In 2008, I was interviewed by Guy Trebay, one of the most prestigious reporters for the New York Times. I was only 16 at the time and not sure what the article would be about and how important the meaning of the headline would be 12 years later. In the article, Mr. Trebay talked about the fashion industry and the non-visibility of diversity, not only in race but also in appearance. He raised the question: “Will his singularity lead to pluralism?” I have to be honest with you. I didn’t know what he meant by putting that as a headline back then, but I definitely can say we have an answer today.

Fashion has always been a place where creativity sits at an all-time high, from the work of pioneers to those who aspire to one day be a part of such a world, a movement we call the industry. It was not as easy as it is today with social media, pop culture, and instant gratification being tools for success. We have Instagram and Twitter being prioritized as the leading search engines before the likes of Google, Yahoo etc. Back then, it was important to do your research, not only of those around you but of those who also came before you. I’m very thankful that I chose to take the time to do my research to understand the pioneers of many different industries that came before me and why their part in this world should always remain recognized.

When I was 16, I remember being in New York City and not seeing many models of color. I also didn’t see models who stood by their sexuality proudly. If you were an openly gay male model, you were told to be more masculine to appeal to the client. The way you dressed had to be minimal or resemble what they thought a guy should appear to look like at the time. Oftentimes, I felt very alienated backstage at shows and shoots, because I couldn’t connect with the other male models who seemed more mocha, but I didn’t let that stop me from being myself and standing out. I knew there was a place for the different and it was beyond physical appearance. I just had to create it for myself. I did my research to find the iconic faces and entities before I walked my journey. I came across supermodels like Alek Wek, widely known for having a look that wasn’t shown on runways at the time with her beautiful dark tone, rich in color…Connie Chiu, who was the first model with albinism to walk for Jean Paul Gaultier in his AW 94 show… or Stacey McKenzie, who was the face of many brands like Calvin Klein and starred in movies such as The Fifth Element directed by Luc Besson. I knew female supermodels had stormed the world of fashion because of people like Bethann Hardison worked with some of the biggest faces today like Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Veronica Webb, and even the biggest male supermodel, Tyson Beckford, who is more than a model, a household name. I was beyond excited to see other faces beyond those l saw in my career … like Sessilee Lopez and Jordun Dunn who would be gracing the covers of so many publications and campaigns alongside male models like Salieu Jalloh and Shawn Sutton.

Today, I don’t see much support for those who’ve come before the digital age, especially on social media. We live in a world where “likes” and “views” add up to status where you can do just about anything outlandish and receive all of that without having any purpose. Before all of this, you needed to have charisma and talent to hold an audience, or, better yet, get the attention of those in higher places.

Guy Trebay asked the question of my singularity leading to pluralism, and we have an answer today and that is YES. We see more of a cultural appreciation with diversity, sexuality and creativity happening with brands. The faces of these brands have a story to tell — like Ralph Souffrant, Winnie Harlow, Jillian Mercado, Hari Nef, Alton Mason, Jordun Love and more — but I must say these things wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for those who came before to pave the way, like a Grace Jones, a Pat Cleveland or those who were bold enough to have the courage, like a Tracey Norman, a trans model…  and allies in the fashion world that made it possible for diversity like Andre Leon Talley, Edward Enninful, Pat McGrath, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nole Marin, Douglas Perret, Daniel Peddle, Ricardo Tisci

It is because of people like them that we have such a colorful industry today that still needs to do much work on its visibility when it comes to representation. Each individual that I named — and some that I didn’t — have contributed to the fashion industry in ways, from casting different faces to making sure the visibility of color is shown in magazines down to having one of the coolest fashion shows you want to be a part of. And some of them are even style pioneers have subconsciously you the idea for your next outfit inspired by the 90s fashion you see in music videos.

I never knew how important discussing this years later would be. The singularity of so many even before myself, has definitely led to pluralism and you should always give respect to those who came before you, for they have put up a great deal and fight to take away a little bit of the obstacles you’re no longer going through now. Just imagine taking all of the hits these people had to take for you to be able to be yourself.

So I am here to say thank you to so many people who’ve taken the hits to make it that much easier for my career; those who have come before me and helped me become the vision people see inside and out. The world doesn’t give you much credit and more certainly forgets to give you your flowers, but I just want to let you know that in a world full of chaos, dishonest respect and false idols, you still rock and are more than valid.

–Shaun Ross