Nepotism in the fashion industry is used to describe the
children of wealthy and well-connected parents that gain an automatic VIP pass
into their future careers. I’d like to take a look into one of the most
notorious families on the planet: The Kardashians. This family is one of the
most exposed families on Earth, and they’ve racked up an overall net-worth of
$80 million, and their television show is watched by millions worldwide. Whilst
some may disagree due to a strong dislike of them, their influence in the
fashion industry has been gargantuan, and still continues to grow even bigger.
Kim Kardashian, the most well-known member from the Kardashian family, she and
her sisters Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian have their very own clothing line with
Sears ‘’The Kardashian Kollection.’’ She and her sisters are well-known
socialites and they are a heavy influences on today’s pop-culture, but why
should these women who have had no background in fashion, no proper training,
and never took fashion at University, have access to a wide range of
opportunities in the fashion industry? Meanwhile students from working class
families struggle to pay for their University tuition or have been studying
their craft for years, aren’t getting the chance to show off their creative
talents to the industry. Nepotism can turn even the most ‘’unfashionable’’
people into multi-million dollar making celebrities.
Kim Kardashian wearing her own 'Kardashian Kollection' dress. (Image from fashionbombdaily.com)
Despite this, we can’t ignore the fact that children cannot
help who their parents are, and that maybe we should be happy for their success
even if it is through their wealthy parents. However, many children are being
overlooked in the industry: children that could potentially pose more of an
influence than the Kardashians themselves. There’s no doubt that Kendall Jenner
has been in the public eye for suddenly coming out of nowhere onto a Marc
Jacobs, Givenchy, two Chanel runways, landing a Givenchy campaign, bagging a
front cover on the latest issue of ‘LOVE Magazine’, and sharing a clothing line
with her sister called ‘’Kendall & Kylie’’. We shouldn’t ignore that before
Kendall has been modelling off and on the runway since 2010, but was it through
her own hard work? If Kendall wasn’t afflicted with the Kardashians in any way,
would she have even been signed as a model? Kendall has always pursued
modelling as a career, but with her well-connected family and influence from
her sisters own clothing lines, there’s no doubt that this is why designers are
fighting to have her as the face for their next campaigns. Working as a regular
model who is in no way afflicted with the Kardashian family probably wouldn’t
have been able to land a Givenchy campaign instantly alongside the likes of
Jamie Bochert and Mariacarla Boscono, so why should Kendall Jenner who has
suddenly rocketed into the fashion eye, gain this amount of exposure so fast?
It can be pretty disheartening to any modelling hopeful to see someone from a wealthy
family suddenly start walking exclusive runways, as which we know from The
Devil Wears Prada, ‘’a million girls would kill for.’’
Kendall Jenner at Chanel Fall 2014 Haute Couture
More models that are of wealthy and well-connected family
members are emerging everywhere in today’s fashion industry. Lottie Moss is
another example. As the half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss, she’s recently
ascended into a modelling career although after one Dazed and Confused
editorial, she suddenly went dark on us. Such a shame… (Note my sarcasm.)
Adding onto Lottie’s sudden modelling career, the height barrier for female
models is typically 5’8 yet Lottie only stands at a mere 5’5. I’ve seen
beautiful girls on Tumblr aspire to be models but they can’t because ‘’I’m not
the right height…’’ So why then should Lottie Moss have the opportunity to
model, yet unknown girls who have the potential to do better (and a lot more
work) than Lottie, not get that chance? It’s just another example of how
nepotism can allow children with influential family members a VIP pass into a career
that they don’t even have the basic requirements to get into, whilst a normal
girl would instantly get turned down because of her height.
Lottie Moss in 'Dazed and Confused' Magazine
Sometimes people believe that that the children must know a
great deal about whatever field their parents work in, but this isn’t always
entirely true. What about the people who have worked their way to the top? Take
legendary designer Lee Alexander McQueen for example. He worked on his craft
from the age of 16 working for tailors on Saville Row and assisted Romeo Gigli
in Milan. In 1992 he completed a Master’s Degree in fashion and his collection
was noticed and bought by Isabella Blow. Since this time, his work has been
considered some of the most innovative, creative, artistic, unique…well the
list goes on, honestly. The point is: how many more Lee Alexander McQueen’s are
out there, and how many of those potential designers get overlooked by the
people who choose the children from the rich and well connected? High Fashion
may be about luxury and the unattainable, but that shouldn’t stop people from
being isolated away from it because of what class or background they are from.
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