Milan Fashion Week ObservationsDiversity Report Redux:Milan Is Falling Short

No, we're not in Milan.
New York is more than enough Fashion Week for us, but we can't stop noticing the model casting for Milan's Spring shows. We have surveyed 9 of the most prominent and influential Milanese shows so far, (with a few major ones still to come) and have come to the conclusion that New York's small improvements in diversity have been mostly lost on the Italians.
It should be noted that in New York, many designers expressed disappointment after the shows that few minority models were available, and many were pulled from them for more prominent shows, leaving them with much whiter casts than they had intended to have. We chose to focus on Italian designers with enough clout to cast pretty much any model they might want, which is proved when you look at the rest of the girls in their lineups.
3 major shows, Giorgio Armani, Marni and Jil Sander had no Black or Asian models at all.
Gucci and Prada both had only 1 black model. Of the ones we surveyed (and in all fairness, we can't break down each and every designer) the only show to impress us with diversity was Bottega Veneta with 4 Black models and 1 Asian.
You would think that things would be better in the home of Italian Vogue, whose recent Black Issue raised the racial question.
After the jump, the numbers we compiled

UPDATED: More shows, more weak numbers

BOTTEGA VENETA: 17%
28 models in 37 looks
4 Black models, Arlenis Sosa, Georgie Badiel, Chanel Iman & Jourdan Dunn in 5 looks
1 Asian model, Du Juan, in 1 look
D&G: 8.9%
51 models in 63 looks
3 Black models, Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn & Ariel Meredith in 3 looks
1 Asian model, Daul Kim, in 1 look
1 Indian/South Asian model, Lakshmi Menon, in 1 look
GIORGIO ARMANI: 0%
76 looks
GUCCI: 4%
25 models in 49 looks
1 Black model, Chanel Iman, in 2 looks
JIL SANDER: 0%
30 models in 45 looks
MARNI: 0%
29 models in 59 looks
PRADA: 2.6%
37 models in 39 looks
1 Black model, Jourdan Dunn, in 1 look
ROBERTO CAVALLI: 7.75%
23 models in 44 looks
1 Black model, Jourdan Dunn, in 1 look
1 Asian model, Liu Wen, in 2 looks
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO: 4.9%
20 models in 42 looks
1 Black model, Jourdan Dunn, in 2 looks
DOLCE & GABBANA: 3.4%
55 models in 62 looks
1 Black model, Chanel Iman in 1 look
1 Asian model, Daul Kim in 1 look
VERSACE: 3.7%
27 models in 55 looks
1 Black model, Jourdan Dunn, in 2 looks
FENDI: 3.4%
26 models in 35 looks
1 Black model, Sessilee Lopez, in 1 look
DSQUARED²: 9.6%
21 models in 41 looks
1 Black model, Chanel Iman, in 2 looks
1 Asian model, Liu Wen, in 2 looks
MISSONI: 4.4%
24 models in 43 looks
1 Black model, Sessilee Lopez in 2 looks

Comments

[Chich Noir]

I'm so sadened by the low numbers. although, I must say it's an improvment from last season.

[copilotcrash]

Sadly, Milan has been well-known for their hesitance to cast a diverse model lineup. It's really a shame, but bravo to Bottega Veneta for working on it,

[Islandista]

It is truly disappointing that after so much discussion about the issue over the past year or so, that there is still so little progress.

Frankly, I find the argument that has been coming from the NY designers that there were not enough quality models of colour, a poor excuse.

It really is just dependent on what they see as 'quality'. They really need to be more specific when throwing about such an excuse. Were the minority models too short or too curvy for the clothing or did they have a poor walk?

To me, the argument sounds like a thinly veiled excuse for 'we don't find these women beautiful enough or worthy enough'.

However I really, really must commend shophound for keeping on this issue. Other publications have been talking the talk but you have really walked the walk by putting the numbers out there, and in so doing, forcing other, larger publications to take more notice as well.

I have linked to your post on NY Fashion Week on my own blog islandista and I will be writing a post about this as well.

Keep it up! :)

[Kelliann]

disappointing! let's hope for next season.

[Jay]

WHO THE FUCK CARES... WHOEVER IS THE PRETTIEST SHOULD MODEL, STOP LETTING THE LIBERAL AGENDA OF DIVERSITY RULE THE WORLD.