The Future of the Fashion Industry
The fashion industry is known to be everchanging, always adapting, and is quite literally one of the biggest industries that exists. Although the industry is constantly adapting to the trends, it has faced quite a lot of criticism for its lack of inclusivity. However, times are changing, and people are demanding lasting change within the industry. In order to bring this about, the 15% Pledge and Black in Fashion Council have launched and in case you haven’t heard about them I’m going to give you the rundown.
The 15% Pledge:
Photo: 15percentpledge.org
The 15% Pledge was founded by Aurora James, who is the Creative Director of Brother Vellies and is based in New York City. As a Black woman herself, the pledge came about while she was watching brands post about how they stand in solidarity with the Black community. While she was noticing the gestures, James felt that she wanted to see more than just a post to truly feel their solidarity. So she thought about how Black people make up 15% of the population in this country, so Black people should make up 15% of these retailers’ buying power as well. That’s exactly what the pledge is. By taking the pledge, a retailer is promising to make a conscious effort to make sure Black-owned businesses make up a minimum of 15% of its shelf space. This stance in solidarity, according to James, will not only help boost the businesses of the Black community, but will also be money going back to the Black community. This is due to the fact that female Black entrepreneurs, and Black business owners in general, have been known to invest money back into their communities, so retailers supporting Black owned businesses in this way is a much bigger donation than a one time donation to a charity.
While the pledge seems simple, it’s actually a promise that takes time to achieve.
The pledge comes with 3 steps:
Step 1: calls for retailers to calculate the percentage of shelf space that is currently given to Black owned businesses and suppliers.
Step 2: Asks the retailer to think about why exactly this gap and disparity exists in the company, and how they can address this issue and move forward by giving more shelf space to Black owned businesses. This includes formulating concrete steps that they can now take. Then, they need to publish their findings both internally and externally.
Step 3: Now the retailer must take action by publishing their plan of action stating exactly how they plan to increase their percentage of Black owned businesses to support, hold themselves accountable, and remain transparent with their pledge. But, most importantly, they now need to follow through with their promise.
So far, the list of companies who have taken the pledge includes:
Sephora, Rent the Runway, West Elm, Violet Grey, Heyday Skincare, Nox Shop, Ban.Do, Who What Wear, Threads Styling, and The Goods Mart
Black in Fashion Council
Photo: Black in Fashion Council
The Black in Fashion Council was launched in August and was co-founded by Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, and PR specialist, Sandrine Charles. As we can all recognize, the industry has addressed inclusivity issues, but has never really committed to long-term change. With that realization in mind, Wagner and Charles launched the council with 400 Black professionals of the industry in order to be the voices of change in the mission towards inclusivity and equality.
Companies that join the council will basically be committing to at least 3 years in order to bring about real, long term change. When a company signs on with the Black in Fashion Council, it will be able to work with the board members who come from a variety of areas of the industry, to really look at the company’s culture and employee experiences in order to make real changes towards a more inclusive and supportive employee experience. The Council will then put out an annual report card that will be based on campaign diversity, data about employee representation, corporate culture, etc to come up with an overall index score that will be publicly accessible. The Council is also providing a list of individuals that companies can hire in order to diversify their staff. The first equality index score will be released in June of 2021.
This Council is a really big step in the right direction for the industry. The Council is a group of people who truly want to work with companies not only to recognize mistakes, but also bring about change. The Council is providing companies with the opportunity to take accountability and to change with grace which will inevitably bring about true positive change for the industry.
Brands that are committing to working with the Council include:
Athleta, Banana Republic, BFA, Birchbox, Brandon Maxwell, Browns Fashion, Creative Artists Agency, Calvin Klein, Cartier, Conde Nast, Depop, DNA Models, Everlane, Fashionista.com, Farfetch, Fred Segal, Gap, Glossier, Heroes Models, Hill City, Jolie Hunt Potter, Intermix, Janie and Jack, Loreal, Man Repeller, Moda Operandi, Myra Swim, Old Navy, Prabal Gurung, PVH Corp, Stadium Goods, Tamara Mellon, Tiffany & Co., The Knot, The Real Real, Tommy Hilfiger, Universal Standard, and Project Kendall.
These are initiatives that are working to truly bring about real change through accountability and partnership.
While companies across the industry are taking steps to change, it is important that we as consumers start practicing conscious spending. One of the biggest ways we, as consumers, can bring about change in this industry is by watching where we choose to spend our money. Knowing what a brand’s mission is, and what they’re doing to bring about equality in their company is your power, because that knowledge gives you the choice to consciously support a company who’s morals align with your own.