'Racial Diversity Should not be a Trend,' Naomi Campbell Says

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2016, file photo, model Naomi Campbell, center, arrives at BET event. AP
FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2016, file photo, model Naomi Campbell, center, arrives at BET event. AP
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'Racial Diversity Should not be a Trend,' Naomi Campbell Says

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2016, file photo, model Naomi Campbell, center, arrives at BET event. AP
FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2016, file photo, model Naomi Campbell, center, arrives at BET event. AP

Racial diversity in fashion has improved in recent years, but the industry must not treat it like a catwalk trend, British model Naomi Campbell told Reuters in an interview. One of fashion's most recognizable faces, Campbell has long spoken of discrimination in the industry where she has worked for 33 years. The 49-year-old Campbell was the first black model to appear on the covers of French Vogue and Time magazine. She was also the first black model on the cover of American Vogue's key September issue.

Asked how the industry had changed, Campbell said: "In so many ways, but most importantly the diversity. It's finally sunken in, but now we hope people don't think it's in for a trend, like clothes are in for a season and out for a season, that's not going to happen."

Referring to equal pay, she added that "It's improved absolutely, I can't say it hasn't. There's still some ways to go."

Campbell began her career as a teenager and has modeled for fashion heavyweights, such as Versace, Chanel, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, among many others. She has also championed African designers and co-produced April's Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria. Asked if African designers were finally getting recognition, she said: "We're on our way, but, we're not there yet."

One of the five major supermodels of the early 1990s, Campbell has featured on the covers of more than 500 magazines. However she wrote in this month's British Vogue she only recently began feeling more at ease in her own skin. "Just because I'm a model doesn't mean that I felt comfortable," she told Reuters.



Lion Cub Cuddles on Offer with Afternoon Tea in China

FILE PHOTO: People walk on a promenade in Shanghai, China, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk on a promenade in Shanghai, China, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
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Lion Cub Cuddles on Offer with Afternoon Tea in China

FILE PHOTO: People walk on a promenade in Shanghai, China, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk on a promenade in Shanghai, China, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura/File Photo

Teatime revels in China now include hugs with lion cubs in a four-course afternoon set offered by a restaurant in the northern province of Shanxi, drawing widespread attention online and fueling concern for the animals' welfare.

Customers cradled the lion cubs as if they were babies in pictures and video clips posted online on China's Wechat and Weibo platforms.

The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city features llamas, turtles and deer in addition to the cubs on its page on Douyin, China's counterpart to social media app TikTok.

Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150), the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its official Wechat page.

"The service has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare," the English-language newspaper added.

Reuters was unable to independently contact Wanhui.

Online comments were mostly critical, saying the venture was dangerous and not good for the animals.

"This is for the rich to play," said one Weibo user. "Ordinary people even can't afford to drink."

Another user urged action by the authorities, adding, "The relevant departments should take care of it."

The incident comes just after authorities investigated a hotel in June for offering a "wake-up service" starring red pandas, state media said.

The hotel in the southwestern region of Chongqing allowed the animals to climb onto beds to awaken guests.