11 Models We’d Love to See Add Diversity to the New York Fashion Week Runways
Mina Mahmood
Mahmood may not be a straight-size model, but the 20-year-old realizes that her plus-size figure is still more accepted than other curvy bodies. “The average size of American women is a 14, which is considered plus-size in fashion, so it’s a little crazy to us,” Mahmood told Refinery 29. “I fit into mediums, but I’m automatically labeled as a plus-size girl without anyone ever asking me about my measurements or actual size. It takes up space that real plus-size women should have.” (Photo: Instagram/@bae.doe)
Willow Smith
Willow Smith has plenty of practice serving face for high fashion brands. She was featured as part of Marc Jacobs’ fall 2015 campaign, and is a brand ambassador for Chanel. The 15-year-old has appeared in the French luxury label’s fall/winter 2016 eyewear campaign ? we’d love to see her and her head full of locks grace the runways this season. (Photo: Instagram/@gweelos)
Yasmin Moon
Take one look through this beauty’s Instagram page and it’s easy to see why we’re dying to see her stomp the runway this NYFW. Moon is curvy and isn’t afraid to show off her gorgeous figure. (Photo: Instagram/@yasminmoonmoon)
Young Thug
By now we know that Young Thug has no problem testing gender norms when he gets dressed, so it would be cool to see what quirky street vibes he would bring to the NYFW runways. (Photo: Getty Images)
Ashley Graham
We all know that Ashley Graham looks phenomenal in lingerie, but we would also love to see her hit the NYFW runway fully clothed, as opposed to what she wore for her Addition Elle runway show last September. (Photo: Getty Images)
Avie Acosta
Fashion loves a good gender-bending model, and Avie Acosta is one for the ages. The non-binary beauty started her transition from male to female but now happily lives in a world where she can be whoever she wants. She is the only trans model on the Wilhelmina men’s board. “I really just identify as a person. I mean, yeah, at the end of the day I’m a girl, but any label is a restriction … since moving I’ve given myself space to exist, to breathe, and to just be me,” she told Out. (Photo: Instagram/avie.acosta)
Hari Nef
Hari Nef has made quite a splash, not only in the fashion world, but also in the acting world. Nef has graced the Gucci runway, the pages of American Vogue, and your TV screens as Gittel in Transparent. “In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to change my body,” she told ELLE UK. “I wouldn’t have to do all this stuff. I wouldn’t have to be pretty, or ‘feminine’ and people would respect that.” (Photo: Instagram/@harinef)
Barbie Ferreira
Early this year, Barbie Ferreira starred in one of American Eagle’s unretouched Aerie lingerie campaigns. Ferreira is an inspiration to young girls whose body type is almost non-existent in fashion advertising. “I was so insecure and I had no one to look up to who could make me feel like all my dreams are valid,” she told Time. “I know so many gorgeous women who even inspired me to model to break this boundary, and it makes me feel like girls out there can dream about something without having to think about the things that they can't change.” (Photo: Instagram/@barbienox)
Dounia Tazi
Given the fashion world’s obsession with models armed with a hefty amount of Instagram followers, Dounia Tazi is another Instagirl we think belongs on the NYFW runways. She, along with pal Mina Mahmood, is outspoken about the lack of diversity in several of its forms. Tazi is also painfully aware of the fact that her type of “plus-size” body is deemed more acceptable to the mainstream. “Those women are looking at us and thinking, ‘Wow, they’re small. I would never consider myself a plus-size model because of them,'” She told Refinery 29. “We need bigger women as the faces of what being plus-size really is. We may be bigger than women you’re used to seeing, but we still have access to clothing and spaces that authentically plus-size women don’t have access to.” (Photo: Instagram/@dounia.t)
Jaden Smith
Jaden Smith is not one to shy away from rocking women’s clothes, as he showed in Louis Vuitton’s spring 2016 campaign. So we would love to see him bring some of that swagger to the catwalk. (Photo: Instagram/@Christianingrey)
Jillian Mercado
Jillian Mercado already has the Beyoncé seal of approval, as the pop singer tapped Mercado to model her “Formation” tour merch on her website. Mercado, who was diagnosed with spastic muscular dystrophy as a teen, didn’t think a modeling career was possible. But now that she’s signed with IMG, she clearly knows that’s not the case. "You shouldn't be ashamed of your own body," she told the Washington Post. "I hope in the years that I'm alive that there will be a Victoria's Secret model who has a disability, because that's considered mainstream sexy." (Photo: Instagram/@jilly_peppa)
New York Fashion Week kicks off on Sept. 7, and every season we hope to see more diversity than previous ones. Though the fashion industry is beginning to make strides when it comes to inclusion on the runways, there is always room for improvement. There are so many talented models of various shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, and abilities that could slay a runway and stand out from the white, thin, and cisgender women we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Here, 11 models who we believe could definitely spice up the NYFW Spring/Summer 2017 shows.
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