Steven Klein Captures 'American Daydream' With Joan Smalls & Lara Stone For Vogue US September 2017

The September 2017 issue of Vogue US celebrated its 125th Anniversary with the editorial ‘American Daydream’, starring Joan Smalls, Lara Stone, Finn Wittrock & Trai Byers. Lensed by Steven Klein, the editorial appeared in the midst of public furor over US President Donald Trump’s astonishing public embrace of white nationalism at an August 15 press conference after the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville..

Today June 15, 2020, nearly three years after Charlottesville, America enters its third week of massive protests over the Minneapolis police officers’ very public execution of George Floyd. Atlanta is filled with protests with Saturday’s June 13th homicide of Rayshard Brooks by cops in Atlanta. Like Minneapolis, the general public watched the Rayshard Brooks spectacle live, filled with disbelief that a man with no weapon and who spoke politely to police for over 30 minutes was dead after having had too much to drink and falling asleep in a Wendy’s drive-thru.

Matters are more than a little crazy over at Condé Nast, too.

Grace Coddington’s Black Mammy Ceramics Go Beyond Nostalgia

Every day is a new, painful revelation about the state of race in America and life at Conde Nast is no exception.

Anna Wintour took full responsibility for the state of race relations and black creativity at Condé Nast, sharing her thoughts with staff last week, writes The Independent.

“I want to say plainly that I know Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators,” Wintour continued in the email, sent 4 June. “We have made mistakes too, publishing images or stories that have been hurtful or intolerant. I take full responsibility for those mistakes.”
The artistic director of Condé Nast also acknowledged that it “can’t be easy to be a black employee at Vogue” and that there are “too few” people of colour working for the fashion magazine, before promising to “do better”.
“I know that it is not enough to say we will do better, but we will - and please know that I value your voices and responses as we move forward. I am listening and would like to hear your feedback and your advice if you would like to share either.”

When Grace Coddington styled Joan Smalls and the rest of the cast in this retro vision of American life for the 125th anniversary issue, did she consider putting her private collection of Mammy jars in the Vogue kitchen?

What does this say about Grace Coddington? Perhaps nothing more than that she has a love of Jim Crow Mammy ceramics and enjoys showing them off in 2019.

Mammy jars celebrate a time when black domestic help snapped to it for white women. The former creative director of American Vogue is known for her attention to every detail, and Coddington has created countless fashion story sets. It’s impossible that she was oblivious to those Jim Crow Mammy jars sitting on top of her beautiful mane of red hair.

In her high-minded, rarefied world, servile black women fit right in. With all the people who know Grace Coddington well and have enjoyed countless good times in her Hamptons house, did no one know her well enough to say “Grace, it’s time for the Mammy Jars to go into retirement. It’s a different time, now, Grace and just as Confederate statues must come down, your Mammy Jars need to retire from such a prominent place in the kitchen. It’s the 21st century, Grace.”

“They were everyday objects which portrayed black people as ugly, different and fun to laugh at,” said David Pilgrim, the founder of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Michigan. “They were, in a word, propaganda.”

Still I was shocked when I saw Coddington’s mammy ceramics in a Vogue Google image search late last week. Writing about the French lifestyle magazine feature on Coddington, Elisha Brown noted that neither the creative director or her reps offered any comment after repeated requests to talk about the jars.

When Gucci was under fire in the same time period over a sweater deemed racist, the brand made every effort to respond seriously to the controversy and work to change the culture. Coddington remained mute on the subject of racism — unlike star model Joan Smalls, who let it rip last Thursday.

Joan Smalls: We Are Not a Trend

“How many times have I been told that my hair was an issue and told to control it? How many times have I had to share campaigns or editorials when I saw my counterparts had the achievements by themselves? It was a constant battle no one saw but one that I lived on a daily basis,” the supermodel said. Smalls challenged the reality that significant numbers of casting directors and stylists often avoid working with black women, while some fashion photographers believe “there’s no need to shoot a black girl.”

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The recent and long standing acts against the black community have been saddening, frustrating and unacceptable. I feel these same emotions when I think about how my industry, the fashion world, is responding. It is time for this industry to do more than post a black square and say they’ll “Do Better!” It’s time for us to see the change starting from the ground up. Give us a seat at the table, include us, give us a chance, because we are worthy, talented and unique. There have been so many times where I’ve had to face issues against my race within this industry because I was their token black girl. The campaigns and editorials I had to share while my counterparts got to achieve that on their own. Or that my hair was an issue or that I made a show or campaign too ethnic, the list goes on and on. This industry that I love has profited from us but has never considered us equal. This. Stops. Now. It’s time for the fashion industry to stand up and show their solidarity. Time for you all to give back to these communities and cultures which you draw so much inspiration from. I do want to thank those that did see me for me and gave me a chance. Those that helped me fight my way to where I am today. Thank you, thank you for doing what you knew to be right versus what others said should be done. You will help us be the leaders of change. In saying all of this, I also pledge to donate 50% of my salary for the remainder of 2020 to Black Lives Matter organizations. I know I can’t just talk about change, I have to be a force for it. I encourage and will continue to encourage brands within this industry to do the same and give back. Let’s all be the change we want and need to see. These battles are long from over but together we’re stronger and together we can accomplish what is needed. #WeAreNotATrend #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Joan Smalls (@joansmalls) on Jun 11, 2020 at 6:12am PDT