How Shaw Bernard is helping to diversify the fashion industry with STRUT Models

Trinidad and Tobago native, Shaw Bernard, is a former mannequin with 20 years within the style business. Now she is the founding father of STRUT Fashions who’s working onerous to advocate for range and inclusion. Bernard strives to be sure that the fashions can keep away from among the pitfalls she confronted throughout her profession.

Bernard opened up about previous experiences as a mannequin, how the business has advanced, and the place it’s headed.

How have you ever seen the modeling business evolve over time?

Nicely, there’s undoubtedly been evolution, for certain. Definitely, we haven’t reached the head however after I was modeling or after I began, there undoubtedly weren’t a variety of Black fashions. It actually was on the time when the Black mannequin was basically erased from the catwalk. If individuals are inclined to study extra, I believe watching the documentary by Marcellus, on the Black supermodels on Vogue, is sort of a fabulous six-part collection that basically highlights that transition from the heyday of the Black mannequin to it going darkish, and there have been no Black fashions being represented. Then it comes again to being simply type of like one after the other and now we’re on this period of range. However clearly, our foremost mission is to focus on range and inclusivity and it’s not even simply on the runway. I believe the extra highly effective dialog that should occur is organizational. What occurs inside an company and who’re the individuals working it? It’s cool, cute, and good to place Black faces on the runway or on a marketing campaign advert simply to make use of it as a advertising ploy however when you consider the individuals which are instrumental in making these selections, it does additionally should be those that appear like us.

What makes Strut Fashions stand out from different modeling companies?

I believe it simply actually begins with the truth that I’m the proprietor. Simply setting the tone and staying agency all through my journey, particularly since we transitioned two years in the past into the full-service reserving area, there have been many challenges. I’ve to at all times return and bear in mind why I began and why I’m doing this as a result of there’s strain. I wouldn’t even say temptation, I believe the higher phrase is de facto strain. There’s a variety of strain to be preferred and the comparisons of properly, “this company is doing that or that company is doing one other,” and I’m like, “STRUT Fashions may be very completely different.” We will’t function the identical method different companies do. So, even having conversations like this, historically and sometimes, you wouldn’t interview the proprietor of an company. Lots of people don’t even know who they’re and the way they’re funded. However STRUT Fashions is 100%, Black-owned and feminine; we function so in a different way. Plenty of it stems from my values, my morals, and the issues that I skilled as a mannequin.