Advocates for more diversity in the fashion industry will be pleased to see Balmain‘s latest campaign for Fall 2014, through which creative director Olivier Rousteing wanted to showcase “the beauty of different ethnicities.” Since the Spring 2014 season, when Bethann Hardison‘s Diversity Coalition called out top designers in New York, London, Milan and Paris for not using enough models of color on their runways, there seems to be a heightened awareness in the industry and greater commitment to representing more forms of beauty.
And it seems Rousteing is one of the designers who heard the call. For this campaign, he cast Jourdan Dunn, Cara Delevingne, Binx Walton, Ysaunny Brito, Issa Lish and Kayla Scott — an extremely diverse group of models — to pose for Mario Sorrenti. The sextet is pictured lounging in the label’s studded leather and animal-print offerings for the Fall 2014 season, styled by Katie Grand.
As a “black boy in a really important French house,” Rousteing felt it was important to take the lead and cast a campaign that featured more than one token minority model — and we’re loving it. This is the picture of what fashion ads could look like if designers, modeling agencies and casting professionals actually made a commitment to showcasing diversity.
As if we needed any more proof that there is beauty in women of all ethnicities.
[via WWD]
