Top photographer Alexi Lubomirski despaired that most of his models were white, young and pin thin.So his latest project celebrates beauty in all its shapes, shadesand ages.He talksSi??n Ranscombe through some of his favourite shots

If you picked up a magazine from 10 ??? or even five ??? years ago, you???d notice that nearly all of the models would fit one certain beauty ideal: young and Caucasian.

Fast-forward to 2016, though, and it seems that the fashion and beauty industry is gradually waking up to the idea of a broader range of looks in magazines and campaigns.

The model vetoes would keep coming: too freckly, too big, hair too crazy

In the beauty world specifically, the past year or so has seen brands such as L???Or??al Paris and Marc Jacobs Beauty signing 69-year-old Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange, now 67, to front campaigns ??? showing that beauty doesn???t have to sit in a 20-something age bracket.

But for one particular New York-based photographer, Alexi Lubomirski, this change isn???t happening quickly enough.

On a shootwith the Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong???o last year, Lubomirski was taken aback when the actress turned to himafter shooting and said that he had tomake sure her skin wasn???t lightened inpost-production.???I was bemused at first,as I didn???t think skin-lightening inpost-production happened,??? he tells us.

It was a nice change for the models to be themselves and not have to fit into another box

???Then I looked through my archive and noticed there was a percentage of peopleI???d shot with darker skin, who had been lightened before the magazine had published the photographs.???

Lubomirski began to recall times in which his requests to shoot certain models had been denied:???Over the years, ahead of shooting a one-model story for a magazine or campaign, I???d give them my list of the10 models I wanted and the first two to get knocked off the list would be the African girls,??? he recalls.???They???d say, ???We love her but??????They would say she was too dark or, if she was lighter-skinned, that she was ???too light to make a statement,??? which I found completely bizarre.???The vetoes would keep coming: too freckly, too big, hair too crazy.???Invariably, you???d end up with the two Caucasian girls you shoot all the time anyway,??? says Lubomirski.

For any model about whom someone had said, ???She???s too something,???I want to celebrate that something

He says things are starting to change ??? butnot quickly enough.???We are beginningto see more diversity ??? an H&M campaign featuring a girl in a hijab, for example??? but it???s sprinkled.Every monthin magazines there should be a representation of our world.???

And so the seed for his new book,Diverse Beauty, was planted.???I wanted todo a book with no boundaries,??? he says.???For any model about whom anyone had ever said, ???She???s too something,???I wanted to celebrate that ???something???.The rangeof beauty in the fashion industry goesfrom one to three, whereas the rangeof beauty in the world goes from one to 100.???

Meet the models breaking down barriers within the fashion industry- models diversity

The book is comprised of shots takenover a three-day period, and also uses images of subjects he had shot previously, including Lupita Nyong???o, who wrotethe foreword.

Proceeds will go to Concern Worldwide, an anti-poverty charity for which Lubomirski is an ambassador.But he believes the book only scratches the surface:???It???s a message book,??? he says.???But it should just be a book.We need to see more diversity.???

Meet the six stars of Diverse BeautyMichelle Harper

???Beauty is about being comfortable in your skin and not being afraid of the way you look because it???s not represented in magazines,??? says Lubomirski.And it couldn???t be more true for the Colombian brand consultant Michelle Harper, who has become known for her directional haircuts and fantastical dress sense.

Clocking up an Instagram fan baseof more than 80k followers, Harper has her own signature take on surrealist, quirky beauty.???We were trying to find as many interesting looks as possible,to try to cover a broad spectrum.It was about finding interesting girls who own their look,??? says Lubomirski.???Michelle certainly fits the bill.???

Lauren Wasser

It was a severe case of toxic shock syndrome in 2012 that led the model Lauren Wasser, then 24, to have her right leg amputated.The condition, which can be caused by using tampons, sparked such a high fever in Wasser she had to be put into an induced coma.While medicated, her leg became so infected that it needed to be amputated.

Following her recovery, Wasser was convinced she would never model again ??? but made a comeback earlier this year at New York Fashion Week, walking the catwalk for label Chromat.She now campaigns to raise awareness of toxic shock syndrome.

???Being part of this shoot was quite empowering for the models, as it was a nice change for them to be themselvesand not have to fitinto another box,???says Lubomirski.

Philomena Kwao

There???s much more than meets the eye to the Ghanaian-British model Philomena Kwao.If she wasn???t modelling, she???d be putting her first-class degree in International Health Management from Imperial College London to good use, and working with the Government on policy for the NHS.

???Philomena is out of this world,??? enthuses Lubomirski.???She has this presence about her and she owned the room when she walked in. Sheloved this project andI love this picture because it???s so richin everything.Her personality just shines through.???

Linda Rodin

She may be 68 years old, but Linda Rodin is still one of the most glamorous fashion faces you???re likely to come across.The stylist, who has worked for everyone from Harper???s Bazaar to Victoria???s Secret over her 40-year career, has now taken on the beauty world, too.

Her own line of covetable face and body oils now has a permanent spot in the bathroom cabinets of everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Alexa Chung.???I have always been a fan of Linda???s, and would always be amazedwhen I saw her,??? says Lubomirski.???I wanted this book to include all ages, so she was perfect.???

Lupita Nyong???o

The 33-year-old star was raised in Kenya and began acting after attending university in America.She hit the big time in 2013, when she was cast as alead in Steve McQueen???s historical drama 12 Years a Slave, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Growing up, Lupita says her outlook on beauty was negative ??? she always felt excluded from it.But that changed when she sawthe model Alek Wek in a magazine; the first dark-skinned woman who looked like her.???Until then, if she was to believe the pictures in the magazines, her look was not aspirational or beautiful,???Lubomirski says.