NEW YORK, United States — “I like to think of it as a systemic shift, because it’s not just in fashion,” says Liya Kebede of the inclusivity movement that is taking over runways and magazine covers worldwide. “There’s a movement going on. There’s a sense of acceptance and inclusivity of the individual person.”
Ethiopian-born Kebede began her career as a model in her native country, but soon decided to move to Paris to pursue opportunities internationally. Her first experiences were “very harsh and violent,” she says. But her big break came after casting agent James Scully introduced her to Tom Ford. “He was unbelievable. Such a genius, and you saw it, and he breathed it, and he lived it. There was a real energy.” Kebede was also the first black model to sign a contract with Estée Lauder, which she describes as a “historic” moment, but one which came with a lot of responsibility.
Today, Kebede is also a philanthropist and entrepreneur. In 2005, she…
