Here’s some good news to start your 2018: Diversity and inclusivity seem to be on the rise — at least in the fashion and beauty realms. In 2017, British Vogue announced its first black editor-in-chief. The 2018 Pirelli Calendar got an all-black cast (as did Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2017 campaign). ELLE made the (long-overdue) announcement that a plus-size model would be gracing its cover and curve model Paloma Elsesser posed in red lipstick and streetwear for Fenty Beauty, then naked for Glossier. Allure broke up with the term “anti-aging” and 69-year-old Maye Musk scored a CoverGirl contract. Transgender actress Hari Nef fronted massive campaigns for L’Oréal Paris and Gucci and trans model Valentina Sampaio landed her first (three) Vogue cover(s). The Spring 2018 runways were the most inclusive ever. All this to say, plenty of diversity strides were made.
Not that there weren’t setbacks. Vogue defined “gender fluidity” as “borrowing from your boyfriend’s closet” rather than “identifying outside of the binary of male or female.” Vivienne Westwood sent cornrows down her Spring 2018 runway. Victoria’s Secret hired not one plus-size model. Diversity on magazine covers barely edged forward. And when it came to plus-size and transgender castings (on the runways, on magazine covers, in ad campaigns), tokenism ran rampant.
All in all, we’ve got a long way to go. Still, in the spirit of the New Year, let’s focus on the positive, shall we? Click through the gallery above to read up on 24 times the fashion and beauty industries embraced diversity and inclusivity in 2017. May 2018 see even greater strides.
[ Next: Year in Review: 25 Fashion News Stories That Dominated Our Feeds in 2017 ]
Fashion/Beauty Diversity Wins 2018
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L'Oréal Paris Debuted Its Truly Inclusive True Match Campaign
A highlight of the 2017 Golden Globes was, without question, the debut of L’Oréal Paris' stunningly inclusive True Match ad campaign. In the promos, a diverse group of celebs and influencers — including Hari Nef, Sabina Karlsson, Marquita Pring and Cipriana Quann — share which of the foundation’s 33 shades best fits their skin tone/ethnic background. See the instantly iconic ads for yourself here.
Image: L’Oréal Paris
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Hanne Gaby Odiele Raised Awareness of the Issues Facing Intersex Youth
After "coming out" as intersex in January, Belgian model Hanne Gaby Odiele — a favorite of designers like Alexander Wang and Dries Van Noten — became a spokesperson and advocate for the intersex community, traveling the U.S. to speak at various intersex conferences. A partner of InterACT, an organization that advocates for intersex youth, Odiele is intent on stopping what she calls “crazy surgeries that are irreversible and nonconsensual, done when you are much too young.”
Image: @hannegabysees
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March’s French 'Vogue' Featured Its First Out Transgender Cover Star
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott photographed Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio for Vogue Paris' pivotal March issue. It was the first time the magazine — or any Vogue edition — had ever hired a transgender cover star. “This cover is about the importance of [human] rights, and that we still need to make progress on an awful lot of stuff,” Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Emmanuelle Alt told American Vogue. The transgender model went on to front ELLE Brazil's July issue and both of Vogue Brazil's dual December covers.
Image: Vogue Paris
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Nike Debuted the Sportswear Hijab
This coming spring will see the release of Nike's ProHijab, a single-layer, one-size-fits-all head covering done in Nike Pro mesh (known for its breathability). At that time, Nike will become the first mainstream activewear brand to (somewhat) address the needs of Muslim female athletes. Per global Nike spokeswoman Megan Saalfeld: “The Nike Pro Hijab was designed as a direct result of our athletes telling us they needed this product to perform better, and we hope that it will help athletes around the world do just that.” Of course, the product could've been developed 17-odd years ago, when Capsters founder Cindy van den Bremen first pitched the idea to Nike, but better late than never.
