This article originally appeared on 08/12/16
From a young age, Deddeh Howard was fascinated by fashion and its role in culture. Unfortunately, she was never able to see herself in it.
“Something that has always bothered me is when you see these amazing pictures [was] that you very rarely see a black woman on them,” wrote Howard, who grew up in West Africa but now lives in Los Angeles, on her Secret of DD blog.
“Black girls are almost invisible,” she wrote.
So Howard created “Black Mirror,” a photo series in which she recreates famous photos with herself instead of models like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bundchen and others.
Howard’s partner, Raffael Dickreuter, filmed the series. As the title suggests, it represents a “black mirror” to the world of fashion. The goal of the project is to make people notice the lack of diversity in the world of fashion and provide inspiration to other non-white models.
Shades of Gucci.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Glasses make you wiser.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Original sexy.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Of the models presented on the runways for Fall 2016, 75% were white. There is a great need to increase diversity.
Sometimes this lack of variety can be very annoying. Earlier this year, one fashion show featured models walking to Beyoncé’s “Formation,” a song described by Essence as “a complete and undeniable tribute to Blackness — especially Black girl power.” The problem: the show didn’t feature a single non-white model.
Guess who’s driving motorbikes.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Classy and feminine.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Cycling with expensive accessories.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Pose in underwear.
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Maybe you’re thinking of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”?
All photos by Raffael Dickreuter, used with permission.
Diversity, representation and visibility play a key role in shaping ambition and self-acceptance in the real world.
It’s important to be able to see yourself in the world and it’s important to know that someone who looks like you can succeed.
“The next generation can be inspired and reach for the stars themselves if they believe they can,” Howard wrote on her blog. “For this reason, diversity in ad campaigns is, in my opinion, much more important than you think.”