Obama's Remind Fashion World Black is Beautiful
First Family Could Influence Colors in Fashion
Feb 1, 2009
A ripple effect throughout America's views on race and politics is sure to take place as a result of Barack Obama's election. But many are saying one unexpected area that could also be affected is Fashion.
What Michelle, Sasha and Malia wear to events, vacations and every where in between has drawn a large amount of attention, sparked discussion, and has even caused websites of fashion moguls to crash.
"After the first kids appeared in their J.Crew outfits on Inauguration Day, the company's Web site got so many hits, it crashed, " said CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
Shoppers aren't alone in paying attention to the style of the Obama family. Branding experts, marketers and others involved in fashion are realizing there is an opportunity to transform and reap benefits from the presence of a new first family, a black family.
'"Marketers are finally waking up to it -- you know -- black is beautiful," says global branding expert David Rogers who predicts African-American models will play a more prominent role in fashion photography as a direct result of the Obama's. "It's just going to become part of the fabric of the fashion imagery of pop culture, which is a great thing," says Rogers.'
'"The most visible, most exciting family in America is this beautiful black family and so people are ready and looking for those kinds of images," says branding expert David Rogers, adding that a lot of Americans want to identify and, "find some sort of connection with this family."'
Having the Obama family in the White House could not have happened at a better time as far as the fashion industry is concerned. Within the industry there has been ongoing discussion about what is necessary to have more of a presence of diversity on the runways, covers and throughout the fashion world.
Of the 101 2007 Fall Fashion Week shows and presentations posted on Style.com, more than a third employed no black models, according to an article in Women's Wear Daily.
The absence of diversity on the runways was a topic that sparked as much discussion as the fashion did.
"Models were a homogeneous bunch - overwhelmingly white, bony and often blond. Along with the obvious - and serious - issue of racism, some wondered whether it wasn't all becoming just a little boring," said Anne Bratskeir of Newsday.
Much of the fashion conscious crowd complained that while the designers wanted to be entertaining with the clothing, they fell short of that when picking their models.
"Some shows had just one black model," Barker says, adding that he found the shows monotonous, visually unexciting and depressing. "Fashion is about fantasy, and every body's fantasy is not to be 6 feet and white."
Members of the crowd also noted that the lack of diversity was unsettling and the issue should be addressed by designers.
"I think designers will be more mindful," says Jasmine H. Chang, executive fashion editor of O, the Oprah Magazine. Chang says the absence of black models last season made her feel "uncomfortable. Here I am seated in an audience with every ethnicity in the world, and I did feel it was wrong."
After 2007's Fall Fashion week sparked much needed discussion about race and fashion some companies quickly tried to change and add more color to their collections of models.
Italian Vogue published what was called the "Black Issue", which was claimed to have been filled with only black models.
"Dubbed the "Black Issue," the magazine celebrates models of color from the past and present, including Donyale Luna, Liya Kebede, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Chanel Iman. Within 72 hours, the magazine sold out in the United States and Great Britain. Blog posts and e-mails about the beauty and historical significance of the issue began to flow -- and industry insiders were equally pleased," said CNN's Lola Ogunnaike.
Many involved in fashion interpreted the positive response as a sign of moving in the right direction.
"All the agents were happy about the issue because it gives us hope that other people will catch on and decide that it's OK to use more black girls," said Carlos Ojeda, an agent at New York Models. "It's OK to have more than just one, and she doesn't have to always be Naomi."
Some hope that due to the amount of influence Vogue has in the fashion community their effort to embrace diversity was not in vain.
"Italian Vogue is very influential around the world on an artistic level," said Constance White, style director at eBay. "That is the book that all the art directors, the photographers, any fashion editor looking for inspiration turns to ... and always has. It has always been the trendsetter, so hopefully people will look at it and say using black models is both relevant and right and will start doing it too."
Hopefully, as a result of the efforts being made by the fashion industry and the presence of the Obama's in the White House many more people, both in and out of the fashion industry, will realize there are many definitions of beauty and now is the time to embrace them all.
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