The ‘fake’ models putting Kim and Kendall out of work

French fashion brand Balmain are known for recruiting new faces to join their ‘Balmain Army’ each season.

We’ve seen the likes of highly sought-after A-listers such as Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian all feature in the luxury brand’s campaigns.

But this season, it’s unlikely you’ll recognise the new recruits.

That’s because they’re not real.

Balmain have revealed three CGI models who will make up their new ‘virtual army’ to show off their latest offerings.

The brainchild of the label, creative director Olivier Rousteing, used technology to create a virtual version of his #BalmainArmy.

The army consists of three models; Shudu, Margot and Zhi.

Shudu already has quite the impressive CV.  With the title of "the world’s first digital supermodel" to her name, she has modelled for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty dark skinned range and has amassed over 141,000 followers on Instagram.

While the other two models were created exclusively for Balmain.

All three models were designed by British photographer Cameron-James Wilson, and according to the press release, aim to reflect the brand's "unfettered celebration of inclusion."

"When my team and I saw the first generation of CGI models, we told ourselves that if this was the way the world was going, we wanted to ensure that diversity plays a strong part in that future," Rousteing wrote in a press release.

"Anyone and everyone is always welcome to join Balmain army’s growing ranks – they need only share our bold spirit of adventure as our new virtual icons, Margot, Shudu and Zhi who mirror the beauty, the rock style and the confident power," added Rousteing. 

While Rousteing insists the brand’s forward-thinking approach promotes diversity, critics argue Balmain could have hired real-life models of different colour and backgrounds for the campaign.

The fashion house has posted several images of the CGI models on their Instagram page, and the overhwleing majority of followers aren’t happy about it.

"Just hire real models of color. This is disgusting," commented one user.

"As if our ideals of beauty in this industry aren’t shitty enough already. You just gotta love a fake colored woman. What a joke," posted a follower.

"It's no longer just art when a male caucasian is profiting off creating ethic models who had it hard already working in the fashion space. Everyone start boycotting and reporting their handles," fumed another.

Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Prada and are just some of the other high-end brands using CGI model to promote their products.

Maybe Jenner should join her sister Kylie’s billion dollar beauty empire before she's out of a job.