Image: Nike
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Entrepreneurs Got Wise to the Needs of the Plus-Size Customer
Blogger BFFs Nicolette Mason and Gabi Gregg launched their own plus-size clothing line, aptly named Premme (a mash-up of "premium" and "femme"). Jeff Cafone created All 67, a line of high-end leather jackets tailored to the 67 percent of women in America who are considered plus-size. Kathryn Retzer and Patrick Herning founded 11 Honoré, the size 10-to-20 woman's answer to Net-a-Porter. Forever 21 expanded its plus-size line. Reformation quietly began offering larger sizes (and featuring non-straight-size models on its site). The year's list of new(ly) plus-friendly retailers goes on and on. Suffice it to say that women size 14 and up — and their over $20 billion worth of buying power — are no longer being ignored (at least in the fashion retail space).
Image: @premme_us/Instagram
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Candice Huffine Scored Her First American Cover
Exactly one year after signing with IMG Models' "Curve" division, plus-size model Candice Huffine's career reached a major milestone in April when ELLE announced her as its May cover star. After 16 years in the industry, this was Huffine's first American cover. “There was no home for me in the beginning [when I was] signed as a plus model,” Huffine shared in the accompanying interview. “Magazines were not diverse then or open to varying sizes and over the course of a decade-plus, the change is real because we can hold it in our hands. We can open a magazine and see a body like mine or Ashley Graham’s or see just a wide variety of women. And I think that is the biggest telltale sign of the change and is the most rewarding feeling. I know that I made a mark in that. And I just know that the best is even still yet to come.”
Image: ELLE
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Christie Brinkley Posed for the 2017 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Issue
Christie Brinkley, who fronted Sport Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue for a record-setting three consecutive years — from 1979 to 1981 — returned for the 2017 edition. For her spread, the 63-year-old posed alongside daughters Alexa Ray Joel, 31, and Sailor Brinkley Cook, 18. Brinkley’s inclusion was yet another reminder that beauty and sex appeal know no age.
Image: Emmanuelle Hauguel for Sports Illustrated
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'Project Runway' Updated Its Model Guidelines
In July, "reality" TV show Project Runway announced that, beginning in season 16, all competing designers would be teamed with models size 2 to 12 — and up. Until that point, outside of the various “real people” challenges, designers were only asked to dress straight-sized models. Pictured here is Liris Crosse, "the Naomi Campbell of plus" (and, in our opinion, season 16's main selling point). On a related note, 2017 was also the year America's Next Top Model finally removed its age limit, opening its doors to women over age 27.
Image: @lirisc
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The Gucci Bloom Ads Featured an All-Star, Trans-Inclusive Cast
In August, after a buzzy New York City launch event three months prior, the campaign for Gucci Bloom (Alessandro Michele's first women's scent for the label) finally hit Instagram. The ads showed fashion favorites Dakota Johnson, Petra Collins and Hari Nef lounging in a lush, dreamy garden wearing head-to-toe Gucci florals (natch). Needless to say, the decision to cast Nef in the promos was a huge win for transgender visibility, especially given Gucci's clout. (It's also worth noting that the brand's Pre-Fall 2017 campaign starred exclusively models of color.)
Image: Glen Luchford/Gucci
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Edward Enninful Announced as the New Editor-In-Chief of British 'Vogue'
It was first reported in April that Edward Enninful was set to serve as the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue. On August 1, Enninful, an industry icon, became the first man and the first black editor to helm the 100-year-old magazine, not to mention the first man of color to control any mainstream women’s fashion publication. As is his way, Enninful brought his diverse group of friends along for the ride, hiring makeup legend Pat McGrath to oversee the beauty vertical and Naomi Campbell, Grace Coddington, Kate Moss, Steve McQueen and December covergirl Adwoa Aboah as contributors.
Image: @britishvogue
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Proenza Schouler's Pre-Fall Lookbook Featured 3 Transgender Models
Photographed and cast by Ethan James Green (a former model and Calvin Klein campaign star), Proenza Schouler's Pre-Fall 2017 lookbook starred three transgender models (Stav Strashko, Torraine Futurum and Marcs Marcus), along with Michelle Gutknecht and Emm Arruda. While pre-season lookbooks are relatively low-stakes endeavors (compared to big-budget print campaigns), the move was indicative of an overall trend. It's no longer rare for luxury labels to feature multiple transgender models in one shoot — or even on one runway (see: Marc Jacobs' Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 shows, among others).
