“To say a black square is not enough is an understatement,” says Georgia Medley, a stylist and junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar UK, reflecting on the criticism that many infamously non-diverse fashion brands were hit with last month when they chose to post a black square in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, but without making any real promises for change.
“This in itself just shows that the problem is much bigger than us,” she continues. “We are fighting against a system of constant oppression. There is a psyche, that has been embedded into the mind of the white man for hundreds of years, that Black people are less than human. These brands are being criticised for performative allyship because it seems as if they are just being reactive to another trending topic.”
“It was crazy to see companies famous for being non-inclusive suddenly stand with the Black community,” adds Natasha Fernandes Anjo, a designer and founder of the eco-friendly brand Roop. “We don’t need an empty statement or another T-shirt made by underpaid POC garment workers – we need them to apologise and move forward with positive intentions. So many Black-owned brands and small businesses have been the ones to raise funds and awareness over the last few weeks, the burden of change shouldn’t lie with the ones who aren’t doing anything wrong.”
The fashion designer Tyrell Harriott told us he found this performance from some brands “very sad”.
“Completely changing your Instagram feed to Adut Akech and Naomi Campbell for a few weeks doesn’t change anything. [These brands] want to keep their Black audience happy for now, but they’re just going to end up returning to the Eurocentric vibe they have always veered towards.”
Vania Leles, the founder and creative director of the diamond label Vanleles agrees: “It’s incredibly sad that what happened is being used to self-serve without any soul searching or meaningful desire to change.”
Meanwhile, the diamond dealer and jeweller Thelma West argues that although this performative behaviour has been rife, brands are no longer able to get away with it in the manner that they once could: “Artificial allyships are ever present but it is getting more difficult for brands to hide behind empty statements. They should and will be held accountable.”
It couldn’t be clearer from the outcry on social media that hollow promises and empty words will no longer be tolerated when addressing the rampant racial inequality within the fashion industry. To begin to move forward, brands need to address their own actions and apologise, Medley says, before devoting time, energy and money to making real change from within their organisations.
“It is much better to admit and apologise that you are a product of the system which has worked in your favour and at the expense of Black lives,” she says. “Instead [of making performative statements], express that you will be educating yourself to begin to make structural changes, donate to Black-owned businesses and champion Black voices.”
For this to happen on a grand scale, all parties need to accept that systemic racism exists within fashion. It cannot be ignored.
“Systemic racism still eats deep into the fabric of the industry,” West explains. “It is embedded and interwoven in many fashion institutions. This needs to be understood not by some, but by all, for the real work to begin. Acknowledging the long history behind our current issues and committing to dismantle systemic racism within their organisations, accepting that this societal problem is also a serious business problem.”
Racism is embedded into the building blocks of the industry, West adds. “Black designers face a grand structural problem in the fashion industry. It’s built on a culture of exclusivity and elitism – a structure where we simply do not find that we have access to the same basic tools and resources our white counterparts have. This portrays the very obvious message, ‘You don’t belong’.”
Medley argues that the entire narrative we see and consume in fashion is a racist one, which is a result of these structures.
“One of the biggest problems we face today is the narrative, which has been constantly spread to the masses, that portrays Black people as less than or not worthy of things that we as a people have every right to, especially when we have worked extremely hard to get them,” she says.
“The fashion industry, being one of the tools used to present this narrative through news, editorials, shows and campaigns comes from the lack of appointments of Black people in senior positions at fashion houses, publishing companies and PR/creative agencies. It’s been a constant fight to have the opportunities to tell our stories and have our narrative be shared with a wider audience than our own.”
Part of this narrative includes the language that is used around the Black creatives who do manage to make it in the industry, and the way many are pigeonholed into certain categories within fashion.
“I think the biggest problem would definitely be visibility,” Harriott says. “When you think of Black designers, only the few mega names come to mind – the Virgils and the Kanyes. I feel in order to be taken seriously as a Black fashion designer, one has to have close celebrity ties or a connection to music, so that it feels more connected to ‘culture’.”
Fernandes Anjo also notes that this has historically kept Black designers out of mainstream success: “It’s the language used around Black- and brown-owned brands. When Rihanna’s Fenty won the ‘Urban Luxe’ prize at the Fashion Awards, on the face of it that’s incredible, but when you pick it apart, it feels tokenistic and it keeps POC designers out of the wider fashion conversation and industry.”
Black designers who don’t necessarily fit into these categories feel alienated in the industry, with every day being a constant struggle.
“In most of my 20 years working as a diamond dealer, I was the only Black person in the room,” West says. “My coping mechanism is, ‘I don’t notice’, but really, it’s lonely, especially as I have been and continue to be subjected to many subtle and unsubtle forms of racism. Thriving and enjoying running my businesses the best I can through the mental exhaustion that comes with the racism I face daily takes too much energy and incredible effort.”
These subtle and unsubtle forms of racism are not just felt by the Black people who work within the industry, but also by consumers who see brands consistently putting out offensive work.
“We have seen a lot of cultural appropriation happening over the past few years within the industry,” Medley says. “Whether it be the theme for catwalk shows, advertising campaigns, hairstyles or even the designs themselves. There is a conversation that needs to be had with a diverse group of Black people and POCs before presenting such ideas that have been inspired by our cultures to a mass audience.”
Appropriating a culture that is not understood by the people making the decisions is a direct result of not having enough – if any – Black people in top positions.
“I think it really shows which companies actually have Black people in those creative rooms because there is no way that a Black peer would say, ‘Let’s just make it Black’,” Harriott says. “I feel that companies don’t understand what Black people want and that is inclusion. It’s not just a pretty Black girl – we want models, editors, stylists, set designers and photographers to have a seat at the table – that’s all!”
