashion Spot website, you’d be surprised at their findings.
What’s your take on diversity in the fashion industry?
-Kayla Lawrence