French label Céline embraces diversity, casting model Karly Loyce in Fall 2015 campaign

An unknown beauty being plucked from obscurity to walk designer runways is a fashion tale as old as time. But when applied to the new face of Céline’s Fall 2015 campaign, Martinique’s own Karly Loyce, it seems like a story we’ve never heard the likes of before.

This has something to do with Céline’s rather problematic relationship with diversity: as The New York Times reported in 2013 — just two years ago — Céline failed to cast a single black model for its Fall 2013 runway show. The troubling casting decision led modeling legend Iman to completely boycott the label and lament to the Times:

“There is something terribly wrong. We have a president and a first lady who are black. You would think things have changed, and then you realize that they have not. In fact, things have gone backward.”

This Fall 2015 season however, saw a promising shift for the buzzy French label, with Lineisy Montero, Binx Walton (the face of Céline’s Spring 2014 campaign), and Loyce, herself, walking for the widely celebrated show, the latter sporting her now signature Afro in what would be her runway debut.

So how did this newbie come to represent the wildly revered fashion house? As Style.com reports, it was Loyce’s “poise” that impressed Céline’s head designer, Phoebe Philo. Loyce, a biology major, had just signed with an agency and quickly transitioned from student to model for the Juergen Teller-photographed Céline campaign.

With a freshly-scrubbed face and little-to-no accessories save for her natural, Loyce elegantly slouches throughout the barebones campaign. The striking images are certainly a great mix of Céline’s trademark minimalism with a robust and newfound sense of diversity, making the connection between the brand’s aesthetic and the black luxury consumer appear seamless. We’re obviously happy to buy anything Karly is selling, and perhaps Iman is too.

Marjon Carlos is a style and culture writer for Fusion who boasts a strong turtleneck game and opinions on the subjects of fashion, gender, race, pop culture, and men’s footwear.