Model Blasts ‘Racist’ Accessories In New York Fashion Show
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An African American model has spoken out against ‘racist’ accessories that she was instructed to wear during a NYFW show.
The accessories included ‘monkey ears’ and large synthetic lips that came from a sex doll for an exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) runway show.
Amy Lefevre, 25, has been a model for four years, she recently spoke with The New York Post about her ordeal. Lefevre was working for a showcase that presented the work of 10 alumni students from the school’s inaugural Master of Fine Arts class in Fashion Design.
“I stood there almost ready to break down telling the staff that I felt incredibly uncomfortable with having to wear these pieces and that they were clearly racist,” Lefevre said.
“I was told that it was fine to feel uncomfortable for only 45 seconds.”
Despite her feelings, she did the show but refused to wear the accessories. She abruptly left when she was done. Many fellow models continued to d the show wearing the accessories.
“I was literally shaking. I could not control my emotions. My whole body was shaking. I have never felt like that in my life,” she added. “People of color are struggling too much in 2020 for the promoters not to have vetted and cleared accessories for the shows.”
The designs were made by Junkai Huang, an FIT graduate who is from China and aimed to highlight the “ugly features of the body.” Apparently, Huang was ignorant as to why his designs were offensive, especially to Black people.
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