Programme. Halima aden made catwalk history when she became the worlds first hijab wearing supermodel. Featuring in campaigns for some of the biggest names in the Fashion Industry. I had never got to experience flipping through a magazine and seeing somebody in a hijab, somebody i could relate to. So to be that person for other girls was just a dream come true. But over time, Halima Felt The Industry was clashing with her muslim faith, and in November 2020 she announced on instagram that she was quitting. I felt great pleasure being the first muslim, hijab wearing model. It got to a place where i was so far removed from my own image. I ran into Problems Likejeans being placed on my head in the place of a regular scarf. Ive arranged for halima to meet with an industry leader, Fashion DesignerTommy Hilfiger, to talk for the first time face to face about the need for change. I understand why you left the Fashion Industry. Theres been a lot of abuse and a lot of disrespect. And halima exclusively tells us that by quitting, she hopes to stop other Diverse Talent from leaving the industry. Dont change yourself, change the game. If anything, i want the girls to know halima took one for the team. You know, isacrificed my career so that they could feel comfortable to speak up in any setting. Halima aden was born in a kenyan refugee camp after herfamily fled civil war in somalia. They moved to the us state of minnesota when she was seven years old. At home, the focus was on getting good grades and going to college. Halima aden, 19, st cloud but after competing in miss Minnesota Usa in 2016, the first hijab and modest swimsuit wearing contestant to do so, she was spotted by modelling agency img. A couple of years ago, had you told me this was going to be my life, i would have been like, no way i was working housekeeping, going to school full time, and ijust, i didnt plan to be in the Fashion Industry. In the 102 year history, i was the first model in a hijab to feature on the cover of british vogue. And i remember that being such a proud moment for me. It was written in her Modelling Contract that she would never remove her hijab, and that she would have a blacked out box to change in on the shoots to protect her modesty. By 2019 she was walking the runway with Fashion Superstars and making history yet again, collaborating with designers like Tommy Hilfiger to become the first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated magazine. Since quitting, she hasnt publicly spoken about her experiences with industry insiders, but now, ive arranged for her to meet back up with Tommy Hilfiger to talk about her decision. Youre Meeting Tommy Today and you have some questions for him. Given everything weve been through this year, you know, the blm movement, its just such a timely conversation and its my first since my exit of the Fashion Industry and to sit down with one of the industry leaders, itsjust, its going to be an iconic sit down. Tommy hilfiger has been vocal about the need to tackle racism and discrimination in the Fashion Industry, and in 2020 he pledged 15 million over three years to increase diverse representation. Ive been speaking with models from diverse backgrounds here in london to find out what its like working in the Fashion Industry, and they have some questions for tommy and halima. Ramla is 22 years old, and is a muslim hijab wearing model. I wanted to ask a question about how you said about how your religion and the Fashion Industry arent compatible. And i just want to know if you have any advice for other hijabi models in the industry and what you think they can do and we can do to make industries compatible, and if you think its possible. I think they should be compatible. I think for me, it was also, my mom, early on, had a big problem with me leaving school and pursuing a modelling career. So for me it was multiple things that added to my decision to walk away from fashion, notjust religious reasons. But, you know, the first two years, i would come to every shoot with my hijab, i would do it myself, i had complete control. And in the last two years i kind of trusted the team on set to do my hijab, and thats where i run into problems like jeans being placed on my head in place of a regular scarf, just the way that they styled it, i got to a place where i was so far removed from my own image, and my hijab kept shrinking, it got smaller and smaller and smaller with each shoot. Its upsetting to me to hear that some stylists, or some people, would try to alter your way i from who you are, even. And i really believej that thats a flaw in the Fashion Industry. And i really believe that the magazines are a lot to blame for enticing people to look a certain way, even if theyre not i comfortable doing it. You know, ive been in situations, i wont say any names, but for a different designer, and he actually put my Dressing Space where i had to walk in the mens Dressing Space to get my Dressing Space. And so it was like wait, did you guys think this through . And it put me in a very uncomfortable position to then walk through the men changing to get to my Dressing Space. So disrespectful. And i know many models who have gone through difficult periods of people doing things with their hair and make up, maybe making them feel uncomfortable and putting them in compromising, even, positions. Ijust hope and pray that that chapter is behind us in history, as being. The wrong thing to do. If every designer that i worked with treated me the way that you did on set, i