So, if these moves by the lingerie giant really are little more than window dressing, then who has taken up the mantle? What new forces are defining the future of modeling?
Join us in today's Best of OZY for a close-up look at the models creating their own catwalks, read how virtual modeling is an actual thing and dive into the incredible innovations set to upend the fashion world as we know it.
— Based on reporting by Isabelle Lee
future of modeling: the pathbreakers
1 - Halima Aden
The 23-year-old Somali American grabbed headlines by becoming the first model to don a hijab and burkini for the cover of Sports Illustrated . Aden is a genuine trailblazer. She had negotiated a contract that would see her only work with agencies that let her wear the hijab and work only with female stylists. It worked, but only temporarily: Last year, she quit modeling to protest the industry’s exploitative practices, “taking one for the team,” she says, to help others feel more comfortable about speaking up. Industry issues aside, Aden still hopes to represent Somalia in the Miss Universe pageant. While it would be a first for a contestant to compete while wearing a hijab, that doesn’t scare Aden, who has made a career out of breaking down barriers.
2 - Leyna Bloom
When the August 2021 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated dropped, it created history by featuring Leyna Bloom , its first transgender cover star. “The idea of me being the first person of color . . . [and] of trans experience, to be in that magazine, it was truly like the universe coming full circle,” she recently said on The Carlos Watson Show . She’s not just a knockout in the glossies; she’s also tackling the silver screen this year with a role in Port Authority . What is Bloom looking to take on next? Hopefully more acting roles , further redefining beauty and increasing representation for trans youths.
3 - Seema Hari
In a country where fair skin is an obsession among many, this dark-skinned beauty is going down a different road entirely. Seema Hari is confronting colorism in India’s modeling industry with full force as an ambassador for the advocacy campaign Dark Is Beautiful , a social media presence and as a writer . Growing up, Hari faced bullying and harassment for her dark skin tone. But she didn’t let the naysayers dim her light. Instead, she shines as a model, DJ, activist and engineer. Her Instagram is a gold mine of content celebrating dark skin tones while addressing issues such as India’s caste system and transphobia.
4 - Victoria Ripa
The designer of the iconic lingerie brand Srta. Peel discovered Victoria Ripa at a circus in 2014 in Montevideo, Uruguay. But don’t worry, no animals were harmed in the making of her modeling career. She was rocking out at the circus-themed fundraising event with her band, Croupier Funk, when spotted by Srta. Peel founder Loreley Turielle. The day after the event, Ripa had booked her first campaign with the brand. As a size XL, Ripa told OZY that she was at first hesitant to take on modeling as a career because she rarely saw her size or body type represented in South American fashion or advertising. Yet, she has become a celebrity in the world of plus-size modeling.
virtual modeling
1 - Futuristic Fashion
At CES 2021 , the future of fashion events was front and center in discussions between industry leaders, including Moschino Creative Director Jeremy Scott and Balenciaga CEO Cédric Charbit . Under Charbit’s direction, Balenciaga debuted its fall 2021 collection with a video game in which players embarked on their very own fashion adventure. Players walk past avatars of models wearing the collection on a city street and make their way to a secret rave in a forest. The game was an inventive solution to pandemic restrictions that have made in-person runway shows impossible. According to CES panelists and Charbit himself, audience members should now be seen as the focal point, rather than as inactive viewers. Placing audience members in the show and letting them consider how they would wear the couture walking by them is a departure from the fashion elitism synonymous with luxury brands.
2 - Virtual Models
What the heck is a virtual model? Well, they are digital avatars that look a lot like real people, but are actually created on a computer. Avatar models such as Shudu , the world’s “First Digital Supermodel,” Miquela and others have made waves on platforms like Instagram, where their creators have landed lucrative sponsorships and work with designer brands. They are essentially money-making machines for the people behind the screens controlling them. Miquela has 3 million Instagram followers and has worked with brands like Calvin Klein and Prada . She earns her creator $8,500 per sponsored post, despite her inability to live and breathe as real-life models do.
3 - Fashion and Beauty Go Digital
The pandemic has forced brands to put away their runway seating and turn instead to virtual shows to release their collections. But fashion shows weren’t the only events driven online. The Miss Venezuela pageant, which has produced seven Miss Universe winners since 1979, was held virtually last year . Contestants completed a six-month training process to become pageant ready, including interview prep and walking lessons, entirely over Zoom from their homes. Then, each was filmed individually onstage at the television studio. The separate components were assembled by pageant producers to create the final show, marking the first time that the 67-year-old beauty contest has been produced virtually.
1 - Leyna Bloom on 'The Carlos Watson Show'
Meet a rising star of the modeling world, Leyna Bloom. The first transgender Black and Asian model to appear in Sports Illustrated , she’s trailblazing a new path and not letting anything stand in her way. The star of Pose and new film Port Authority joins Carlos to share insights into the rise of Black Filipinas — a pedigree she shares with Saweetie and H.E.R. — and how her parents helped her thrive through her transition. Watch now.
change is coming
1 - Sky-High Fashion
Designer Iris van Herpen sent shock waves through the fashion world when she released her autumn/winter 2020/2021 collection Earthrise last month. Why? Because she sent champion skydiver Domitille Kiger hurling through the air modeling one of her dresses. The result is an utterly stunning demonstration , perhaps a redefinition of modeling itself. But it’s not the first time van Herpen has pushed the fashion envelope. The Dutch designer uses 3D printing , laser cutting and futuristic elements such as artificial fire opals in her designs. Standing at the pinnacle of high-tech couture, if Earthrise is any indication, she isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
2 - Amplifying Their Voices
In her time as a model, Joleen Mitton has experienced firsthand photographers’ desire to lighten her skin tone, as well as offensive comments made in her direction. The modeling industry can be an extremely hostile environment for Indigenous models. That prompted Mitton and photographer Patrick Shannon to establish the first all-Indigenous modeling agency in the world. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Supernaturals represents 15 models who hail from all over Canada, from the Shíshálh Nation to the Cree Nation. The company’s mantra is “Representation is good, but good representation is better.” The idea is that while featuring more Indigenous models is a good start, how those models are treated behind the camera and how they are portrayed are equally as important.
3 - Tech and Fashion
Virtual reality dressing rooms you can use to try on clothes. Artificial intelligence that tells us where fashion trends are heading. Sound crazy? Well, these innovations are less far out than you’d think. Amazon is working on a project using AI algorithms to determine whether a product is stylish or not and to recommend clothing. Companies such as Stitch Fix are looking at AI as an integral part of the fashion life cycle, using it in their design process and inventory management. AI can even allow customers to input preferences and then, based on that data, determine a design for a clothing item, manufacture it and send it in the mail.
4 - Gamers as Models in China
These days, it seems like video gamers can do it all — join a professional sports team , win millions and now even run a modeling hustle on the side. Luxury brands are looking beyond Instagram influencers and focusing on video gamers for their next potential pool of brand ambassadors because of gaming’s rising popularity. At the 2019 League of Legends World Championship in Europe, the winning team from China was presented with a trunk and some custom goodies from Louis Vuitton. The team, FunPlus Phoenix, instantly became ambassadors for the brand.
