Andre Leon Talley Shares His Thoughts On Racism On The Runways

The Daily Beast recently caught up with one of our favorite fashion characters -- André Leon Talley -- for a fun Q&A. The larger-than-life fashionisto dished about his biggest fear (Snakes -- well, kind of), what's on his fashion bucket list (music-less fashion shows), what he sleeps in (the buff) and more. André, Vogue's contributing editor and editor-in-chief of Numéro Russia, also offered his two cents on one of fashion's hottest topic: diversity.

Thanks to The Diversity Coalition's letter calling out designers for acts of racism on the runway, folks were on a serious #BlackModelWatch this past month during all the international Fashion Weeks -- André included. He told the Daily Beast:

We, the Black Coalition, have made great strides. Valentino opened its show in Paris with a black model, Malaika Firth. There are still houses that need educating, but it’s not my place to name them here. What we have witnessed is a great new moment in the impact of the international letters sent by the Diversity and Balance Coalition. In Milan, Phillip Plein did an all-black cabine and went even further -- making the ultimate commitment -- by booking all black models for his spring 2014 ad campaign.

While New York Fashion Week also boasted more black models, there is still work to be done -- on and off the runways.

Have you noticed more black models on the runway, in ads and beyond? Let us know in the comments section. And make sure to head over to The Daily Beast to read Andre's full interview.