Photographer Alexi Lubomirski, best known for capturing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official engagement portraits, is now joining the Duchess of Sussex in speaking out against racial bias — this time within the fashion industry.
In a revealing report shared by Daily Mail’s Richard Eden on June 24, Lubomirski opened up about his personal experiences with discrimination behind the scenes of the fashion world. His testimony sheds light on a troubling culture of bias that mirrors the racism Meghan Markle previously claimed to have experienced within the royal family.
“Black Girls Don’t Carry High Fashion” — A Shocking Claim
Lubomirski recalled being told by a senior magazine editor that “Black girls don’t carry high fashion,” a statement that stunned him and exposed the deep-rooted prejudice in the industry. The remark was one of many subtle and overt discouragements he received whenever he pushed for more diversity in his work.
His awareness of the problem sharpened after a photoshoot with Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. According to Lubomirski, Lupita made a heartfelt request: “Can you make sure, when they’re retouching the photos, they don’t lighten my skin?” That moment deeply impacted him and led him to review past editorial work.
Photo Editing and Representation Bias
As Lubomirski looked back on his previous projects, he noticed a “definite difference” between the raw images he submitted and the retouched versions published by major fashion magazines. In most cases, the changes reflected a clear bias toward Eurocentric beauty standards, with noticeable alterations to the models’ skin tones.
He also highlighted the lack of opportunities for photographers to work with women of color, sharing that when he approached editors about it, they dismissed the idea by saying, “It comes down to economics… we’re going to sell 40 percent fewer copies.”
Parallels to Meghan Markle’s Royal Revelations
These experiences align closely with Meghan Markle’s own claims of racial prejudice, which she first made public during her explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the sit-down, the Duchess alleged that unnamed members of the Royal Family expressed “concerns” about her unborn son Archie’s skin tone. The comment, made before Archie’s birth, sparked global discussions on racism within the monarchy and beyond.
Now, with Lubomirski — someone closely associated with the Sussexes — echoing similar concerns in a different industry, the conversation about representation and racial bias continues to grow louder.
