America is the most diverse it has ever been— or at least we are working towards it. Our society is working together to facilitate great matters such as the rise of women empowerment, ethnicity embracement, and intellect in our youth. However, in the midst of our diverse era, there are some gaps in our society that don’t seem to pulse to the beat of reform. Most notably, the fashion industry is lacking in their promotion of diversity; as for many years, this industry has been painting our society as a realm of refined beauty. In response, our society has been demanding some kind of change to reflect our reformed reality. But with america’s supermodels reciprocating a binary image and body type, how do we see diversity reflected in the fashion industry?

Aside from our classic supermodels, of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Taylor Hill, and Cara Delevingne, the rise models like Adwoa Aboah, Ashley Graham, and Winnie Harlow, have promoted non traditional beauty in ethnicity and size. Each are making their mark on the fashion industry through ways any supermodel should. Aboah was awarded the ‘2016 Women’s Breakout Star Industry Award’, both Aboah and Graham were featured on Vogue’s 125th anniversary cover.

As of September’s New York Fashion Week, we have accounted for the largest percentage of the casting of non white models at 36.9 percent. This includes some of the biggest design names in the industry like Brandon Maxwell, Tom Ford, and Max Mara who have featured a variety of ethnic backgrounds in their Spring-Summer 2018 Ready-to-Wear collections. Each have featured at least 3 South American and African American models, and Max Mara was one of the few who featured a Muslim model dressed in a hijab.

Smaller brands such as Eckhaus Latta and Tome were brought under speculation as they included older women among their beautifully diverse cast. Both brands embraced aged white hair in their models that contributed to the styling of their clothing looks. Eckhaus Latta also featured a pregnant model who walked the runway with a pale pink bodycon dress.

Although we are not yet seeing any changes in the larger fashion brands like Chanel, Prada, and Gucci, it is important to recognize the steps we are taking towards the reform of diversity. It is important to see that there are designers, big and small, who are sending a message of unconventional beauty through their art. Through resonating fashion in a manner that reflects all silhouettes, skin tones, and ages, we advance towards the stylistic image of attainable beauty and fashion.