Posted on billboards, train station walls, and played on TV — advertisements for the fashion industry are everywhere.

And they mostly look the same. A group of people, normally women about the same height, with the same slim figure, normally of the same race, all enhanced with photo editing, and below them a slogan which reads something like “A brand for every type of woman.”

Despite slogans about representation, these ads often ring hollow.

One fashion company took notice of the unfulfilled of promises of diversity from the fashion industry and decided to make a change.

Read More: American Eagle’s Denim Hijab Sold Out in Just One Week

SmartGlamour has never shied away from casting a truly diverse group of people to model their products. And, until this year, the brand claims it never emphasized differences among their models.

“We have never highlighted folks’ differences specifically as it’s not in my interest to exploit people’s differences or tokenize them,” founder and designer Mallorie Dunn told Mic. “However, 2017 has turned into a year with a ton of hatred coming out of the shadows and into the light — hatred directed at targeted marginalized groups — and I want those groups to truly know that SmartGlamour is here for them on every level.”

With this mindset, SmartGlamour began the #AllMeansAll, or #FashionForAll, campaign to highlight models who are often turned away from bigger brand fashion companies, even those companies that claim to be inclusive.

“All folks wear clothes. All folks deserve to have access to ethical, affordable, comfortable, fun clothing,” their website reads. “Fashion is fun – and should be for all people. And when we say all, we mean all.”

The most recent installment of the campaign was a photoshoot that starred only models who had disabilities.

Read More: Two Aussie Friends Are Walking Across Southeast Asia to Promote Ethical Fashion

“Yesterday, we produced the following shoot with only disabled models – and guess what?,” their website reads.“It was exactly like every other SG shoot.”

Most of the models who participated in the photoshoot were already working regularly as SmartGlamour models.

The previous installments of the campaign have included photo shoots of models who are transgender or nonbinary, a shoot starring models who are over a size 24, and another photo series highlighting racial diversity. Dunn also has plans for a photoshoot with models over the age of 45.

In spring of 2016, 78.6% of models in fashion advertisements were white. Although this is an improvement from the 84.7% in 2015, there is still a large gap in racial diversity among fashion brands.

Reports also found that of the 422 models in Spring 2016 fashion campaigns, only six were considered “plus-size”. None of these six women were over a size 12.  

“Until we change the other mindset of obsession with thinness, whiteness and ‘health,’ we will never truly be free and accepting of all folks — regardless of their bodies’ appearance or abilities,” Dunn says.

Since its founding, SmartGlamour has tried to change the way people think about fashion, but Dunn knows it takes time to make change.

“When your goal is to truly change and disrupt the fashion industry from the inside out, it can take a bit of extra time for folks to believe you.”

News

Demand Equity

Disabled, Nonbinary, and Older — SmartGlamour Is Showing The Fashion Industry What Diversity Really Looks Like

By Madison Feser