think i wouldve continued to stay in the Fashion Industry. But the reality is it really depended on each and every shoot. Well, thank you, thats a compliment. And ive enjoyed working. With you for all these years. And you have made me look good on the runway, in photographs. I and you were the first designer to invite me to paris fashion week, when at the time, they were like paris, you know, theyre not as open, theyre not as inclusive yet, where milan is, new york is. Well, i was very proud having you on our runway in paris. And that was an example i of where we had all sizes, all different ages. Mm hmm, ethnicities. Ethnicities, and interestingly enough, the parisians applauded it. And up until that point. People said, oh, really . Youre just going to have a runway thats just not tall, thin white models . Imean. That, to me, is antiquated. And i think that having i respect for the consumer is very important. And i really i remember, we made you a special swimwear outfit. A scarf, on the burkini. Thats right. I still, by the way, get messages from girls asking, what is this, where can i buy this . Talking about the burkini. I think we sold out of it, i but we should make more. Yes, i mean, it wasjust such an incredible experience, especially when you look at the history of the burkini. We have countries like france banning it in public pools and on beaches. And so i think we made quite the statement, to be featured in Sports Illustrated swimsuit, when other women were wearing a 2 piece,a1 piece, and somebody was dressed more modestly, we pushed the needle. Well, i think you have to be very proud of the fact that i you stuck to your beliefs. I mean, critics, sometimes, you know. I felt like it was a very thin line i had to walk. And i would be upsetting people sometimes from the muslim community. I have so many comments like, this burkini is way too form fitting. Why would you shoot for a publication thats. Yada yada yada. And it just felt like i was constantly walking a very thin line. You know, trying to appease my muslim fans, but also keeping it very fashionable, because young girls were constantly messaging me. We want to see you in unique looks, we want to see your scarf done differently. So it was a very yeah, it was a very thin line to walk. Ramla has been modelling for two years and wanted to share some of her Industry Experiences with halima and tommy. I have been asked by a stylist if i could wear a cutout dress, and we had a whole argument about it, because i told them that i wasnt willing to wear something so revealing, and they just didnt understand. But its like, these brands are looking for that diversity when theyre marketing and putting out ads, but theyre not showing that same consideration Behind The Scenes, and itjust feels a little performative. And another time, i was asked by a photographer if i was willing to get changed in the middle of the park. And i was so shocked, because, im a hijabi, like. It just shows how far the industry has to go. I think its heartbreaking, because shes clearly trying to fit into this industry, but, you know, its sad that the stylist didnt recognise that they have a hijab wearing model, so shes not going to be comfortable wearing a cutup dress. What did you think about that . I think its outrageous, and i think its disrespectful. And i think its obviously, i shes working with someone without any empathy whatsoever, and that really angers me. Its embarrassing to be a part of a business, i a part of a community, that has such outrageously antiquated ideas, and not caring about the people. Theyre working with. You know, its interesting, because when i started out for modelling, i was really like, this is going to open the door for so many girls from my community. Id never got to experience flipping through a magazine and seeing somebody in a hijab, somebody i could relate to, so to be that person for other girls wasjust a dream come true. But, you know, the last two years especially, ive been having so much internal conflict with the other hijab wearing models coming up to me. And even what i saw, i was on a shoot once and there was another muslim hijab wearing girl, and so they gave me my box and they told her to go find a bathroom to change in. And so when i saw that we werent being treated equally, like, that never sat well with me. I totally understand that, and even though im disappointed you left. The industry, for selfish reasons, i understand it completely. Do you think it was a wake up call for the industry . I do. I think it was a wake up call for the industry because i think other brandsl and other designers would be saying what did we do wrong . And im surprised more models have not been vocal about it. Because theres been a lot of abuse and a lot of, i would say, disrespect in the Fashion Industryl between photographers and models. I really hope if i did anything the last four years is to give models the opportunity to know that they can speak up. I felt great pressure being the first muslim, hijab wearing model in the industry and i felt a sense of responsibility for the girls who followed in my footsteps. And so im hoping through my exit and how vocal i have been, theyre inspired to speak up on set. On a catwalk and in front of the camera, representation has been steadily improving. But the models here in the uk told me that Behind The Scenes it can often be a different story. My names naomi, im 21 years old and ive been in the industry for almost five years. I have actually been a part of so many