1. Racial Underrepresentation on Runways

• Black models remain significantly underrepresented compared to white models. For example, one analysis of major fashion weeks found that models of color (including Black models) made up only about 20–32% of runway castings, while white models still dominated runways in many shows.

2. Low Representation in Major Campaigns

• Still, over 50% of major fashion campaigns feature only white models, showing how pervasive white dominance remains in visual media.

3. Industry Demographics

• Across the fashion modeling world, Black or African American models constitute only about 13.4% of the total modeling workforce — a small share compared to white models at 66%.

4. Leadership & Decision-Making Power

• Leadership in fashion remains non-diverse: about 15% of leadership roles in the fashion industry are held by women of color and a similar small share by executives from minority backgrounds. This lack of power at the top directly affects hiring, casting, and creative direction.

5. Tokenism vs. Real Inclusion

• Progress in representation can mask ongoing issues: data shows a significant increase in diversity on certain runways but continued gaps in who gets high-profile roles and consistent work.

6. Consumer Perception vs. Industry Reality

• Even though a majority of consumers (about 78%) feel fashion advertising does not represent them, the industry’s visual output still lags behind audience diversity.

7. Broader DEI Gaps

• Many brands still don’t track diversity metrics or employ inclusion strategies earnestly — with only roughly 48% of fashion brands actively tracking DEI goals and 70% having no diverse representation in leadership.

8. Ongoing Bias and Inequality Indicators

While specific fashion pay gap numbers for Black models aren’t widely published by fashion houses, third-party modeling industry surveys suggest Black models can earn approximately 25% less per assignment compared to white models — underscoring economic disparities.