Crews 
Joan Smalls is currently THE model of our times right now. She’s walked ever major fashion show here and abroad, starred in countless campaigns (Tom Ford, Gucci, Balenciaga), secured a highly coveted Estee’ Lauder contract and now landed the January cover of Elle Magazine. In the age of magazines relying on A-list stars to sell magazine having Smalls on the cover is a major deal. Not only is the editorial fab, but the supermodel opens up about several things such as her start in modeling and the lack of diversity on the runways.
On the fashion industry’s lack of diversity: “People hide behind the word aesthetic. They say, ‘Well, it’s just that designer’s aesthetic.’ But when you see 18 seasons in a row and not one single model outside a certain skin color…? There are people in the industry who are advocates, who support diversity. And there are people who do not. I don’t get it. Beauty is universal. These doors have to open.”
How her modeling started: “I came to New York with a dream. I came to do what I saw girls doing in campaigns, in editorials—great things, challenging things.”
Estée Lauder’s Richard Ferretti on Smalls: “The word supermodel is overused, but if there is any woman of our generation who deserves the title, it’s Joan. She has the perfect face.”
