It's 2017 and it looks like the fashion industry is finally getting the hang of this whole diversity and inclusion thing.
According to a new report by The Fashion Spot, the fall 2017 season was the industry's best yet when it came to casting non-white models for the runway.
Out of New York, London, Milan and Paris, New York Fashion Week took the lead with 31.5 per cent of their talent being people of colour, and for the first time ever, every show during NYFW had at least one model of colour.
London came in at second place, while Paris came third and Milan came last.
When it came to overall inclusivity, labels Chromat, Marc Jacobs, Tome, Christian Siriano and Dolce & Gabbana took the top spots, with runways that featured not only models of colour, but also trans, curvy and older talent.
Halima Aden, a Muslim, refugee-born model also made her stunning debut at the Yeezy Season 5 runway show in New York, proudly rocking her hijab.
But although fashion has made some significant strides when it comes to representation, there's still a ways to go — and casting director James Scully made no qualms about calling out designers for their unethical practices.
Specifically calling out Lanvin, and a number of other luxury retailers, Scully wrote a long Instagram post detailing their shortcomings during Paris Fashion Week in late February.
"I have heard from several agents, some of whom are black that they have received mandate from Lanvin that they do not want to be presented with women of colour," he wrote. "If this behaviour continues it's gonna be a long cold week in Paris. Please keep sharing your stories with me and I will continue to to share them for you. It seems to be the only way we can force change and give the power back to you models and agents where it rightfully belongs."
A number of black models were also vocal about the all-white catwalks during Paris Fashion Week, and many took to the streets to protest outside of Balenciaga's fall 2017 show, carrying signs that read "Black Models Matter" in French.
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