We need to talk about Vogue Black

Garage Magazine's editor-in-chief Dasha Zhukova posing in a deeply disturbing editorial

Truth be told, I believe that certain entities that hold an elite status within the fashion industry do so with such force and extravagance that when we question matters of morality and ethics, they're brushed under the carpet with the manufactured response that "it's fashion - don't take it so seriously!"

In retrospect though, when we consider a multi-billion dollar industry that yields the power to control peoples livelihoods and identities, how is this good enough? The issue of underrepresentation of ethnicities in editorials in magazines such as Vogue are not merely an oversight during the process of creative expression - oftentimes they are visual representations of archaic and deep-rooted themes of segregation and racism engrained in the industry's psyche. 

Let's talk about Vogue Black. A section of Vogue Italia's website launched in 2010, it quite crudely consists of news coverage, street style, celebrity culture and editorial content pertaining to the black contingent of the industry. When we consider that Vogue Italia's editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, who has been burned before for crossing the threshold of racial insensitivity, it strikes me as absurd that Vogue Black is being heralded as a triumph and a celebration of black people.

Do we need to segregate black models from white models, black celebrities from white celebrities and black journalists from white journalists to actually acknowledge the style, beauty and talent of people who aren't white? Further still, there are a myriad of ethnicities out there who are being excluded by Vogue Italia in this pseudo-celebration of racial diversity in fashion - if you think that such a thing exists at this point, look a little closer. 

The runway shows that models of different ethnicities are being hugely underrepresented by designers who hand pick women to wear their designs during castings.

Images credited to Jezebel

The reality of this is incredibly distressing and I know that I not only speak for myself when I say it's also incredibly disheartening for those who are aspiring to work in an industry that is inherently racist. I think if we understand better that with the sort of elitism of juggernauts such as Vogue also comes a great deal of exclusion and bigotry, the more we should become aware of the ethical issues that are raised in their editorial decisions and not become so passive when we're told not to take fashion too seriously.

OPINION: Street style isn't ruled by the runway

Every morning I take my tea and toast with a side of news. Perusing what's going on in the industry, Style.com is undisputedly one of my go-to sources. What's always interesting about this time of year though, is the influx of those obligatory round-up commentaries on the year just passed. This morning, Style.com featured this montage of street style snaps:

It was accompanied by this statement from Tommy Ton:

"Hedi Slimane's Fall '13 grunge-inspired collection proved 

more influential than critics predicted. Ripped Jeans, waist-

tied plaid shirts, combat boots, overalls, and bomber jackets 

became style essentials across the globe this year."

It prompted me the question as to whether fashion, or rather trends move in a downward spiral from runway to the streets and in all honesty, I don't believe that it's the case. Granted, the industry is hugely influential on the way women and increasingly men, represent themselves but I think in this age, fashion isn't dictated by the collections that designers put down the runway; I think that a lot of the time it's the inverse.

It's a time where women have no qualms spending small fortunes on luxury items as foundational pieces for their wardrobe, but at the same time, will bid $2 on eBay for bulk fabric to make their own adornments.

Before the death of Yves Saint Laurent and Slimane's take over of the French fashion house, the whole grunge-inspired street style movement has been a thing. Only when Slimane released his Fall '13 collection do we pick on the parallels of influence between designers and everyday people, and vice versa. 

So in essence, I think Tommy Ton's statement is a little dogmatic. Whilst you could say that Saint Laurent is catering for a niche of women who don't care that 'x' is the black and who can covet their own trove of statement pieces, it's important to understand why: because that's what women have already been doing for years. The proof is on the street.