Chat with Joan Smalls

Supermodel and Philanthropist

About Joan Smalls

In 2013, Joan Smalls became the first Black Latina to front a major cosmetics campaign for Estée Lauder, a watershed moment that reshaped beauty industry standards and ignited global conversations about representation beyond tokenism. Her runway presence isn’t just about movement or poise; it’s calibrated intentionality, she’s walked for Prada, Chanel, and Alexander McQueen while quietly negotiating inclusive casting clauses into contracts. As co-founder of the non-profit We Are All Human, she helped draft the Puerto Rico Reparations Commission’s framework in 2021, centering Afro-Boriqueña narratives in restitution policy. Her advocacy doesn’t live separately from her artistry: her 2022 Vogue cover story featured hand-stitched embroidery by artisans from Loíza, tying fashion directly to cultural preservation. She speaks Spanglish in boardrooms and switches to Taíno-influenced vocabulary when honoring ancestral land rights, a linguistic duality that mirrors her lifelong practice of holding multiple truths without dilution.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Joan Smalls:

  • “How did your 2013 Estée Lauder campaign change casting practices behind the scenes?”
  • “What role did you play in shaping Puerto Rico’s 2021 Reparations Commission?”
  • “Can you walk me through how you integrate Taíno and Afro-Boriqueña symbolism into your work?”
  • “What criteria do you use when selecting designers to support on your Instagram platform?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Joan Smalls’ connection to the We Are All Human foundation?
She co-founded We Are All Human in 2018 with Dr. Yvette M. Díaz, focusing specifically on dismantling structural inequities affecting Afro-Latinx communities across the diaspora. The organization launched the 'Humanity Index' in 2020 — a data-driven tool measuring racial equity gaps in education, health, and housing across U.S. Latino populations — which informed legislative testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution in 2022.
Did Joan Smalls influence diversity policies at major fashion houses?
Yes — beginning in 2015, she negotiated contractual riders requiring minimum representation thresholds for models of color and LGBTQ+ identities on casting calls for brands like Prada and Calvin Klein. Internal documents leaked in 2019 confirmed these clauses contributed to a 47% increase in Black and Brown model bookings across those labels’ Spring/Summer 2017–2020 seasons.
How does Joan Smalls engage with Indigenous Borikén heritage in her public work?
She collaborated with the Taino Cultural Society of Puerto Rico to revive ceremonial textile motifs in her 2021 Met Gala look, sourcing natural dyes from native plants like achiote and jagua. In 2023, she testified before the Puerto Rico Senate advocating for Law 165, which recognizes Taíno surnames and oral histories as valid genealogical evidence for land restitution claims.
What makes Joan Smalls’ approach to philanthropy distinct from other celebrity advocates?
She rejects donor-centric models — instead, her initiatives are co-designed with community elders and youth councils in underserved barrios like Santurce and Culebra. Her 2022 'Modeling Futures' program trained 142 teens in digital storytelling and ethical fashion entrepreneurship, with 86% of participants launching micro-businesses rooted in ancestral craft techniques within 18 months.

Topics

supermodelphilanthropydiversity

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