Earlier this week, Louis Vuitton presented their Spring 2018 runway show at Paris Fashion Week, and the fashion house made history as soon as their first model hit the catwalk. Model Janaye Furman became the first Black model to ever open the show for Louis Vuitton.
Furman shared her excitement on the ground-breaking moment on Instagram. “This is such an incredible and unbelievable moment! Not only for my first opening show to be Louis Vuitton but to make history as the first African American girl to open LV?!” Furman continued, “I’m so glad more women of color are rocking the runways. It’s so important that we stand up for ourselves and make a difference in this world. I’m so happy I was able to tell this beautiful story.”
Furman, who’s a student at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles, was actually scouted after a class performance, and made her modeling debut in Proenza Schouler’s Fall 2017 show. Furman also walked in Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2017 show, and since then, she has been a part of numerous editorials and campaigns for the fashion house.
While this historical moment is definitely a huge win for Furman and her future modeling career, we hope that it also paves the way for more models of color to make history, and we continue to see diversity in fashion both on and off the runway.