Photographer: Paul Scala

Styling: Karl Plewka

Make-Up: Joey Choy

Hair: Ken O'Rourke

Set Design: Ciaran Linden Beale

Shirabi: Anatomie Studio London

Stylist: Carlos Nazario

 

Recognizing a need to create opportunity for BIPOC talent within the fashion industry, the HEROES Mentorship Program will offer one recipient a 12-month contract to include agency and portfolio support, brand strategy, contacts, and help in securing paid work. This year, the search will focus on a BIPOC hair or make-up artist.

 

Chosen by a panel, to include HEROES agents and models, the program aims to create a platform to highlight more BIPOC talent, and to end the common practice of BIPOC models being asked to do their own hair & make-up on set.

 

The wellbeing and treatment of our talent has always been at the heart of what drives HEROES Models Management, and we will continue to work to be part of the solution so that our models are allowed to work in safe, inspiring and fulfilling conditions. 

Please email info@heroesmodels.com to apply.

The Black in Fashion Council Launches with 38 Company Partners, Including Condé Nast, Prabal Gurung, and Glossier

“Brands have pledged a commitment to work with The Black in Fashion Council for the next three years and work with the Human Rights Campaign to put policies into practice further to demonstrate their commitment to Black employees at all levels,” the BIFC statement reads. “Executive board members will be having conversations with industry stakeholders starting in August 2020 to allow brands to fully understand the complex ways in which we all need to commit to making inclusivity the lens in which we see everything, and have the opportunity to rise to the occasion of making changes over the next three years as we know this is a process that takes time. BIFC will release generalized cumulative results in the fall of 2021, giving insight into the progress that the industry has seen.” 

The organization’s foundational mission is to evolve fashion’s inclusivity beyond call-out culture and to work to make measurable change for Black employees from the C-suite to junior levels. “What sets us apart,” Charles told Vogue earlier this year, “is we want to show that we’re in solidarity with you, we want to not only support your group but empower you with resources that you may or may not have. That’s really important: to have a network of people that are working for the same good with egos aside.”

The brands that have signed on so far will work closely with BIFC’s executive board starting this year, with more companies expected to join after the summer holidays conclude. Among them is Universal Standard, a direct-to-consumer fashion company that offers sizing from 00 to 40. “As a brand that is all about revolutionary inclusivity, we know that we have a huge responsibility to live up to our mission,” says Alexandra Waldman, the co-founder and COO of Universal Standard. “Universal Standard is deeply committed to ensuring that authentic representation is present within our organization and across every aspect of our business, but we know that we can make an even bigger impact by learning and collaborating with others in the industry. Being part of the Black in Fashion Council is an honor and a great opportunity for us to take concrete steps to creating the change we want to see in the world, where Black women and Black people of all gender identities are included and represented as they are.”

In addition to announcing brand partners, the BIFC is also accepting membership applications, priced at $50 for the assistant level and $100 for senior membership. Once applications are reviewed by a small committee, members will have access to all of BIFC’s programming and sub-committees. “By organizing a resilient group of editors, models, stylists, media executives, assistants, freelance creatives, and industry stakeholders, we aim to build a new foundation for inclusivity,” the organization writes. “For this change to occur, non-Black brands, publications, and people of influence have to carefully examine the roles they’ve played in either helping or hurting Black people who work in these spaces.”

Find the full list of companies partnering with the Black in Fashion Council here:

Athleta

Banana Republic

BFA

Birchbox

Brandon Maxwell

Browns

CAA

Calvin Klein

Cartier North America

Condé Nast

DePop

DNA Model Management

Everlane

Fashionista

Farfetch

Fred Segal

GAP

Glossier

HEROES Model Management

Intermix

Janie & Jack

Jeffries

L’Oreal

ManRepeller

Moda Operandi

Myra Swim

Old Navy

Prabal Gurung

PVH Corp

Stadium Goods

Tamara Mellon Brand

Tiffany & Co.

The Knot Worldwide

The Real Real

Tommy Hilfiger

Universal Standard