I recently had the honor of attending the FFA (Fashion For All) Foundation’s panel on diversity in the fashion industry hosted by Philip Lim. It was an incredible event that I feel very lucky to have been a part of, set against the atmosphere of the past election and our current political climate. It incorporated speakers from the CFDA, Harlem Row, Refinery 29, Pratt, Parsons, and Vogue, and was an answers-oriented panel in which speakers raised questions about current issues and the audience and panelists had an open discussion about solutions and related issues-- the overall consensus being that comfort and silence will not save this industry.
I actually hadn’t planned on writing about this event-- in fact I didn’t even take my notebook. I really wanted to be present and participate, and not just be face down scribbling away the entire time. However, I think I made it about fifteen minutes into the panel before I was tapping away in the notes on my phone. I just kept thinking this is it, this is what our industry needs more of.
Fashion is so often written off as trivial and fluffy and superficial-- why should anyone care about suede ankle boots when there are so many horrible things happening around the world that need our attention? (Such as the millions who are on the brink of starvation in Yemen and Somalia, and the unprecedented famine that is already taking its toll on East Africa-- you can find more info and a donation link via Oxfam America here. Or the fact that the administration is set to dismantle Net Neutrality-- sign petitions here and here). But the thing is, I’ve always been of the opinion that the fashion industry can contribute so much more than next season’s must-have clutch, and it was amazing to hear that validated and actualized by people with industry weight.
However, how can anyone take fashion seriously when it’s so whitewashed that it can’t even represent the majority? One of the biggest topics of discussion was the fact that race and fashion are undeniably intertwined. A large part of the current issues stems from the fact that most people aren’t aware of the history of the fashion business-- its evolution and the background of minorities in the industry. As someone who has studied fashion, it’s easy to take this knowledge for granted, however in order to start taking steps forwards there needs to be more cultural knowledge and a literacy of of systemic racism. You can’t talk about wanting to support sustainability and eco friendly fashion without discussing the historical suppression of people of color.
The FFA created their organization because they realized just how much the fashion community exists in its own bubble- and how that can be used to make positive changes. We [the fashion industry] make our own rules, so the old rules of society don’t need to apply. Fashion has the opportunity to become an example for other industries, more specifically, in that the fashion industry has a responsibility to reflect the diversity of America.
I’m going to sidebar here because I do need to acknowledge the fact that I am a white woman discussing diversity, and while studying in the field and seeing what my friends of color deal with on a regular basis has given me some small insight- racial discrimination is something that I have had the privilege of never really having to deal with. It wasn’t until I graduated highschool and moved away from my small hometown that I began seeing just how much of an issue this still is. And that is why events like this are so important. They provide opportunities to learn, and to hear from people whose experiences are wildly different from your own, and leave you with tools to try to become a part of a solution.
At the end of the day, fashion began as and remains a business-- fashion the way we know it did not begin to evolve until the ‘70s. It is undeniably built on consumers, so focus needs to be placed on changing consumer mindsets. Because you can’t force people into thinking how you wish they would, this change needs to happen organically. One of the best ways of doing this-- as it was discussed at the panel-- would be by having more people of color in the media to represent those who do not already have a seat at the table, as well as to highlight those of color already in these prominent positions.
One of my close friends here in New York got her start as a PR intern for a local boutique, and currently copywrites for one of the biggest fashion brands in history, and she did me the pleasure of weighing in with her personal experiences in the industry:
“I grew up reading magazines with women who didn’t remotely look like me. Sometimes it felt like they were everything I’m not. And it didn’t help when I was inevitably cast as resembling whichever Asian woman was present and relevant in the media at that time. Because let’s face it, she was and still is all I have.
I have mixed feelings about fashion because within the industry, I’ve found my strongest of strengths and simultaneously my lowest of lows. While admittedly, this business doesn’t give me what I feel is enough representation, what is has given me is a platform to evolve and discover what it looks like to feel like myself. To be my best self. To be someone I can only dream of being. And that will never not be validating and incredibly powerful.
With that, I may not feel discriminated against but regardless, I have a responsibility to uphold. To be a symbol for the woman I was always looking for myself.”
We have to become better at publicizing the diversity that we do have within the industry. It is unacceptable that in 2017, the “standard of beauty” promoted in the mainstream media is still so incredibly narrow. For example, think Elaine Welteroth at Teen Vogue, and how much that publication has grown in terms of content and visibility since her arrival. (For more information on how she has been revamping the publication, and the strides she has already taken in promoting diversity within the industry, check out this New York Times Magazine article from August).
Another thing that was discussed that I hadn’t given too much thought to before the panel was understanding representation in fashion in terms of the little details-- how the positioning of a model or the layout of an editorial can give subtle suggestions about beauty. Zara Rahim, the director of communications at Vogue, made a good point about the continued importance of having uncomfortable conversations and being the person to step up and ask, “Hey, why do we have no colored girls in this shoot?”
Bethann Hardison aso touched on the importance of this in Refinery 29’s Unstyled podcast, season 2, episode 7. Hardison walked in the Battle of Versailles, and was one of the first African American models on a European runway. In the podcast, Hardison touches on the fact that there has always been a cyclical nature to the fashion industry’s interest in diversity, and that the inherent racism is most often a result of carelessness or a lack of education. People simply don’t realize that they are not reflecting the diversity of our country; however just because it isn’t conscious racism doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be addressed-- you can’t just plop one colored girl into a shoot in order to check the diversity box.
So, all that said, we’re at a place right now where there is a lot of blame being passed around- and not just in fashion. There are conversations happening about discrimination in terms of race, age, and sex; about body shaming vs. body positivity; and thank god, finally, about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. In the face of this administration’s seeming determination to turn back the clock, we are still finding ways to take steps forwards. And while this is exciting and so, so needed, it can also become overwhelming-- I feel like there are at least twenty different things that I should be outraged about at any given moment. New York City is expensive, and a lot of the time you're working your ass off just to make ends meet, so I understand that sometimes it's difficult to find the time to attend protests and pen petitions on top of everything else you have to do.
That’s why events like these are great. As much as we wish we could do everything at once, there's only so much we can fit into our day. The FFA Panel not only introduced new information and conversation topics in a way that was applicable and digestible, but it also left attendees with ways to start making a difference in the name of social progress (and provided hours of networking possibilities). I came home feeling inspired to not only become more involved, but to also do some digging of my own into the issues.
So if logging onto Facebook or reading the news is ratcheting up your anxiety, but you feel too overwhelmed by the crushing hopelessness of it all to even know where to start-- consider looking for local events or panels. There’s a lot to be said for productive conversations and finding connections who can put you in touch with the right people to start making a tangible difference. Now go forth, and let’s save the world.