Pop diva Rihanna says that being in the high-flying fashion industry is a ‘big deal’ for a black girl and that there should be new black models in fashion.

The Russian Roulette singer thinks her advertising campaign for fashion house Gucci was a big deal because it was such a break from convention.

It’s clear there are certainly fewer black women in the high-fashion industry. One of the things I esteemed most about Gucci was that they did a print campaign with me.

She even voiced her admiration for designers who go beyond the usual slender, white women models and promote diversity on the catwalk.

I respect designers who are not afraid to go outside the box. I went to a Jean Paul Gaultier show, and I saw girls who are thicker than me, gorgeous and voluptuous and different ethnicities.

Fashion is just like music a great way to demonstrate my creativity. Style and design are very imperative for my development as an artist and it’s of course extremely fun.

Manchester University’s BA graduates curved the 19th century crinoline into a 21st century must-have at Graduate Fashion Week in London tonight.

The REALLY big skirt is the big news. Skirts so broad and high they would have trouble receiving into a London taxi, sashayed down the catwalk at Earls Court 2 in every fabric from chiffon to sheep’s wool.

Jessica Nicol brought the show to a finale, with a vast, black chiffon ball-skirt, and shirts featuring massive cascade of sleeves and “gloves” falling from each shoulder. The collection owed much to Viktor & Rolf and Maison Martin Margiela, but was nevertheless creative.

Poppy Warwicker-Le Breton paid homage to Yohji Yamamoto’s giant designs of a decade or so ago, interlaced on broomsticks.