Fashion + Diversity
Diversity is any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one to another. It’s the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc. But in fashion, it’s about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin. We live in a society whose fabric is diversity, but does the fashion industry reflect this? Does fashion truly celebrate what makes us different?
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Chanel Ignites Controversy Upon Appointing its First Head of Diversity and Inclusion Chief
Throughout the past few years, diversity and inclusion has become the pinocle point of importance for most industries, particularly the fashion industry. Mitú reports the fashion industry is notorious for safeguarding and creating “a lack of diversity in its designers, models and photographers.” Trailing the steps of major luxury brands, French fashion house Chanel appoint its first Head of Diversity and Inclusion. According to Business of Fashion, Fiona Pargeter will be taking on this new role. Pargeter’s previous role was Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Swiss Bank UBS in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A variety of luxury fashion houses such as Gucci, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana have testified and claimed to…
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How Diverse Costume Design Has an Impact Both On and Off the Screen
I spent a recent birthday enjoying one of the most beloved of British traditions: afternoon tea. My family around me, we guzzled down rounds of tea and Viennese coffee, held tiny sandwiches between our fingers and ate miniature scones, and then another, and another. Meanwhile, at a table on the other side of the room, a large group of African women in their traditional choir dress sat together and began to drum on the table, their voices joining in soon after. This meeting of two very different cultural pastimes was a sight for the eyes. Even today, in a country that claims to be a multicultural one, sights like the…
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Goodbye plastic mannequins
Fashion is the world of creativity, art and style. A world to be ourselves by showing our identity through our appearance. Sadly, its approach is so heavily focused on visual aesthetics, so its history is encased in a dark cloud of poor representation and diversity. However, social media has adapted fashion’s traditional methods and is adhering to society’s dialogue about demanding realistic representations. People with disabilities face many barriers within fashion, but, their voices are helping to re-shape ingrained representations. Here’s how an image conscious industry has taken conscious steps to an all-inclusive world. Holding up the mirror Do you ever ask yourself, but what would that look like on…
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Diverse Fashion: Let Your Freak Flag Fly
When I think of diversity, I do not necessarily go to the normal categories. Race, sexuality, gender, age, disability, and many others can seem, on occasion, not universal enough for people to discuss on a broader scale. When I think of diversity I think of the self, how each person, no matter their age, creed, hopes or dreams, is different and how we can make our individuality who we are. People are not all that different once we start wearing our true face on the outside. Everyone knows a little about themselves and therefore can determine their own style. Everyone can create their own diverse fashion. Frivolity: How fancy free…
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Fashion + Diversity – Are Brands Doing Enough?
Slowly, and steadily the fashion industry is becoming more diverse, but there is still a long way to go. If I asked you to name any models you could, you would probably give me names like Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner, and Cara Delevingne. What do all these women have in common? They’re all tall, skinny white women. If I asked you to name any models who don’t fit this description, how many could you name? In 2018, a report said that out of 7,608 models 32.5% were people of colour. Within the past decade, the industry has taken baby steps to be more inclusive. But we are still at the…
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The Fighting of Text Book Diversity and Those Who Defined the Odds to Inspire Us
Diversity is used everyday. Do we really know the meaning of it and how to practice it? Businesses use it to make a role vacancy appealing but delving deeper than this opens up the discussion. For me personally, diversity is about where we came from and where we want to go, our stories are all unique. As Malcom Forbes said “diversity, the art of thinking independently together.” A Social Background A person’s social background is a huge part of what diversity means. Your social background does not determine how your life ends up and fashion seems to define the odds of your class status. The clothes you wear today probably…
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The Long and Winding Road: Fashion Brands’ Journey to Diversity
The fashion industry has changed in many ways during the last few decades. Although the evolvement of fast fashion has resulted in a variety of complexities, some positive developments have occurred as well. Slowly, the fashion product offer has begun to diversify and serve more than one or two body types. More recently, the marketing of fashion has allowed a more diverse range of models to be seen by consumers. Narrow size ranges Many fashion brands from high street to luxury have had a narrow clothing size offer in the past. Those size ranges have not reflected the needs of many fashion consumers. By choosing to offer clothes in sizes…
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When Will Adaptive Clothing Become the New Normal?
The fashion industry has made noticeable progress with its level of diversity but the disabled market is still significantly underrepresented. From catwalk shows to marketing campaigns to shopping on the high-street, disabled consumers are often forgotten, despite the fact they want to be just as stylish as the rest of us. Over 13.9 million people are disabled in the UK alone, of which many have significant spending power. So why have nearly all fashion brands chosen to ignore this huge sector of the market? With consumers becoming more woke and only aligning with brands that offer diversity and inclusivity, adaptive clothing could soon be crucial to a brand’s success. The…
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No Secret that Victoria’s Secret Was Desperate for a Change
Calling for Change We live in challenging times when almost everything is being questioned and asked for change. It does not matter whether we look at politics, sport or simply just the way of living, everything seems to be facing an important question. Is this enough? Are we doing it right? Not even the fashion industry got spared when it comes to big changes. Maybe it is because fashion is something that is more or less accompanying us for our whole life. Some might not realise that, but fashion and lifestyle are affecting the way others see us as a person, the way the society is accepting us. Yes, it…
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Reminder: the Fashion Industry STILL Lacks Inclusivity…
Race Vogue magazine in a 2019 article stated that “The 2010s were a watershed moment for diversity in fashion”. The article boldly argues that all elements of the industry have opened its doors in the past decade to minorities with no segment of the business left untouched. Although the article references Balmain’s and Louis Vuitton’s appointment of Oliver Rousting and Virgil Abloh as valid examples of ways that the industry has recently welcomed people of colour to take center stage, it’s suggestion that the industry should be praised for its efforts to diversify is wrong. Yes, the Black Lives Matter movement has prompted many within fashion to take the necessary…