diversity shoots where the team in front of the camera, all the models, have been so diverse. But the team or the production off camera or Behind The Scenes is dominantly white which makes it really difficult for them to work on different models, say, with different skin colour or different hair. And i always struggle with it, i always carry my own make up to sets. My name is kaeleen, im 23 years old, and ive been in the Modelling Industry for five years. Ive been on set at times where people didnt know how to work with my hair, people were scared to touch my hair. Theres never any products for my hair. Ive been on set where people have touched my body without my permission, where people have commented on my skin and how silky and soft it looks, ive had an Experience Modelling for a big publication and the editor came and actually patted my bum. Yikees. I mean, what do. You think of that . Wow, i think its very disheartening. These are young women and i feel like sometimes people think that theyre easy to exploit and fashion can be an industry thats very exploitive. But i would say, again, this is another reason why there needs to be diversity with the make up crew, the hairstylists, and so its notjust about having a diverse catwalk, its also, what about the people Behind The Scenes . I think its outrageous, actually, and i think that it has to change. I hope i can be a leader. Of that change and i really believe that it comes from the top down. I the owners of these companies, the head of these companies, i because they can i make a difference. All they have to do is call the shots. All they have to do i is make the rulebook. Theres so much that goes on Behind The Scenes that has to be corrected. So, tommy, what are you doing to Champion Diversity within the Fashion Industry . Well, we created the peoples place program, named after my First Business, to embrace the Bipoc Community and unlock doors for talentedl people of colour who wouldnt ordinarily get the opportunity to really work for a big company or have mentorship. I really believe that having the programmes we have in place will enhance the situation. Why is it so personal to you . You know, 52 years ago, i i started my First Business when i was 18 years old, and from the very beginning, i wanted my brand to be for everyone and everybody, and when i launched the Tommy Hilfiger brand, i launched with the most. Diverse ad campaign i think america had ever seen. And when i started dressing the hip hop kids and the rappers. Aaliyah aaliyah. Beyonce when she was 16, before people knew who she was. Salt n pepa, tlc, puff daddy, snoop dogg. A lot of people came to me, said, do you want to dress those people . I said, oh, my god, its a compliment. Its. Do you realise what a compliment it was to me that they want to wear the clothes . It made may brand cooler and it made my brand relevant. Fashion brands around the world have pledged to improve diversity at all levels of their company. But a 2019 study of the beauty and Fashion Industry in the us found that almost three quarters of board of Director Positions were held by white men. Kaeleen has a question for tommy on what is he is doing to ensure representation across the board. My question to Tommy Hilfiger is, if youre educating your staff and Casting Directors as to what diversity really is. To answer the question, ive had, i would say, i knock down drag out fights with Casting Directors who have worked for us, stylists. Who have worked for us, who have told me that this girl doesnt belong on a runway. For certain reasons,. And i have said, look, my name is on the door. You work for me, werei doing what i want to do. Good for you. But how do we tackle the issue of diversity Behind The Scenes . So, board members. Like, how do we make sure thats also inclusive . Well, you set up rules and basically, you enforce the rules. So with my teams, i make sure that we are equally as diverse i and inclusive Behind The Scenes i as we are in front of the lens. I now lets here from ramla again. When brands cast me, it often feels like theyre well, you set up rules and basically, you enforce the rules. So with my teams, i make sure that we are equally as diverse i and inclusive Behind The Scenes i as we are in front of the lens. I now lets here from ramla again. When brands cast me, it often feels like theyre basically casting me because im black and muslim, and i tick both boxes, so it means that quotas done, they dont really have to worry about it, and its definitely reflected in the way that they cast hijabi models. You kind of see that the brands will cast one model for, like, the entire fashion week, or a certain sector of fashion and then theylljust like oh, 0k, we have the one, we dont really need any more because weve covered our quota. And i just wish that wasnt really how it is. And ive seen a lot of other brands where they have, i i dont know, six white models and then they put one personl of colour in. But when i cast people of colour in my showsl or on my runway, its. Because i choose them because its the real world. Did you feel like a token in any of the campaigns youve done in the past for others . Not necessarily a token but i understood that i checked many boxes. You know, on one hand im a somali american, im a petite model, 55. 