Image: Ethan James Green for Proenza Schouler
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The Fall 2017 Ads Were More Inclusive Than the Runways for the First Time Ever
After scoring 187 Fall 2017 fashion print ads, we found — in a refreshing change of pace — the most recent ad season was more racially diverse than its runway counterpart. Moreover, for the first time ever, the number of nonwhite models cast exceeded 30 percent. (The Fall 2017 spreads featured 30.4 percent nonwhite models, a marked improvement over Spring 2017's 24.5 percent.) Coach 1941, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and Helmut Lang delivered some of the most diverse campaigns of the season.
Image: Steven Meisel/Coach
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CoverGirl Signed Maye Musk, Its Oldest Ambassador Yet
Speaking of "covergirls," 69-year-old Maye Musk (mother of Tosca, Kimbal and Elon — perhaps you've heard of him?) scored a CoverGirl contract in early September. With that, the IMG signee became the face of the brand's Simply Ageless collection — and its oldest ambassador to date. She also joined a growing number of older beauty spokesmodels, including Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, and Helen Mirren for L’Oréal Paris, Isabella Rossellini for Lancôme and Jessica Lange for Marc Jacobs Beauty. Clearly, lucrative partnerships with global beauty brands are no longer reserved for the under-30 set.
Image: CoverGirl
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It Model Teddy Quinlivan Came out as Transgender
In September, on the last day of New York Fashion Week, model Teddy Quinlivan — discovered by Louis Vuitton's Nicolas Ghesquière in 2015 — revealed her transgender identity on Instagram and in a CNN interview. Throughout the remainder of fashion month, Quinlivan — who walked in 27 shows total — gained more Instagram followers than any other model. Moreover, the Spring 2018 runways saw the most transgender castings (47) of any season yet, most belonging to Quinlivan. “Hopefully my story reaches people in the same way that the stories of Laverne Cox and Janet Mock have (already) reached trans people. There are not a lot of openly trans people in media, and I think it’s really important to show people that not only am I trans, I’m (also) very successful and good at what I do," the 23-year-old told CNN.
Image: @teddy_quinlivan
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Rihanna Released Fenty Beauty, the Most Inclusive Beauty Range Ever
Goddess of all trades Rihanna set a new standard for shade diversity when she launched her much-anticipated Fenty Beauty makeup collection. As accessible as it is inclusive, the line, now available online and at Sephoras worldwide, features a red lipstick and glittery gloss that flatter all skin tones, along with a noteworthy 40 shades of foundation. Since Fenty Beauty's release, other market-savvy brands have seen the light and stepped up their shade offerings, most notably Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics (see: the brand's newly-released 30-shade Skin Concealer range).
Image: @fentybeauty
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Glossier Launched Its Body-Positive Body Hero Campaign
Also in September, millennial whisperer Glossier launched its now cult-favorite Body Hero duo, and with it a body-positive campaign that was as soothing to our souls as its neroli-infused shower oil is to our skin. The ads, full of nude models of all races and sizes, notably featured curve model Paloma Elsesser (face of Fenty Beauty) and former WNBA champ and Olympic gold medalist Swin Sash Canal (who was very pregnant at the time of the shoot). Elsesser, Canal and their co-stars showcased their glowing skin; Glossier showcased its love of diversity. Hopefully rivals that ripped off Glossier's packaging in 2017 will seek to mimic its values in 2018.
Image: Glossier
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'Allure' Banned the Term 'Anti-Aging'
Septuagenarian Helen Mirren stunned on Allure's September issue. Inside its pages, editor-in-chief Michelle Lee announced that the beauty bible would no longer use the term "anti-aging," which "subtly reinforc[es] the message that aging is a condition we need to battle — think antianxiety meds, antivirus software, or antifungal spray." With that, Allure highlighted the fact that industry standards are changing: beauty is not (and never was) just for the young.
Image: Allure
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Indigenous Australian Model Charlee Fraser Ruled the Spring 2018 Runways
Charlee Fraser, a descendant of the Awabakal people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, was the most-booked runway model of the Spring 2018 season. “My success isn’t measured by my heritage," said the then-up-and-comer in a 2016 WWD interview. "All I can hope is that I’m a role model to others and not only to represent my country and my heritage, but to bring awareness to building that bridge between ethnicity and the fashion industry.”
