London, Feb 6 : Supermodel Naomi Campbell has claimed that the fashion industry is more racist than ever, while hitting out at the absence of black faces on the ramp and magazine covers.

She said that designers and magazine owners do not want black girls to model for them.

"Women of colour are not a trend. That's the bottom line. It's a pity that people don't always appreciate black beauty. In some instances, black models are being sidelined by major modelling agencies," The Daily Snack quoted Campbell, as saying.

She added: "Fashion needs to go back to the way it used to be when wonderful designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace and Azzedine Alaia just had a great line-up of beautiful women - white, black, Chinese, Hispanic."

The 37-year-old dusky model has confessed that her supermodel friends have helped her career by taking a stand against racism.

"Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington would go to big designers and say, 'If you don't pick Naomi to be in your show, then I don't want to be in it'. The only reason I got the cover of French Vogue was because Yves Saint Laurent called up and told them he'd pull his ads if they didn't," she recalled.

The Streatham-born star's statement comes on line with her former boss, Carole White's confession that racism was still rife in the fashion industry.

Campbell is the head of the Premier model agency and represented Campbell for 17 years.

"A black girl has to be perfect to get work. The bookers are told, 'Don't send any ethnic girls'. I showed a picture of a new black girl to an agent in Milan, and he actually recoiled. He said, 'We don't have black girls in Milan. It's impossible,'" she said.

ANI