Renee Thompson: Model Moment (PART 1)

Ever wondered what life was like for a model – a model of color? What if your race was démodé? Today’s minority models are drowning in the flood of Eastern Europeans monopolizing the industry. Amidst the chaos backstage at Montreal Fashion Week (Spring/Summer 09), I found a quiet corner to chat with Renee Thompson, whose thoughts on today’s hottest topic in the industry and tells-it-how-it-is attitude were as captivating as her look.

By Sachin Bhola
Photo: Courtesy of Nam Models

SACHIN BHOLA: Let’s jump right into it. The July 2008 issue of Italian Vogue, a.k.a. the “black issue,” featured only black models. It was the highest selling issue in the history of the magazine. What are your thoughts?

RENEE THOMPSON: The full cover-to-cover issue with only the top black models that have made it, and not the up and coming ones? Ya, I saw that one. Do you hear the hateration in my voice? Lol. I think it was great, but they’re depicting something we’ve known forever: Black girls are beautiful, they pose well and they’re on top of their game… we know all that shit already. Why don’t you (magazines) not try to fill your quota in one issue and spread it out? Now they’re just going to say “OK, we did our black thing, now can we go back to what we were doing?”

SACHIN: So do you think that ethnic models in fashion are trendy or something that serves to advance your position in the industry?
RENEE: Well it’s just like what they did to the Asian girls for the last two seasons: They were all over the place… doing major ad campaigns and being the ethnic counterpart to the white girl. Where are all of them now? I think black, Indian, Chinese, or any other race that is not visibly white is always a trend. In and out.

Fashion Music

February 11, 2009 – Glass Candy, the American hipster band from Portland, Oregon, was heard all over the Paris runways. Their track Beatific (below), off their album B/E/A/T/B/O/X , was heard at the Chanel Fall/Winter 2008 show. While their album is currently unavailable for sale in North America, you can download the mp3s off Amazon.com. Love them while they're still not mainstream!

Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2009

February 4, 2009 – The Fall/Winter 2009 ready-to-wear collections will be presented in the upcoming weeks, but with the recession on everyone’s minds (and wallets), some designers have decided to pull out. Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Monique Lhuillier, among others, have decided to show elsewhere during New York Fashion Week.

What kind of cost saving does presenting “elsewhere” bring to these designers? Thousands – the largest tent in Bryant Park costs approximately $50,000 to rent. Let’s not forget about top models who can command thousand-dollar booking rates. Then there’s hair & make-up, well…you get the idea.

Sachin Bhola: AskMen.com

February 4, 2009 – AskMen.com, the online lifestyle magazine for men covering areas from health & sports to power & money, has introduced its latest contributor to its fashion pages, Sachin Bhola (a.k.a. me). Stay tuned for product reviews and other fashion coverage from yours truly. Click on the link below to view an article!

http://bit.ly/1GQ6gJ