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Black in fashion: have we turned the page?

Jennifer G. Robinson meets Chandan Mahal, Head of Audience Development, who was part of organising The Women’s Library debate, ‘Black in fashion: have we turned the page?’ The Women's Library in collaboration with Precious
Chandan has extensive experience in collating histories.

Chandan Mahal: I’ve been at The Women’s Library for a year, but I worked at the Museum of London for ten years. My background is in fashion and textiles. I’ve been involved in doing fashion education projects and work with exhibitions and galleries like the V&A. My work has included a lot of community projects to bring in different audiences and represent different audiences within our collections.

My interest has always been the African and Asian experience and history. In terms of the Library it’s about how we can represent women’s history more. Again the historical collections we have don’t necessarily have a lot of material related to women that were involved in other parts of the community. For instance there is one project at the moment that looks at the women’s liberation movement. We’re hoping to develop that to look at the black women’s movement and Asian women’s movement because they are not as well documented as the British white women’s movement.

Precious: Is The Women’s Library not jumping onto a juggernaut of a band-wagon? Why are you hosting such an event?

CM: It’s a discussion; the idea is to have a debate. Individual panellists have been invited to have an interaction with an audience to talk about some of the issues around how black models are represented in the media, particularly mainstream media. It has been triggered by Italian Vogue but it’s a debate that’s been going on for a long time, so it’s nothing new. It just happened that that Vogue edition came out whilst we were planning the exhibition.

P: Chandan too, was witness to the madness of trying to purchase a copy of Italian Vogue and hints at the implicit publicity stirring the issue which only served to whip up a frenzy; almost a reverse psychology on us all.

 

CM: I’m sure you like me and many other people got a text or e-mail saying “…please go out and buy Vogue; they’re saying it’s not going to sell and it’s going to be their least selling issue…” In a way I think that was all part of the hype - not that I knew that at the time. I really wish we’d bought more copies. Now it’s become an almost precious magazine, we’re not even allowed to have a look at the only copy we’ve got because we’re worried that it might get stolen or damaged!

P: With the sell-out that the edition was, the well-worn ‘reason’ bandied about by editors and publishers of mainstream magazines don’t seem to wash; the idea that not having a Caucasian face fronting magazine covers spells disaster for sales-figures. The Vogue ‘black issue’ demonstrated a ravenous hunger for images of variety, the type of which is reflected in our daily lives. It beckons a core, more sophisticated mainstream reader who is ready for a more holistic vision of what is beautiful and/or fashionable.

CM: Why is something like this a big issue still? There’s just no rationale behind it; there’s obviously a huge market for it. So all the kinds of myths that you have around (black issue/cover magazines), that it’s not going to sell enough, or their core, white readers would be put off just doesn’t really work. Although there have been various quotes from the likes of Alexandra Shulman, (British Vogue editor) saying there is now a representative representation of the population, there’s only two or three names that stick in your mind. We are more than ready for it and consumers are ready to enjoy those images as much as they enjoy any other. I don’t think that should be a factor which prevents magazines doing that. Whether the magazines still see that I don’t know. That is a key question.

P: Was it easy to get the industry to participate in the Women’s Library event?

 

CM: Whilst organising the debate it’s been really hard to get mainstream editors to come – it’s hard to get mainstream editors to come to any event, but this one in particular. One or two only hesitantly agreed. They don’t feel comfortable in (such a) debate one saying that she didn’t feel that she was the best person to represent mainstream magazines, which is a bit of a cop-out really.

P: Vogue is a fashion magazine; but with fashion would you not say that it trickles down into other areas; so it trickles into film, it trickles into music and television. Many of us are consumers of all of those things; doesn’t that put fashion and this whole debate at an important level?

CM: Exactly, in that whole way about how you’re represented in the media trickles down to people like yourself and the wider debate about younger people and the kind of influence that has. You can talk a lot about the influence that models have on young people. You may not look like them but there is a lot of research to suggest that you might aspire to have certain things they have.

P: But the way in which we see ourselves, is that really the responsibility of fashion editors of magazines?

