*We caught up with fashion industry icon and advocate Bethann Hardison to speak about her new film memoir, “Invisible Beauty.”
Directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng, “Invisible Beauty” shines a spotlight on the singular and unapologetic Hardison, one of the fashion industry’s most influential icons who, as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent and entrepreneur, has pushed the boundaries of fashion culture and has been at the forefront of progress throughout her career, per the official synopsis.
The Lisa Cortés-produced documentary, of which Naomi Campbell is an executive producer, world-premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and debuted in theaters on September 15 from Magnolia Pictures.
Per the synopsis: “In her lifetime, Hardison has seen the pendulum swing toward and away from the Black model. At every setback, she spoke up and rallied her colleagues and clients in the industry to advance change. Now in her 70s, the Brooklyn native is writing her memoir, taking stock of her own legacy at a moment when the fashion industry was shaken by discrimination. In INVISIBLE BEAUTY, Tcheng and Hardison trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s.”
The documentary features intimate interviews with Iman, Tyson Beckford, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, Fran Lebowitz, Pat Cleveland, Naomi Campbell, Stephen Burrows, and Hardison’s son Kadeem, best known for his role on “A Different World” as “Dwayne Wayne.”
“The fashion model was the tool I had in my shed. I always thought, if I can change who is seen on runways and in magazines, perhaps I can change the way people think,” Bethann Hardison is quoted as saying.
“Invisible Beauty,” chronicles Hardison’s rise in the fashion industry, including the opening of her own modeling agency in 1994. That same year, she was instrumental in Tyson Beckford’s historic Ralph Lauren Campaign (2007–2008). Four years later, in 1988, she co-founded the Black Girls Coalition. Most notably, in 2013, she penned open letters to fashion councils worldwide calling for more diversity and representing on the runway.
EUR’s Ny MaGee spoke to Hardison and Frédéric about the inspiration behind “Invisible Beauty” and their hope that it contributes to our understanding of Bethanne’s legacy and broader societal trends in the world of fashion.
Watch our exclusive interview below.
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