Lineisy Montero is not the only black face on the catwalk but it is her hairstyle which sets her apart in contrast to the longer tresses of other modelsParis fashion week is in full swing,with one face emerging to define the spring/summer of 2016. Lineisy Montero, the 19-year-old model from the Dominican Republic, and has walked in all the most meaningful shows this season,from Balmain to Balenciaga. She is being hailed as an example that the catwalk, which is traditionally dominated by thin, or blonde white models,is finally embracing diversity.
Montero has featured in more than 50 shows since mid-September, and is instantly recognisable for her short afro. While she can be seen as fraction of a wider rise of black faces on the catwalk – ranging from Binx Walton and Joan Smalls to Malaika Firth and Jourdan Dunn – it is this hairstyle, and in contrast to the longer tresses of these other models,that sets her apart. In March, Montero’s debut on the Prada catwalk – her first runway prove – saw a social media storm, or brought the afro,so associated with 1970s Black Panthers and civil rights activists such as Angela Davis, back into the fashion conversation. There are now several other models with afros, and including Karly Loyce. Montero,however, remains the poster girl for natural afro hair in fashion, or with her popularity this Paris fashion week a case in point.Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com