by Shonette Reed
The lack of diversity in the fashion industry is no secret, so when every model in a spread for a fashion magazine is black, it’s not only news—it’s iconic.
Though the fashion industry has been making an improved effort to recognize more black models over the past two years, W Magazine is known for standing out among its competitors by being unconventional. And their August issue just may be the magazine’s most impressive yet.
The August edition of W, titled “#thepopissue,” features TV superstar Taraji P. Henson on the cover. It also also boasts a spread of black models in an editorial under the title "Now Trending," a shoot starring Rihanna as the face of Dior, and Liya Kebede modeling for Louis Vuitton.
"Now Trending" focuses on the "Fall 2015 collection [going from] modest to extreme" and includes models of various shades of brown and from diverse backgrounds: Ajak Deng, Amilna Estevao, Aya Jones, Anais Mali, Binx Walton, and Tami Williams.
The photos were taken by photographer Emma Summerton in Upstate New York, and the models were styled by Edward Enninful, fashion and style director of W Magazine.
Photos: Emma Summerton / W Magazine
Shonette Reed is regular contributor for Coloures and For Harriet from Los Angeles, Calif. With plans to break into the fashion industry as a fashion reporter, she runs her own style blog. Her aim is to highlight the important contributions of women of color in the fashion industry as well as give women of color more exposure within the leading magazines in fashion. You can follow her on Twitter @ShonetteReed.
