Transgender and People of Color Model Agencies Are Opening

The fashion industry has long been criticized for being an exclusionary and discriminatory scene. Runways tend to be rather white and models of color or other identities are generally pushed to the side. But now, two modeling agencies aim to bring the typically ignored models to the forefront.

Lorde Inc. is a modeling agency founded by 26-year-old Nafisa Kaptownwala. Lorde is an agency exclusively for models of color.

"We just wanted to create a safe space for other people of color to embrace and celebrate our own beauty," she told BuzzFeed.

Lorde is based in London but has scouts in Toronto and New York City as well. It currently represents 60 models, both male and female.

On the other side of the world, Apple Model Management, a Thai agency, is opening a branch in Los Angeles specifically for transgender models.

"Apple Model Management is an important agency to the trans community because we truly believe in their talent and capabilities. We are committed to molding them into the best possible models they can be," said Cecilio Asuncion, the director of the Los Angeles branch.

These are major moves for modeling communities that are often discriminated against. Having agencies specifically for marginalized models means that they will have dedicated representation and support.

But even with this support, it's not certain that the fashion industry as a whole will diversify as much as people would like to see. Earlier this month, model Nykhor Paul blasted the fashion world for not being prepared for models of color. Specifically, she said, makeup artists do not have appropriate materials for non-white models.

"Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don't have to do anything but show up wtf!" Paul wrote on Instagram.

  #Akuc by @chantelka_gomez

A photo posted by Lorde Inc (@lordeinc) on May 30, 2015 at 8:30am PDT