Legendary R&B singer Erykah Badu has been signed as the face of the Givenchy Spring 2014 ad campaign in reaction to a fashion industry tendency to use predominantly white models on the runway.

The label’s creative director Riccardo Tisci said that, though unexpected, Badu’s casting in the campaign makes perfect sense since she was one of the inspirations behind the collection it features. Tisci’s decision to use Badu represents more than just an unexpected casting choice. For Tisci, it is also a deliberate move to introduce more faces of color into the fashion fold.

Riccardo Tisci’s Spring 2014 collection for Givenchy was inspired by the traditional costumes of Africa and Japan.