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In the wake of nationwide protests for racial justice prompted by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police last month, many non-Black-owned fashion brands have developed a knack for slacktivism. Whether a statement of solidarity without a plan for action, a black square posted on June 2nd’s Blackout Tuesday (two music marketing insiders’ attempt to pause business as usual Instagram posts to make room for a day of activism), or a screenshot of a meager $50 donation to the Black Lives Matter movement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or any number of well-deserving non-profits that support the lives of Black people, the intentions behind these company actions are good, but not good enough. True inclusivity is not doing minimal allyship work behind a social media account. It’s hiring, promoting, and featuring Black talent to combat the systematic racism that has long kept the mainstream fashion industry white.
On Wednesday, two fashion insiders announced a new initiative to hold their industry peers accountable. Cofounded by publicist Sandrine Charles and Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner, the Black In Fashion Council is a collective of 400 creatives, editors, executives, models, stakeholders and stylists, and a nearly 40-person executive board, with a mission to advance Black talents at all levels of the industry and to help create a diverse fashion world that looks more like the world at large. In consultation with the Human Rights Campaign and other agencies, the Council is developing an equity index that will allow participating companies to benchmark their inclusivity practices, including campaigns, corporate culture and staffing, and then make an actionable plan for improvement.
“This is about accountability culture, not a cancel culture,” explains Peoples Wagner, referencing the contemporary practice of group shaming a public figure or group on social media after one has done something deemed offensive. “We want to give industry stakeholders the chance to have conversations, to be given the tools and resources to make the changes that need to occur instead of shaming them into it.” Beginning next month, the Council will ask industry stakeholders to pledge their commitment to change and then release a yearly public report with their scores; the first report is planned for June 2021. Peoples Wagner calls it a “progress report” and Charles concurs: “As this isn’t a short term review, the return on investment is to instill long-term inclusivity industry-wide using this method.”
Though the idea for the Black In Fashion Council became fully formed a few weeks ago, it had been an inkling in Peoples Wagner’s mind since August 2018, when she wrote a deepdive story surveying 100 people about the experience of being Black in the systemically racist fashion industry for New York Magazine’s The Cut. When superficial solidarity posts began flooding social media timelines over the last month since Floyd’s death, she says it “broke [her] heart to see the way the industry took their time to care about a Black man being murdered on camera.” She then engaged Charles in discussion on how to challenge brands to move beyond words and into action.
The Council is not the only initiative to advance Black creatives in fashion that has been spurred by recent hollow anti-racism sentiments. 250 Black fashion professionals have signed on to the Kelly Initiative and stylists Law Roach and Jason Rembert, and hairstylist Lacy Redway cofounded the not-for-profit Black Beauty and Fashion Collective.
What all of these organizations have in common is simple: a call for equity. Charles and Peoples Wagner hope that their organization will help others commit to this goal. But first, a little soul-searching is required, says Charles. “Brands must first embody those characteristics and want to support and embrace the [Black] community,” she states. “They should look within themselves and affirm that they are already supporting communities when not in times of crisis.”
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