Hardison, Bethann 19(?)(?)—

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Bethann Hardison 19(?)(?)—

Modeling agency owner

Joined Energies to Combat Racism, Indifference

“Tall, lithe, and lively, Bethann [Hardison] is regal without being self-righteous, maternal without being matriarchal, meticulous without being anal retentive,” asserted Greg Tate in Vibe magazine. “She’s the Woman, and a warrior-woman to boot. “Hardison, founder of the respected modeling agency that bears her name, has long been a ground-breaker in the world of fashion, as both a model and a businessperson. Especially since going into business for herself in 1984, she has helped guide the careers of some of the most prominent African American faces in recent times, and she is the founder of a watchdog/charity/networking group of positive image-makers called the Black Girls Coalition. By her agency’s promotion of women of color, “Hardison has greatly expanded racial diversity” in the fashion industry, noted a reporter in an American Photo magazine special issue on “The 100 Most Important People in Photography.” The reporter concluded: “[Hardison] has challenged, and helped change, common notions of beauty.”

Hardison grew up in Brooklyn, New York in a family of devout Muslims. From an early age she was busy attempting to shatter the status quo: she was her high school’s first African American cheerleader, and, upon entering New York City’s garment district in search of a job in the fashion industry, was the first African American salesperson in a showroom. Sometime around the late 1960s, a young African American designer named Willi Smith encountered Hardison in an elevator. He immediately asked her to model for him, and Hardison’s start as his fitting model soon led to runway and print work for other designers.

Hardison became one of a handful of African American models in the early 1970s whose frames showed off the clothes of top designers in the European and New York collections, appeared in fashion spreads for the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and broke new ground for African American women in the industry. Iman, Beverly Johnson, and Pat Cleveland were all Hardison’s contemporaries. Eventually she went into partnership with Smith, and in 1980 joined a start-up modeling agency as a booker. The agency was called Click, and with its unusual roster of models “became known for a more exotic, less traditional kind of beauty, “noted a Mirabella correspondent. Hardison’s job as a booker involved teaming members of Click’s talent roster with clients—designers, magazines, ad agencies—looking for models. By 1981 she was head of Click’s women’s division, in any agency its most powerful and lucrative department.

Opened Doors With Own Agency

A friend who was then in law school helped convince Hardison of her own potential to make a much larger impact on the fashion industry. Urging her to start her own agency, he put up the money, and Hardison negotiated with the young women who were interested

At a Glance…

Born in Brooklyn, NY; children: Kadeem (an actor). Religion: Muslim.

Showroom salesperson in New York City’s garment district; former fitting model and business partner with fashion designer Willi Smith; worked as a runway and print model for other designers during the 1970s; Click (modeling agency), New York City, booking agent and head of women’s division, 1980-84; Bethann Management, New York City, founder and owner, 1984—.

Member; Black Girls Coalition.

Addresses: Office —Bethann Management, Inc., 36 N. Moore St., New York, NY 10013.

in jumping ship from the bigger agencies; the models agreed to wait for payment until the clients paid the new agency, in lieu of obtaining the usual agency advance. With that spirit of goodwill, Bethann Management was born in 1984. Its initial roster included 16 models, nearly half African American. Yet Hardison has reiterated that it was never her intention to run an exclusively “people of color” agency, but it has been her aim to bring more diversity into the business.

Hardison will interview a potential signee on two or three occasions. I’m looking for something beyond just a face,” she told Stephanie Dolgoff in American Photo. “The more intelligent they are, the more open and well rounded they are, the more they convey in photographs.” One of Bethann Management’s early successes was Veronica Webb, a teenager from Detroit who went on to work the runways of top designers such as Chanel in the mid-1980s, eventually joining the ranks of the top-earning supermodels. Webb later won a coveted contract with Revlon in the type of multimillion-dollar deal that is the holy grail of the modeling game—and one that is often hard to achieve for African American models.

Lent Novices Guidance and Encouragement

With a roster that sometimes numbers almost 30 models, Hardison takes an involved role in helping to keep the young men and women focused on the hard work of modeling. In addition to taking scrupulous care of their personal appearances and physical health, Hardison also instructs them to “educate yourself constantly about the business you have stepped into,” she explained in Essence. “Learn about finances, learn how to be professional, learn personal public relations. Work hard to get and keep a healthy attitude. It’s important to remember where you come from, so you will always know where you are going.”

Since its inception Bethann Management has striven to increase African American visibility in the fashion world and the corresponding onslaught of media images the industry generates annually. In Essence Hardison admitted that she has fought an uphill battle. “The industry is looking for Black images that are compatible with their white counterparts, but always with the white images first and Black images—if at all—second,” she said. In 1988 Hardison—with her friend Iman—co-founded the Black Girls Coalition, a loose group of industry insiders working to change the status quo. “Racism is practiced every day in the industry, but they don’t realize it,” Hardison pointed out in Interview magazine.

One of the press conferences held by Hardison and other members of the Black Girls Coalition in the early 1990s excoriated the top players in fashion—the designers, the magazines—for subtle racism; a few months later Naomi Campbell became the first woman of African descent to grace the cover of Allure.

“I want to do more than just run an agency,” Hardison admitted in American Photo. “I’m here to give other young women an opportunity. I want them to know there’s someone who will take time to communicate with them. “That helping hand continues to extend to members of both genders in Bethann Management’s talent roster, as witnessed in the rising career of Harlem’s own Tyson Beckford. The young man broke new ground as one of the most sought-after—and highest paid—African American models in the industry. Discovered by the hip-hop culture magazine The Source, Beckford learned about Bethann Management when Hardison’s son, actor Kadeem Hardison—formerly of ADifferent World —was a guest on Arsenio Hall’s late-night talk show and spoke of his mother’s business. By 1996, under Hardison’s watchful eye, Beckford had become the first African American male to appear in Ralph Lauren clothing in the American designer’s lavish print advertising campaigns. Beckford then signed a lucrative contract with Lauren, also a significant achievement for an African American model of either gender. “I’ve gone out with him and seen that folks really are proud because he is like them,” Hardison told Vibe. “He’s not some polished-up boy from college who’s light enough and keen enough to get away with something.”

Joined Energies to Combat Racism, Indifference

Hardison and other members of the Black Girls Coalition work to help clear the path for other African Americans interested in the fashion industry, both behind the scenes as well as in front of the cameras. The group also tackles more weighty issues such as homelessness. “I’d like to think I’m here to make a difference,” Hardison asserted in Vibe. “I never expected to make big money at what I do. But in terms of respect and longevity, I can make a difference for a Tyson, a Veronica Webb, a Roshumba, or the next young person who comes along.” Yet Hardison did once divulge dreams of another world far removed from the glamorous, high-stakes fashion scene. “I’d like to own a bar in Anguilla,” she once confessed in Mirabella. “And then maybe I’d sell collectibles, things picked up from my travels.”