VIDEO | IMAN AND UBAH HASSAN DISCUSS THE FASHION INDUSTRY'S STRUGGLE WITH DIVERSITY

Veteran model Iman sat down with rising star and fellow Somalian Ubah Hassan, the spring face of Ralph Lauren, to discuss the struggles non-white models face in the fashion industry.

DIVERSE RUNWAYS DURING FASHION WEEK | OR IS ETHNIC AMBIGUITY THE 'NEW' BLACK

Daniel Peddle has cast runway shows for everybody from Alexander McQueen and Thakoon to Phillip Lim and YSL. He is regarded as one of the top casting directors in the fashion industry. Here lately, he’s been busy casting for Fashion Week, which we all know is a little over a week away. Two looks, as he explains to Models.com that will dominate the runway this fall -- the tomboy look and ethnically ambiguous models.

I was very anxious to see how they were going to tackle the issue of diversity this season. I guess this is the answer. The new "aspirational model" is a woman who is vaguely ethnic -- just not too much as to offend or stand out even. It seems that this is the industry's way of getting around casting models who actually look unmistakably Black, Asian, or Hispanic. He mentioned Dominican newcomer Arlenis Sosa as one of his new favorites. (One of our favs as well)

"...Another thing this season is trying to discern from all the girls out there the ones that are ethnically ambiguous. Girls and boys that have faces that you can’t just put in a certain place or race or geography. I think it’s very helpful to see those types of faces in our conflicted world because you can see that we’re still evolving as humans and they are the results of people willing to go beyond the socially constructed notions around race. I think that’s really important and were going to see even more of those as the population changes."

TYRA CELEBRATES THE 'VOGUE ITALIA'

It was a pose off today on West 26th street in New York! Tyra Banks held court with the girls of the past and present during a taping of her talk show. Scheduled to air Sept. 11, the episode celebrates Vogue Italia’s All-Black Issue - the first issue of any major international fashion publication featuring black models and content throughout.

Legends like Veronica Webb, Beverly Johnson and Pat Cleveland joined newbies Chanel Iman, Selita Ebanks and Noemie Lenoir for the festivities, where they posed for pictures. The beautiful bunch commemorated the historic event by holding up black balloons that they later realeased during a NYC street party.

VOGUE ITALIA IN HIGH DEMAND

While tech heads on Friday lined up at the Apple store to buy the new iPhone 3G, fashionistas hurried to newsstands across New York City to get their hands on the all-black July issue of Italian Vogue. All copies sold out everywhere in a matter of hours. Condé Nast prepped accordingly for the increased consumer curiosity surrounding the groundbreaking issue and will print another 10,000 copies to meet the demand.

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!

On my lunch break I rushed all the way across town to get my copy. There were two left - Sesilee's cover and Liya's - I got them both. I was delighted to get them for $20 a piece, becuase I'd heard rumors that they we're retailing for $40. Three words- Sheer Visual Perfection. It's amazing, the beauty and life that Steven Meisel was able to extract from them. So much that you almost feel you are seeing these women for the very first time.

Do we think it will cause for change? Probably not, however it sparked valuable conversation about the lack of diversity on the runway today and forced certain issues to be brought to light. It's sure to go down in fashion history.

VOGUE ITALIA \ ALL BLACK EDITION. toccara jones preview

It's been confirmed, Toccara has ten pages. And she looks fabulous!!! I'm not even a fan, but this I can't deny. Steven Meisel is a genuis.

'VOGUE ITALIA' IMAGES REVEALED

OK, so I get into the office this morning and sitting in my inbox, titled "Open Immediately" were some of the images from Naomi Campbell and Sesilee Lopez's spreads for Vogue Italia's all-black issue. You know I'm going crazy over here.

Now for Sesilee:

OMG, I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.

Sneak Peek: Vogue Italia's All-Black Issue

The much talked about All-Black Issue of Vogue Italia is set to hit European newsstands next Thursday and the US shortly there after. The fold out cover boasts the likes of Liya Kebede, Sesilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell.

Famed photographer, Steven Meisel, along with Editrix Franca Sozzani give their answer to the fashion industry - a world in which racial prejudice has long existed. Quashing the stigma of fashion mainstreams shallow and pedantic depictions of beauty in their failure to hire black models for shows and magazine features. All the faces are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment.

Other models to be featured include Alek Wek, Alva Chin, Arlenis Sosa Pena, Chanel Iman, Gail O’Neil, Iman, Karen Alexander, Tyra Banks, Veronica Webb, and Yasmin Warsame.