Designer Ann Lowe fitting a model in 1962. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images As a black girl growing up in Wisconsin, I papered my bedroom walls with a collage of images cut out of the pages of Vogue, Essence, Teen Vogue, and Ebony magazines. I loved that the photos felt like an escape from life in the Midwest and was attracted to how fashion was more than just pieces of clothing — it told a story.
Soon after, I became editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue and was tasked with making young people feel seen and heard in the middle of one of the most divided times in modern history. I wanted to make a fashion magazine that challenged the idea that if you’re a “fashion” person, you can’t still care deeply about the world around you.
Designer Willi Smith with a model in 1987. Photo: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images The fashion industry has made strides in the past few years — yes, the models on the runway are more diverse, and sometimes you do see a campaign on a billboard that isn’t just white people — but fashion has yet to really grapple with its racism.
When I talked to Constance White, a former style reporter for the New York Times and former editor-in-chief of Essence, she acknowledged that a more diverse set of designers was now getting attention. “They’re definitely trying to play catch-up,” White said of the industry. “But we still see the same roadblocks.
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