The names you need to remember so you can follow their faces – you’ll be seeing more and more of these beautiful ladies around: Lupita N’Yongo, Zoe Saldana and Joan Smalls!
Year after year, the fashion industry (and any entertainment industry) is struggling with ethnicity. How hard it is to have a diverse representation of reality on the small screen, in social media and any other conventional field is no secret. Just days ago, Vogue UK wrapped up the 2014 edition of their ‘Vogue Festival’ where Naomi Campbell and Vogue Italia’s editor in chief Franca Sozzani made yet another call for diversity in fashion. So many efforts, so many people ask for diversity and yet, in 2014 we only have 3 black beauties fronting fashion/beauty campaigns!
Lupita Nyong’o
She was announced as the newest member of the Lancome family with a first portrait photographed by Alex Lubomirski. The sudden rise to fame of the young Mexican-born Kenyan, sweeping almost every industry award for her performance in 12 Years a Slave seems to have wonderful collateral effects, as she’s now one of the few black women in the cosmetics advertising industry. A tough challenge for many, yet another easy task for Lupita, I’m certain!
Lupita Nyong’O’s natural beauty shines through for Lancome, as photographed by Alex Lubomirski
What you may not know about young, talented, beautiful Lupita, is that in 2009 she wrote, produced and directed a documentary about albinism. Her work with Lancome falls spot on Lupita’s beliefs that beauty is more than skin-deep.
Before being announced as the newest Lancome ambassador, she starred in the Miu Miu Spring Summer 2014 ad campaign as well. Three more young actresses were cast alongside Lupita N’Yongo in Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu campaign: Elle Fanning, Bella Heathcote and Elizabeth Olsen. Photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the young ladies look bright and happy in very colorful outfits and equally striking decors.
Miu Miu Spring Summer 2014 Ad Campaign is represented by talented young actresses such as Lupita Nyong’O
See also: Miu Miu’s fashion films carry more than just the season’s fashion message!
The advertising vision is just as strong as each and every one of the entertainers chose to represent for this season’s collection – you can see more images at the end of this story. What’s Lupita doing lately in fashion? She’s been busy covering Marie Claire May 2014, Cosas Magazine March 2014 (Peru), YoDona Magazine March 2014 (Spain).
Lupita Nyong’O is gorgeous in pink for Marie Claire May 2014
Lupita’s beauty and strength shine through in every image, every cover she’s on
Zoe Saldana
The latest to join the L’Oreal advertising family, Zoe draws a natural parallel to her continuous work in fashion (she is the co-founder of My Fashion Database) and a clear reflection of her innate grace and beauty. A trained dancer, a professional actor, an inspiring woman, Zoe continues to be one of my favorite (famous) characters.
Zoe Saldana is fabulous in minimalist black & white photos for L’Oreal Paris
See also: Zoe also advertised for Avon a couple of years ago!
Of Puerto-Rican and Dominican descent, Zoe was born in New Jersey and grew up to play Lt Uhura in the new Star Trek movies or Neytiri in the Avatar series. (oh, yes! You may have thought Avatar ended with the first 2009 movie but did you know that Avatar 2 is set to hit theaters in 2016, followed by Avatar 3 and 4 in 2017 and 2018 respectively?) Her statuesque silhouette makes her an easy mark for the fashion industry but Zoe must have been picky with her involvement in the domain as the L’Oreal 2014 role comes 4 years after her role as a spokesperson for Calvin Klein Envy.
So where can we see Zoe’s fashion talents to work lately? In Net-a-Porter’s The Edit, photographed by Matteo Montanari or Lucky Magazine’s February 2014 issue.
Zoe Saldana looks like a model on the cover of Lucky Magazine and in Net-a-Porter’s The Edit
Joan Smalls
The youngest of the lot (Joan is only 25 while Lupita is 31-years old and Zoe is 35) but the most fashion proficient of them all. Naturally, as she’s a professional model. Her multi-ethnic inheritance (she was born in Puerto Rico but has Spanish, Indian, Irish blood in her family line), her magna-cum-laudae BA Degree in Psychology make her quite the unusual fashion model. But from 2007 to present days, Joan has been so active on the catwalk, in fashion magazines and advertising that in 2011 she became Estee Lauder’s first Latina ambassador ever.
Joan Smalls’s natural beauty shines through in her latest campaign for Estee Lauder
One of fashion designer’s muse, 2014 spoiled Joan right from the start with covers for Elle and Vogue Germany January 2014. Where can we see Joan’s latest fashion achievements this year? In Glamour US May 2014 and a new ad from Estee Lauder!
Elle Fanning advertising for Miu Miu Spring Summer 2014
Bella Heathcote in Miu Miu’s Spring Summer 2014 ad campaign
Elizabeth Olsen’s Miu Miu Spring Summer 2014 eyewear ad campaign is whimsical and fun
Zoe Saldana is stylish and fabulous in Lucky Magazine
Net-a-Porter is showing a dreamy, elegant side of Zoe for the Edit
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