Tyra honours black models

Updated 10.15 Wed Aug 13 2008

Keywords: show, models, Vogue, Tyra, Italian, Banks

Tyra Banks has held a street fashion event in New York to mark the all-black Italian Vogue issue.

Former supermodel Beverly Johnson, who was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of Vogue, hoped that her accomplishment "opened up the floodgates for people to respect different cultures and also respect our beauty in each culture."

Banks was joined by past, present and future black models for a special taping of her talk show to recognise the importance of having women of colour in the fashion industry

Banks was joined by past, present and future black models for a special taping of her talk show to recognise the importance of having women of colour in the fashion industry.

She said: "Young girls look at magazines and want to see a reflection of themselves and that will tell them that they exist, and that they are beautiful.

"So we need Asians, we need black, we need Latin, we need every culture represented in fashion to show that young girl that she matters, that she exists, and that she is beautiful."

The event will air on The Tyra Banks Show on September 11 in the US.