“Hiring Black creatives in those bigger board-room positions would give them an equal platform to be able to give feedback on the bigger picture and that way we can prevent these cultural-appropriation ‘accidents’ from happening,” he adds.
Cheslie Kryst, the attorney, activist and the current Miss USA, argues too that there is no hope for real tangible change to take place if Black people are not included in these top positions.
“The problem lies with lack of representation in every area of fashion and, until we have more diverse decision-makers in powerful positions who advocate for Black voices being heard, Black needs being met and Black representation seen, it is hard to expect measurable, lasting change.”
West draws the comparison to how business practices have changed as a consequence of feminism and more recently the #MeToo movement, in that certain behaviours are just no longer deemed acceptable.
“I cannot stress how important it is for Black people to be represented at board level – role models are key to driving change,” West says. “I am and have always been a champion of women being adequately represented at board level and we can see the positive changes that has had. I am not saying we have finished that fight, but it’s a fight we are on our way to winning and should fuel us with the right energy to fight racial inequality now.”
Adequate representation in senior positions has the power to transform a company and an industry but, for this to happen, a laidback approach cannot be taken. It is on businesses to proactively seek out change now, Kryst argues.
“Each facet of the fashion industry should assess where Black creative voices have been missing and actively search for Black people to fill these voids. Far too often, employers rely on organic change, which simply won’t happen in an industry notorious for racism and exclusion,” she says.
“No Black photographers used in your magazine or featured on its cover? Find them. No Black designers sold in your store? Dedicate space specifically for them. Be intentional about searching for and using Black people in your business because Black people are not charity cases who need sympathy; our skills, perspectives and experiences are invaluable because they have been under-utilised for far too long.”
John Lamparski
“Businesses should be looking inward at their infrastructures and actively learning and educating themselves on what these systems are and have always been – and then looking into how they can change this,” Medley says. “They should be finding Black voices within the industry to listen to – editors, writers, stylists, designers, assistants, interns – there should be Black representation for each of these roles when these conversations are taking place. Once things have been discussed in depth, actions need to be made to create long-lasting change.”
West explains that to include more Black people in senior positions at a board level does not have to be seen as a far-in-the-future goal, it can be acted on immediately.
“A lot of brands will say they struggle to find competent candidates from diverse backgrounds, making it an impossible target for immediate change – but a diverse board for the largest corporations is actually much easier and possible in the short term. The pool is large enough for brands to appoint the few required skilled and competent individuals to their boards who then will help the organisation internally and externally. It needs to start from the top.”
Another immediate change that needs to take place is addressing racism within company culture. Ngozi Okaro is the executive director at Custom Collaborative, a New York Women’s Foundation grantee partner, and an entrepreneurship and workforce-development programme that supports and trains women from low-income and immigrant communities to launch fashion careers and businesses. She argues: “For those within the fashion industry who want to solve racial inequality, my advice would be to confront and address racism and commit to ant-racist workspaces.”
“Brands must promote a culture of diversity within organisations without falling into a bureaucratic hole,” West adds. “Come to the table and be prepared to have some uncomfortable and difficult conversations – and keep in mind that it is all too easy to give up and slide back into that snug, untroubled world.”
And, as much as change must start from the top, most Black fashion creatives will also stress that support from the very beginning is key to have any kind of success in moving forward with this issue.
“As a leader of a non-profit that lifts Black women up in the industry, there are tough challenges to overcome, including insufficient capital and insufficient networks to access significant capital,” Okaro explains. “Racism devalues Black work and imagination – investing in Black women is a critical step towards dismantling this system.”
“Access to capital is fundamental,” West says, describing it as a “herculean hurdle” for Black creatives to overcome. “With a lot of Black people coming from less privileged backgrounds, the door is usually slammed in their face with fewer opportunities available. While others are just realising it, we have known for a long time that equality of opportunities given to all and not just to one privileged group is not the reality of our existence.”
Rene Macdonald, the creative director of Lisou, says that “opportunity means support”.
“There are many Black fashion designers who never get the chance to even be in the room. They lack the necessary funding and on top of that, all too often they have families like my own who, while being loving parents, are more likely to push them towards academia, rather than creative endeavours.”
Investing in young Black fashion talent is therefore key for more Black creatives to rise up the ranks and another way to support them is to change the manner in which companies have always valued potential candidates – broaden the recruitment process, West says.
“Instead of hiring by past experience which fits the usual narrative, hire by skills. Brands need to be open to taking risks by hiring someone who is bright, has the right attitude and the right skillset but not necessarily the experience. Widen the potential by allowing people to learn on the job. This is a format I trust as I employ this strategy when I hire.”
Zoe Law
All of these tangible steps outlined above make a great starting point for bringing more Black people into the fashion industry, in more visible and powerful positions. And, although the system certainly won’t change overnight, these are strides towards real change that can be taken now, to turn this momentum into something significant for Black people working in and consuming fashion.
“Fashion plays an enormous role in shaping how we are viewed and valued as Black people,” West says. “Yes, it is that deep. If you do not keep the conversation going, we risk that these large groups of people will continue to be devalued in years to come. We must protect ourselves, our children and the unborn generations from the dehumanisation of racism in all its forms.”
What seems painfully clear is that, as Macdonald says: “Doing nothing is no longer an option. Silence is complicity.”
“Brands have been called to step up and face what they have been avoiding for so long,” Leles adds. “People want more equality, better love and to celebrate and give opportunity to the minority for their talent, resilience and creativity.”
“White supremacy has enabled white people to have a head start in life,” Medley says. “We have put up with it for too long. It has allowed white people to gain their seats very quickly, escalating up the ladder of the industry. Everyone should understand now that this is coming to an end.”
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