These days, Instagram is the fashion industry’s best friend. It’s the marketing tool of our generation. A place where labels can announce their latest collaborations, showcase their products and build their brand identities for the world (or more specifically, their consumer base) to see. Turning this concept on its head, the social media company has created its own hashtag-backed campaign, #RunwayForAll, to underscore an issue currently plaguing the fashion industry — model diversity.
Although the recent seasons’ runways and ad campaigns featured more models of color than prior years, they largely perpetuated the industry’s stereotype of what a model “should” look like (i.e., thin, young, white). Nevertheless, the industry is slowly but surely inching its way towards inclusivity, as demonstrated by the achievements of Mama Càx, Shaun Ross, Clémentine Desseaux, Londone Myers and Jillian Mercado, to name a few.
#RunwayForAll tells the stories of these five models, in an effort to “highlight some of the bravest and most creative models on Instagram who are building their own audiences and telling their own stories,” Instagram’s fashion and arts community lead, Kristen Joy Watts, told Refinery29. “These breakout stars aren’t conforming to the industry’s traditional mold and, in fact, are redefining it.”
On Monday, the brand’s account featured Càx, a Haitian beauty who, despite losing her leg to an aggressive form of bone cancer, now spends her days traveling, modeling and documenting her adventures on her blog.
This Tuesday we got further acquainted with Shaun Ross, who you may recognize from any number of things: the pages of Italian Vogue and i-D Magazine, his Givenchy campaign, the Hood By Air runway or Beyoncé’s Party music video, to name but a few. The prolific albino male model has also spearheaded his own inspirational hashtag campaign, #InMySkinIWin.
Wednesday’s feature, French model Clémentine Desseaux, runs her own blog as well as Les Mijotés, a creative agency representing plus-size clothing brands. A few months ago, media outlets mistook Clémentine for the new face of Louboutin when the brand reposted a video of Desseaux wearing its latest lip shade. Once the rumor mill was silenced and the dust had cleared, many puzzled fans begged the question, “But why the hell not?”
Today, Londone Myers, once an aspiring mortician, now a favorite of Hedi Slimane, told her story. Those beautiful natural curls protect some serious brains.
Tomorrow we’ll hear from Jillian Mercado, an IMG signee and one of the few professional models with a physical disability. Despite having muscular dystrophy and using a wheelchair, Jillian has appeared in a Diesel campaign, CR Fashion Book and on Beyoncé’s official website promoting her Formation tour merch.
