London
(ANI):
Supermodel
Naomi
Campbell
has
claimed
that
the
fashion
industry
is
more
racist
than
ever,
while
hitting
out
at
the
absence
of
black
faces
on
the
ramp
and
magazine
covers.
She
said
that
designers
and
magazine
owners
do
not
want
black
girls
to
model
for
them.
"Women
of
colour
are
not
a
trend.
That's
the
bottom
line.
It's
a
pity
that
people
don't
always
appreciate
black
beauty.
In
some
instances,
black
models
are
being
sidelined
by
major
modelling
agencies," The
Daily
Snack
quoted
Campbell,
as
saying.
She
added:
"Fashion
needs
to
go
back
to
the
way
it
used
to
be
when
wonderful
designers
like
Yves
Saint
Laurent,
Gianni
Versace
and
Azzedine
Alaia
just
had
a
great
line-up
of
beautiful
women
-
white,
black,
Chinese,
Hispanic."
The
37-year-old
dusky
model
has
confessed
that
her
supermodel
friends
have
helped
her
career
by
taking
a
stand
against
racism.
"Linda
Evangelista
and
Christy
Turlington
would
go
to
big
designers
and
say,
'If
you
don't
pick
Naomi
to
be
in
your
show,
then
I
don't
want
to
be
in
it'.
The
only
reason
I
got
the
cover
of
French
Vogue
was
because
Yves
Saint
Laurent
called
up
and
told
them
he'd
pull
his
ads
if
they
didn't,"
she
recalled.
The
Streatham-born
star's
statement
comes
on
line
with
her
former
boss,
Carole
White's
confession
that
racism
was
still
rife
in
the
fashion
industry.
Campbell
is
the
head
of
the
Premier
model
agency
and
represented
Campbell
for
17
years.
"A
black
girl
has
to
be
perfect
to
get
work.
The
bookers
are
told,
'Don't
send
any
ethnic
girls'.
I
showed
a
picture
of
a
new
black
girl
to
an
agent
in
Milan,
and
he
actually
recoiled.
He
said,
'We
don't
have
black
girls
in
Milan.
It's
impossible,'"
she
said.