5. You know, iam black, im muslim, i wear the hijab. So theres so much that makes up who i am. I think its time that Leave Tokenism in the past. Muslim, hijab wearing models, theyre no different than the other models on the runway or on set, you know, theyre really no different besides an article of clothing. And so how do we make them feel comfortable, make them feel like theyre part of the show, part of the campaign, in a way thats not checking, ticking a box . But youre going to go down in history as the one who made the difference. You know, i might have been the first model but thank the lord that im not the last, and theres so many young muslim girls who have since entered the industry who are paving the way themselves. Ive said it once and i will say it again here dont change yourself, change the game. And if anything, i want the girls to know halima i took one for the team. I sacrificed my career so that they could feel comfortable to speak up in any setting, and so i would want them or any model, you know, notjust muslim models, but really any woman in the industry, to feel safe and comfortable to voice her opinions, to know that she is part of the creative process. Youre notjust a mannequin, youre part of the team. I want to know whats next for you. What are you going to do next . I am looking at other industries and other fields that dont have a strong muslim women presence, and how could i break the mould again, just like i did with fashion. Like, how can i be the first, you know, in the film industry, writing a Childrens Book about the refugee crisis. So, the future is looking really bright and im excited for whats to come. What do you want your legacy to be . I want people to think that Tommy Hilfiger the brand i cared about others. I want to be known as someone who walked the walk, didnt just talk the talk. My hope is that the entire industry changes. And i know that i cannoti affect that change alone. I would like other executives to realise the importance of it. That goes from the top of the company to the bottom of the company. And itsjust not for the ad campaign. 0r itsjust notl for the runway. But it has to run like a river. Through the entire company. I hope we can have more conversations like this where youre inviting models to have a seat at the table, where it can be more collaborative, and above all, i want it to be inclusive, i want us to care about one another and for it to be genuine, on and off the runway. And so the future of fashion, its looking very. Promising. Good morning. Once again, sunday was a day of extreme. The highest temperature was in Northern Ireland with 28 celsius, but there was lots of sunshine for scotland, as you can see by this Weather Watcher picture. Northern ireland, northern england, and Northwest Wales were by contrast further south, theres quite a lot of cloud, and it certainly went downhill, the story, after lunchtime. This is a Weather Watcher picture sent in from kent, where there was a severe cluster of thunderstorms that developed, and it brought some localised flooding as well. And you can see the volume of Lightning Strikes too, stretching all the way down from east anglia over to the isle of wight. They slowly faded away and the area of low pressure is moving away as we speak. Now, that is going to continue to anchor itself up into the far northeast for the start of our monday morning. It will bring a fair amount of cloud across Eastern Scotland and northeast england, but its going to be a relatively quiet start to monday. Dry with some sunshine coming through, maybe a few isolated showers lingering for a time, but generally a better day. There will be a few showers developing through the afternoon, some of these possibly heavy and thundery, but they should be a little more interspersed in comparison to the weekend. Temperatures, well, with a little more sunshine, higher in england, with 26 celsius the high. But we will start to see more showers developing. From the west, moving into Northern Ireland, southwest wales, southwest england by the end of the day. Its a Weather Front thats going to move through, and the weather story changes as we go through the week. With low pressure anchored to the north and those winds swinging in a clockwise direction, it will be driving in more moisture, more cloud, and certainly more of a breeze on those exposed west facing coasts. So tuesday is really quite a messy picture, there will be a lot of cloud around, there will be some showers, and some of those showers thundery in nature once again. Im not going to be too clever about it, almost anywhere could catch a shower on tuesday and it could be quite heavy, and the temperatures well, they are going struggle, 15 21 celsius, sojust going below where they should be now for the time of year. The low pressure doesnt move very far at all throughout the week. We still keep this feed coming in off the atlantic, a cooler source, brisk wind as well, so that means it stays rather cool and showery. Indications of something a little better, though, as we head to the weekend. Take care. An industry thats very exploitive. This is bbc news. Im Sarah MulkerrinsLive In Tokyo on day three of the olympics. After a farcical false start in the mens trialthon, Kristian Blummenfelt picks up a gold medalfor norway. Adam peaty hopes to become the first british swimmer to retain an olympic title in the mens 100 metres breaststroke. Im Lewis Vaughanjones in london the rest of the days headlines. As dozens of Deadly Wildfires burn across the western united states, scientists warn they are creating their own weather systems. Tunisias president sacks his Prime Minister and Suspends Parliament after a day of protests against the governments handling of the covid pandemic