Magnolia Pictures debuted the official trailer for Invisible Beauty, a new documentary on Bethann Hardison, pioneering Black model, modeling agent and single-mother to actor Kadeem Hardison.
Through rich archival material, the documentary spans from the liberating 60s with its “Black is Beautiful” mantra, to the 1980s downtown art scene with friends Keith Haring and Basquiat, the Black Girls Coalition in 1988 — and never-before-seen raw footage of Hardison’s 2007 town hall meetings that shook the fashion industry by sounding the alarm about diversity. Hardison fearlessly reveals the intimate details of her personal journey as a single mother, a Black owner in a white industry, a fierce truth teller and relentless believer in the power of racial integration.
Release Date
Co-directed by Hardison along with Frédéric Tcheng, Invisible Beauty world premiered at Sundance Film Festival and opens in theaters in New York on September 15, then in Los Angeles on September 22, followed by nationwide release on September 29.
Synopsis
An essential memoir of fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison, Invisible Beauty shines a spotlight on the singular and unapologetic Hardison, one of the fashion industry’s most influential icons who, as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent and entrepreneur, has pushed the boundaries of fashion culture and has been at the forefront of progress throughout her career. In her lifetime, Hardison has seen the pendulum swing toward and away from the Black model. At every setback, she spoke up and rallied her colleagues and clients in the industry to advance change. Now in her 70s, the Brooklyn native is writing her memoir, taking stock of her own legacy at a moment when the fashion industry was shaken by discrimination.
In Invisible Beauty, Tcheng and Hardison trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s.
Featuring intimate interviews with luminaries including Iman, Tyson Beckford, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, Fran Lebowitz, Pat Cleveland, Naomi Campbell, and Stephen Burrows, Invisible Beauty is an absorbing record of the racial evolution of fashion and an original contemplation on the life of an unparalleled trailblazer.
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Invisible Beauty.