Maria Borges Makes Style.com’s “Top 10 New Models of Fall 2013″ List

Maria Borges has graced 37 runway shows for the Fall 2013 fashion season, ranking the 20-year-old Angolan model at #5 on Style.com’s Top 10 New Models of Fall 2013 .

The fresh face is one of very few of color we’re seeing cast for shows in an industry which is continuously being called out for racism and prejudice , mostly recently by models Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman .

Read why she was chosen for Style.com’s list below:

Let’s be real here: It’s insanely difficult to make it in this industry, but even more so if you’re a model of color—particularly when influential labels such as Balenciaga, Lanvin, Jil Sander, and Louis Vuitton, for starters, didn’t cast a single black model in their lineups this season. Proving she didn’t need their help anyway, Borges racked up an impressive show list, making memorable appearances at Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Sister by Sibling, Kenzo, and Givenchy, to name just a few.

While we’d love to think so much has changed, 82% of the models used by all brands throughout New York Fashion Week were white, 9.1% were Asian, 6% Black, 2% Latina.