CM: Well probably not really, but at the end of the day that’s what they’re trying to sell; ideas of beauty, ideas of great lifestyle, what life could be like if you look like this. Totally unrealistic!

P: As far as the ‘black issue’ of Vogue is concerned, things seem to have come to a full-stop. Do you think there could be others i.e. a British or an American Vogue which featured all black models or would that be patronising?

CM: I think it would look rather odd now, because even though it was Italian Vogue, all those models as international models are featured in magazines, so personally I think (there could be) another one, but it would have to be with a different focus.

P: Indicating where a focus might lead Chandan emphasises that the current debate is and is often only about the representation of models of African and Caribbean descent. It also returns us to the argument over variety, or to use a clichéd word within the ‘race’ language…diversity.

CM: There are a whole load of other ethnicities that aren’t represented, like Asian models, or middle-eastern models, why are we not having a debate about that?!

P: As with so many of these types of discussions and debates, they seem to fizzle out, with not much action evolving from them. How is The Women’s Library event going to be any different; what would you like to come out of the event?

CM: Whether it could happen here. Is there a necessity for an all black British Vogue? Is it that mainstream magazines have to be more accountable? There is also the issue of power – is it the editors who have that kind of control and decision making about who features in these magazines? Also have we moved on? Maybe we’re making a fuss about nothing. Some would argue that in the ‘70s and ‘80s a lot of black models were in magazines. A lot of designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy used a lot of black models and we didn’t think much about it because it was common, but then it sort of disappeared. Also in the images of the ‘70s and ‘80s there is the issue about how the black models were used in shoots to suggest exoticism and an ‘ethnic’ feel. I think they have moved on a little but in some ways it comes back to that. With recent years the waif-like, anorexic look has become fashionable, black models aren’t necessarily going to feature in that.

P: Do you think that we need a black press or an Asian press? Do we need award ceremonies that honour black actors, musicians, authors etc.?

CM: I think we do to be honest… Often when they (issues) are featured in mainstream magazines they are featured in a different way. The mainstream magazines will come at it from a different angle (which shows) they don’t really know. Things like arranged marriages seen in a mainstream magazine or newspaper will have a certain focus on what it’s trying to say and it will always comes across as being some kind of weird barbaric thing that’s going on within that community. But in some Asian magazines it comes from a perspective that is a bit more realistic. It’s not a ‘victim’ kind of approach. But it comes back to that whole thing about power, decision making and attitude.

P: Can we really be critical of mainstream magazines wanting to maintain healthy financial bottom-lines. Numerous magazines launch then fold within months because of budgetary constraints. Considering the harsh financial realities of the publishing industry why should magazines break a formula which seems to work?

CM: I think that is an issue. I can’t speak about what the solution is. Some of the Asian magazines have folded quite quickly. Editors seem to change every few months so there’s not been much consistency. Even when it’s been successful they haven’t been able to maintain (the success). To me there is a need for them, but then they are not always supported by the advertisers and to be fair the communities don’t always buy them. It’s a two way thing where you have to build up your loyalties with your readers, but making sure you are responding to what their interests and needs are.

P: Some of the most successful magazines demonstrate longevity through consistent editorial direction which helps to give magazines identity audiences could latch on to. Cases in point are Vogue’s Anna Wintour. She is the magazine and what she embodies filters down to Vogue’s content. Dylan Jones as editor of GQ exudes a certain je ne se qua which splatters some kudos within its pages. Unfortunately, a number of black magazines have changed their editors more times than their cover-lines leaving the publication afloat – only just, but rudderless. Hankering after mainstream templates which even core audiences are tiring of.

 

CM: That is one of the weaknesses and why they don’t probably last very long, or if they do, they are not consistent (in content). But I don’t know if the answer is going mainstream.
I hope it is an event that will attract interest. It is a new kind of event for us, even though it does fit in with the Library. Not getting mainstream editors is a difficult aspect of it because the debate could be one-sided. What is interesting (is) questioning the future of the Italian Vogue issue; was it just a (gimmick)? Why do it if it’s not something that is going to be taken seriously? It’s almost like someone giving you a taster and saying you’ve had it then…but you can’t have it again!

 

 

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www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary

 

 

 

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