the changing economics of beauty

Very interesting take on the lack of diversity on the runways and editorial spreads of the fashion world. The nouveau riche consumers of fashion live more in Dubai, Moscow and Shanghai, less so in New York, London and Berlin; in places that know nothing of (or could care less for) the 30 or so years of efforts its taken to expand the definition of beauty in the West.

Kamitsis said she believed the white-out of black girls was because labels had become more important than creativity in contemporary fashion. “The product is what counts, the product is more important than the model’s personality.

Today’s style, in contrast with times when to be different was what counted, was “more uniform, more neutral” and designers themselves subjected to marketing strategies and zero-risk production diktats.

“The market for fashion goods, emerging nations such as China, Russia, the Arab world, are countries that are not specially known for favouring social or cultural mixes,” she said.

“White models are without a doubt the easiest ways of attracting these clients.”
According to Renee Dujac-Cassou, who heads Paris’ Crystal models agency, “blue-eyed blondes have always been the dream type. It’s as simple as that.”
“A beautiful African woman is not the dream type, neither is a Tibetan or a Chinese princess.” The number of non-white models parading on catwalks, she said, “will always be extremely limited.”

source: AFP