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Women Protest At NYFW Over Essence' New Fashion Director

Filed Under: Nina Garcia Spread 'Em Fashion Week

Back in July we told you about the controversy that erupted over Essence magazine hiring a new fashion director Ellianna Placas, who is white.

The magazine's editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray quickly responded to the public outcry with a statement defending her new hire and since then it's been relatively quiet — that is until last week.

On the opening day of New York Fashion week a group of black women staged a protest over Essence's hiring of a white fashion director and the lack of black fashion directors at any mainstream fashion publications.

Dressed in all black, the women carried signs that read the names of Essence' fashion directors from the past 40 years. They didn't speak one word as they made their way from Essence' Manhattan headquarters to Lincoln Center.

The event producer, Quan Lateef explains: "We chose to make this a silent demonstration because we were not angry or bitter. We didn’t need to shout or holler. We’re just over it! Whether the powers that be heard it or not, our silence spoke volumes."

Protester Bayyina Black says the problem isn't just with Essence, it's the industry as a whole, adding "On a larger scale, in the year 2010 there is only one woman of color, Nina Garcia, who is a fashion director in the entire fashion industry."

She makes a good point.

Thoughts???

[Image courtesy of Clutch Magazine.]

Tags: angela burt-murray, black fashion director, ellianna placas, essence magazine, fashion in action, new york fashion week, protest