Image: Imaxtree
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Pregnant Models Finally Got Their Due
During the most recent New York Fashion Week, downtown-cool label Eckhaus Latta turned heads by sending pregnant model and artist Maia Ruth Lee down the catwalk in a lavender button-up dress, partially undone so as to show off her serious baby bump. Days later, Opening Ceremony unveiled its Pre-Spring 2018 promos, which showed various fashion insiders with either a S.O., friend or family member. Included in the diverse group were MadeMe designer/Supreme big-wig Erin Magee — pregnant and showing, especially in her form-fitting, ribbed OC dress — and her partner Nicole Albino. Then came Swin Cash Canal's aforementioned Glossier ad. All this to say, in 2017, we finally got campaigns and runways that celebrated women at all stages of life: over-50, just beginning their careers, pregnant (and maybe even in utero).
Image: Imaxtree
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Runway Diversity Hit an All-Time High (Across the Board)
All in all, Spring 2018 was the most inclusive runway season in recent history. After examining 266 major shows and tallying 8,258 runway appearances across New York, London, Paris and Milan, we found that 30.2 percent of models who walked were nonwhite. Every(!) New York and London runway had at least two models of color. Moreover, there were a record number of plus-size (93), transgender (45) and over-50 (27) model castings. In particular, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, Sophia Webster, Ashish, Chromat, Tome, Tracy Reese, Christian Siriano, Torrid and Desigual made a point of prioritizing diversity.
Image: Imaxtree
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Telfar Clemens Won the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
Those familiar with our list of designers who are changing the way the industry sees nude will recognize the name Telfar Clemens. In November, 12 years after launching his “horizontal, democratic, universal” (and unisex) label Telfar, Clemens took home the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund's top prize: a tidy $400,000. The two runners up, who got $150,000 apiece, were Ahlem Manai Platt of eyewear brand Ahlem and Becca McCharen-Tran of inclusive ready-to-wear brand Chromat. On a related note, 2017's CFDA/VFF finalists were the most diverse group the 14-year-old competition has ever seen. "Diversity is important," remarked CFDA president Diane von Fürstenberg.
Image: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for CFDA/Vogue
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The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Was More Diverse Than Ever
Look, we know. When it comes to inclusivity, Victoria's Secret is no — how shall we put this? — angel. To wit: on the eve of the brand's annual lingerie extravaganza, Ashley Graham made waves by criticizing the lack of plus-size models in its lineup. Oh, and after taping the Shanghai-based spectacle, VS made the tasteless decision to humiliate Chinese model Ming Xi by including her runway tumble and subsequent backstage (read: private) tears. Still, despite the lingerie retailer's (glaring) flaws, this year's VSFS cast was nearly 50 percent diverse, up from 20 percent in 2016. So that's something.
Image: @victoriassecret
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Diversity on Magazine Covers Improved
We reviewed 782 covers from 49 leading international fashion magazines and found that diversity on this year's covers had improved — slightly — compared to last year. In 2017, 32.5 percent of covers starred people of color, in 2016, only 29 percent did. Thus, this year was the first in which the runways, ad campaigns and leading international fashion magazine covers all passed the 30 percent racial diversity marker. (That said, age, size and transgender representation on magazine covers has stalled.)
Image: Inez and Vinoodh for Vogue
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The 2018 Pirelli Calendar Got Socially Conscious With an All-Black Cast
Photographed by Tim Walker and styled by newly minted British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, the 2018 Pirelli calendar will be the first to feature only black models. The group — which included Duckie Thot, Slick Woods, Naomi Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg and Sasha Lane — posed for Enninful’s 2017 reimagining of Alice and Wonderland, a utopia free of old stereotypes and assumptions (and nudity) and full of black pride and avant-garde costumes. It was a welcome departure from the soft-core Pirelli calendars of yore — and totally Enninful’s doing. “Inclusivity is more part of the conversation than it has ever been before, but it goes far beyond black and white,” Enninful told the Times. “It is about all creeds, all colors, all sizes and people just living their truths…Given the state of the world we live in, sometimes I think we all feel like we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. For me, a retelling of ‘Alice’ for the modern world was a perfect project, particularly once the cast fell into place.”
Image: Tim Walker
