Trans model Talulah-Eve was the only transgender model to walk the runway at London Fashion Week last month – and she’s not happy about it.
The 23-year-old, who earned fame as a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model, feels ‘fortunate’ to have been cast in Giles Deacon’s show, but she’s disappointed that there was no one else like her walking all week.
In a powerful open letter published by Teen Vogue, Talulah-Eve calls on the fashion industry to be more diverse and inclusive, not just relying on ‘tokenism’ to get by.
Strike a pose: Talulah-Eve was the only model to walk on the runway at London Fashion Week
Asking the tough questions: She said: ‘I was fortunate enough to walk this season but why was I the only transgender model to walk at all this season’
Talulah-Eve came out as trans in 2006, and since transitioning has become an advocate for trans rights as well as a successful model.
She has won Miss Transgender Birmingham, was the first ever transgender woman to be a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model, and was the only trans model to walk in London Fashion Week this year.
But as her accomplishments keep growing, so does the need for a more diverse fashion industry. Writing for Vogue, she called on designers to be more inclusive and open-minded when casting models for their runway shows.
She said: ‘I was fortunate enough to walk for Giles Deacon this season. But why was I the only transgender model to walk at all this season at London Fashion Week?’
While she was in fact the only trans model in London, the trans community was slightly more widely represented at New York Fashion Week.
Avie Acosta walked at Alexander Wang, 16-year-old Ariel Nicholson Murtagh walked at Calvin Klein, and Andreja Pejic walked at Prabal Gurung.
All smiles: Since coming out in 2006 as transgender, she has been only trans contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model
A champion for diversity: The model said that in order for their to be a change in the industry, diversity needs to become the norm
Talulah-Eve continued to express her disappointment toward the fashion industry when it comes to only casting a single plus-size or black model and calling it diversity.
‘Our demand for change in the fashion industry is answered with the rare designer or brand that features a black model, a plus-size model, or even less likely, a transgender model, every now and then,’ Talulah-Eve said.
‘The answer to change isn’t tokenism: casting one model from a marginalized group, or doing a one-off show that highlights a marginalized group. It’s by regularly championing diversity, by making it the norm.’
That’s not to say that she doesn’t have hope that the industry will evolve to become more welcoming of different types of people.
Model behavior: Ariel Nicholson Murtagh (left) and Andreja Pejic (right) walk the runway during New York Fashion Week
Pretty in pink: The model rocked pink locks at a fashion show in London where she walked for Giles Deacon
After all, just this year, Ghana-born Edward Enninful was appointed editor-in-chief of British Vogue. And Front Magazine, a men’s magazine, has unveiled its first ever poll celebrating the ‘sexist transgender women in the world’ – ranking Talulah-Eve number one.
Also on the list were Australian catwalk queen Andreja Pejić, Lea T, and Isis King.
Rihanna also recently dropped her new make-up line, Fenty Beauty, which people of all of all backgrounds were buzzing about and desperate to try.
Talulah-Eve said that this proves that the fashion industry is becoming more diverse and that people are excited to see it happen. But there is still a ways to go in accepting different kinds of people as normal and not ‘trendy’.
‘A person’s identity – whether they identify as black, transgender, androgynous, or plus-size – should not be regarded as a trend,’ Talulah-Eve said.
Catwalk queen: Other trans models, like Andreja Pejić (pictured at the Jean-Paul Gaultier show in 2011) were not in London this season
Gliding down the runway: Model Lea T walked for Teca by Helo Rocha during Sao Paulo Fashion Week April 2015 but was also left out of London Fashion Week
‘Inclusion doesn’t mean a token appearance on the runway. If brands truly espouse diversity, then they should put diversity into practice behind-the-scenes, around the scenes and on the scene all the time – for every season and under every spotlight.’
She continued to proclaim the need for diversity to be the norm rather than ‘shocking’.
‘There shouldn’t be a shock factor every time a diverse model is cast – it needs to be the norm,’ she said.
With so much power in the hands of fashion designers, Talulah-Eve thinks they have the ability to ‘enforce change and embrace the beauty of diversity’.
She said that the fashion industry often forecasts what is to come – and instead of simply forecasting fashion trends, they should forecast the type of society people live in.