The modelling industry is renowned for its controversial reputation: the rise (or rejection as it may well be) of plus-sized models brings an ongoing debate of what exactly a healthy model looks like, and the distinct lack of diversity within the industry. The latter is something that really caught my attention after reading that on 2015 New York, London, Paris and Milan runways, 77.6% of the female models were white. This statistic is fairly shocking, but sadly not too surprising. Flicking through magazines it is evident that white women dominate the majority of the pages.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to chat with Kiran Kandola, a recent Law graduate and British Indian model, about her experience working within this industry.
Kiran, who is represented by Storm London, one of Britain’s leading agencies, was scouted at the age of 18 whilst at a music festival: “I went into the agency to see if they wanted to represent me. They did want me to join, but only if I deferred from uni[versity] which I didn’t want to do. The following year I did a walk-in to a different agency who were keen to represent me even though I was still studying, and have been with them since.”
Kiran in Stylist Magazine (Photographer: Shannon Peter)
Firstly, I ask Kiran if she thinks that being of Indian ethnic origin made it harder for her to secure jobs, and she doesn’t dispute the obvious struggle that is faced by models of different ethnicities: “I think it is a big problem during fashion week as the line-up tends to be 85% white women”. Despite this, she says that she finds that her ethnicity definitely puts her in the minority but this can definitely work to her advantage, “because there are not as many Indian girls in the industry, when they [clients] do want to use one there isn’t much choice but me and a few others”.
However, diversity within the industry does appear to be on the rise: Carole White, the founder of Premier Model Management, London,who is responsible for the launch of Naomi Campbell’s career, agrees “I do think the industry is embracing different races much more and you can see sizes changing too”.
Kiran also agrees that the industry is beginning to break down the barriers that, at one time, excluded black and ethnic minorities. However, she tells me that whilst “more clients are striving to have a more diverse cast… this is true in London, but may not be the case in other cities”. Kiran makes an extremely interesting observation here and one which has been confirmed following 2015’s runway seasons which named New York as the diversity frontrunner followed by London, Paris and Milan respectively.
Kiran for British brand, Burberry
I was particularly interested in Kiran’s experience being a British Indian: she believes that her identity does indeed strengthen her appeal and marketability within the industry, especially due to the fact that she is filling “a gap in the market because of the lack of Indian models”. Kiran also acknowledges that “being a British Indian highlights how Britain is diverse, and the modelling industry must be representative of that”.
So, what exactly does the future hold for the industry, regarding its acceptance of ethnic minorities (and, in general, increasing its level of diversity). Kiran seems hopeful and promisingly recognizes that she believes that the industry “can only become more diverse”, as to do otherwise would be a complete regression.
After all, beauty is beauty and in this day and age diversity should not just be an idealistic quest, but instead a vivid reality.
Kiran says that this shoot for Wonderland Magazine was one of her favourites: “it was really different and creative” (Photographer: Joyce Ng)
Follow Kiran on Instagram: @kirankandola1
Find her online portfolio here: http://www.stormmanagement.com/models/kiran-kandola/
All images are the model’s own.
Information obtained from:
CNN Style – http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/09/fashion/the-model-market/