Maria Borges image courtesy of CNN
Fashion still has a long way to go in terms of racial diversity, but over the past decade, upwards strides have been accomplished. Edward Enninful became the first Black man to serve as editor-in-chief of British Vogue. Law Roach is revered as one of the top celebrity stylists in the fashion industry. Several Black designers have won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award, providing financial resources and mentorship for young U.S.-based fashion designers.
While many of these roles are behind the scenes, one place where Black fashion industry professionals are front and center in visible diversity is modeling. As the faces of campaigns and on the runways, Black models are the first to catch the general public’s eye when the industry’s more diverse turn is evident.
While more strides are needed in terms of diversity among models, progress has certainly been made. Currently, it is rare for a major runway show to only have one Black model on the catwalk (in this day and age, it would also be a public relations nightmare). Despite the increase in Black models booking runway and campaign jobs, those pushing for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry have recently begun to notice that while there are more Black models, African models are seemingly taking precedence, while foundational Black American models are still not seeing the same level of acclaim.
A quick look at models.com‘s Top 50 models for both men and women give evidence that the majority of the Black models on the list, ranging from South Sudanese Achol Ayor to Nigerian Awwal Adeoti, are either African or first-generation African. That said, it appears that if you want to be at the top of the modeling industry as a Black model, one of the best things you can do is be born outside of the US.
Battle of Versailles image courtesy of cfda.org
This was not always the case for black models. The legendary Battle of Versailles, where five Parisian designers, including Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Marc Bohan for Christian Dior, and Hubert de Givenchy, were pitted against five American designers, including Bill Blass, Halston, Anne Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and Stephen Burrows, to create sportswear, demonstrated this. The Americans ultimately came out on top, and it was particularly noticeable that they used ten Black models, including some of the greatest Black American models of the day, such as Pat Cleveland, Alva Chin, Norma Jean Darden, Billie Blair, and Bethann Hardison.
Veronica Webb image courtesy of iconicfocus.com
In the ’90s, Black American model Veronica Webb broke a glass ceiling when she signed an exclusive contract with Revlon, becoming the first Black model to do so with a major cosmetics company. During the ’90s, media personality and “America’s Next Top Model” founder and host Tyra Banks also made a name for herself as one of the most in-demand models of the decade, from walking the runways of Paris fashion shows to appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated‘s Swimsuit Issue.
Karen Alexnder image courtesy of fashionsizzle.com
It was no easy feat for Black models to achieve the greatest and market saturation that Black models of the 1980s and 90s, despite how many glass ceilings that were broken in the latter half of the 20th century. Karen Alexander, one of the top Black American models of the ’90s, openly discussed how she would often hear that certain brands just weren’t using any Black models at all. She once said in an interview that she didn’t have the same opportunities as her white counterparts, such as supermodels Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington.
Victoria Fawole and Yar Aguer images courtesy of H&M and Valentino
Even the major modeling agencies seem more interested in signing African models than Black American models. Yar Aguer, another South Sudanese model, is on models.com‘s Top 50 Women’s Models of 2026. She is currently signed with Next in New York City, one of the top modeling agencies known for its models ripping the runways of Paris and Milan. Aguer has recently walked the runway for Valentino and Victoria Beckham. Lagos-born Victoria Fawole, also among models.com‘s Top 50 Models of 2026, is signed with The Industry in New York City, another prominent modeling agency. Fawole has starred in campaigns for H&M and Stella McCartney’s brand collaboration, as well as Jil Sander’s Midnight Sun fragrance campaign.
Sameul Elie and Gideon Aneyi images courtesy of Simone Rocha and Tom Ford
On the men’s side of things, models like Lagos-born Gideon Aneyi and Ivorian Samuel Elie are also making waves among African male models. Elie has shot lookbooks for Tom Ford and Saint Laurent, while Aneyi recently walked for Fendi’s resort show and starred in Prada’s 2025 holiday beauty campaign. Elie is signed with Soul Artist Management in New York, one of the top male modeling agencies, while Aneyi is signed with Society in New York City.
Alton Mason image courtesy of Gucci
On the bright side of diversity in fashion, Alton Mason remains one of the highest-paid male models in the world, but it is worth noting that he is of Jamaican, Ghanaian, and Haitian heritage. At 56 years old, Naomi Campbell remains one of the most in-demand supermodels in the world, and she is of Jamaican and Chinese ancestry. Tyson Beckford, often described as the first black male supermodel, is of Jamaican and Chinese descent. In terms of the Black diaspora, following African models, Caribbean models are the next most in demand.
Naomi Campbell image courtesy of Burberry
Although African and Caribbean models continue to claim their spots among the most in-demand models, it’s clear that in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion, fashion has a long way to go in increasing representation for Black American models. At present, there are no future Tyra Banks or Veronica Webbs on the horizon. For fashion to move forward in a more diverse direction, it will require greater representation of the entire Black diaspora.
—Kristopher Fraser
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