Leomie Anderson Says She Was Dropped From A Show Because She’s Black

Diversity was a hot button issue during New York Fashion Week, but across the pond in London, there seems to be a different standard — and model Leomie Anderson is speaking out about it. On Saturday, the Victoria's Secret model sounded off in a series of tweets, revealing she was dropped from a fashion show because she’s Black.

“Can't believe I went to a fitting for 8:40am, got put into a line with six white girls, watch their looks get selected then get told... He can't find anything for you, you can go along with a tanned Brazilian model. Once he selected a mixed girl with curly hair the quota.”

Anderson finished her train of thought Monday in an interview with BBC Radio 4. “At this point in my career, I feel like me being silent is me not standing up for other young girls who are coming up in the industry,” she told Woman’s Hour host Jane Garvey. “I remember when I was younger and I wasn’t saying anything, I’d be going down the runway with my face looking gray, I’d be crying backstage because nobody wanted to do my hair or someone said a comment that was really offensive to me and I didn’t say anything.”

This experience, Anderson told Garvey, is not uncommon. “I feel like there have been a lot of situations where Black models have been made to feel like second class citizens during Fashion Week or during their jobs,” she said. Anderson added: “The only what they we are going to move forward within the fashion industry is by having new people, new blood, new ideas, and a fresh perspective,” naming Edward Enninful as a promising new start. “These are things that are very much going to affect the future of fashion and push it in a more diverse, inclusive direction."