Photo: Courtesy of Net-A-Porter.Chanel Iman is one of the most recognizable supermodels in the industry. Though she's been a fixture on the runway and in magazines since age 15, it hasn't always been easy. The 23-year-old spoke candidly with Net-A-Porter's The Edit about the difficulties African-American women face trying to carve out careers in the fashion biz.
“I think that everyone should be equal; it shouldn’t be about color," Iman said in the interview. "I do think we’ve come a long way, but things could still be a lot more diverse on the runway and in films.” She even goes so far to say that the industry has tried to pit her against fellow African-American supermodels (and friends) Jourdan Dunn and Joan Smalls. "All three of us models are very successful in our careers, but because in the fashion industry ‘there’s only one black girl allowed,’ they’ve made us compete to be that one girl."
Each of these women is unique in her own way — and they shouldn't be lumped together because of the color of their skin. We hope this generation of outspoken supers can convince the powers-that-be to reconsider the lack of diversity and make the world of couture a more inclusive (and beautiful!) place. (The Huffington Post)