race has been a major topic in the fashion industry since iman and naomi campbell blasted last season’s runway shows for having virtually no models of color. the lack of diversity has prompted the women to start balance diversity, an organization aimed at boosting the number of black models. while most runways are racially imbalanced, those behind the scenes suffer a similar fate — major fashion brands continue to be led almost exclusively by whites.
our darling tracy reese addressed this issue stating, “there’s so many things that need to change. there are a lot of designers of color, but I think there’s just a dearth of designers out front.” she went on to say the industry needs more diversity not just in model selection, but in all facets, including public relations. despite the limitation of being one of only a few black designers with wide acclaim, reese continues to give us some of the best ready-to-wear pieces known to man. after seeing her fall 2014 show full of texture and bold prints, it’s obvious why she’s one of michelle obama’s favorite designers.
