The fashion industry, which has a fraught history with race, is scrambling to respond to the sweeping social-justice movement with donations and social-media statements. But some black activists within the business say the moves don’t go far enough, and are pressing labels to hire and promote more black professionals to key creative and executive positions.
Fashion labels ranging from high-end Dior to popular skatewear brand Supreme posted messages on Instagram in support of Black Lives Matter or racial equality in the wake of protests that followed the police killing of George Floyd. Several donated to advocacy organizations like the NAACP and Campaign Zero.
“While I’m happy to see it, it’s conflicting because it feels as if it’s a one-time notion and the fight for racial injustice cannot be summed up in a one-time contribution to the NAACP legal fund or by putting up a black square” on Instagram, said Hannah Stoudemire, co-founder of Fashion For All Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes diversity through education. “We need the brands to reshape the way they do business around black lives,” said Ms. Stoudemire, who worked as a stylist and in sales at Lanvin’s men’s division before starting the foundation.
Fueling much of the outrage is the idea that the industry has long capitalized off black culture. Streetwear staples initially popularized by young black men and women like the hoodie and colorful sneakers have been repackaged as luxury goods. Consumers across racial lines are influenced by fashion worn by celebrities of color like Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Russell Westbrook and Offset of Migos, one of a number of rappers who regularly sit front row at fashion shows. Fashion magazines now frequently put black stars on their covers while brands call on them to boost their cool factor.
Mr. Abloh’s Louis Vuitton runway presentations are among some of the most diverse in the industry, frequently boasting many models of color.
Photo: ian langsdon/ShutterstockYet there are still few black professionals in top industry roles. Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton menswear and Olivier Rousteing at Balmain remain the rare black men to lead design at big high-end fashion labels. In 2019 Rihanna signed a deal with LVMH to start a new luxury label, marking the first time a black woman has led an LVMH brand. Jide J. Zeitlin of Tapestry, which owns Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, is the rare black CEO of a major fashion company.
All 12 members of the executive committees at both Kering, which owns brands including Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, and LVMH are white. LVMH’s corporate board of directors is entirely white, while Kering’s 13-member board includes just two people of color. Of the nine members on Prada’s board of directors, eight are white. Prada and LVMH, whose brands include Dior and Fendi, declined to comment on the board composition.
The scrutiny over fashion labels’ responses to the social-justice movement comes as the industry had already been grappling with fallout from racial controversies.
Prada, a brand that has previously drawn criticism for a dearth of black models, faced new censure in 2018 after a boutique window displayed a charm with a design similar to a blackface character. In 2019, Gucci was assailed for selling a balaclava-style sweater that resembled blackface. Later that month, Burberry drew criticism for a runway style that featured what looked to many like a noose.
A Burberry runway show featuring model Joan Smalls, who has recently been speaking out more on racism in the industry.
Photo: John Phillips/Getty Images for BFCEach apologized and launched initiatives to be more inclusive in hiring, as well as training programs and scholarships for people of color. Gucci and Prada hired diversity and inclusion officers. Gucci also hired a black man as vice president of brand and culture engagement last year.
Burberry and Gucci declined to share data on the demographic composition of their workforces and said the initiatives they launched are making progress. Prada declined to comment.
Scholar Kimberly Jenkins created a course called ‘Fashion and Race’ in 2016 that she still teaches. Brands have turned to experts like her in recent years for advice on diversity issues.
Photo: Kimberly JenkinsSome black thought leaders say those measures didn’t go far enough. “Oftentimes when you kind of slap together these initiatives just out of embarrassment or just trying to patch the hole, it seems inauthentic,” said Kimberly Jenkins, an assistant professor of fashion studies at Ryerson University who has provided advice on diversity issues to fashion executives.
Bethann Hardison, a pioneering black fashion model and a longtime advocate for racial integration in fashion, at the Met Gala last year. She is a member of Gucci’s Changemakers Council on diversity.
Photo: Charles Sykes/Associated PressMore recently, after the surge of social justice calls following the Floyd killing, some fashion fans have denounced donations and planned changes to corporate culture as insufficient. Supreme was chastised on social media for what some fans perceived as an inadequate donation. The brand declined to comment on the criticisms. In an Instagram post announcing the donation the brand stated, “The Black community has inspired and supported Supreme since day one.”
Adidas said it would increase the number of black employees and invest $20 million in black communities after some U.S. employees complained the company was profiting off black culture without doing enough to help. In a statement the company said, “Adidas and Reebok have always been and will always be against discrimination in all forms and we stand united against racism.”
Earlier this month, the Council of Fashion Designers of America said it will create an in-house employment program with an emphasis on placing black talent across the fashion business and identifying black creatives to pair with employers. The CFDA will also create mentorship and internship programs for black students and recent graduates, offer more diversity training and make charitable donations, a spokesman said.
But a group of black fashion professionals quickly issued a petition, saying they want the CFDA initiatives to go further. “Until I hear the fashion community looking left and right at best practices, we’ll still be in a space of, if not performance, not active change,” said fashion writer Kibwe Chase-Marshall, an organizer of the petition.
The CFDA spokesman didn’t address the petition’s specifics. He said the council had heard from several organizations “but at this time have selected a few key groups to work with so that we can focus our energy and fundraising abilities.”
Black American employees at Adidas have recently spoken out about their experiences with discrimination.
Photo: Richard B. Levine/Zuma PressBethann Hardison, a former model and a longtime advocate of integration in fashion, said some companies she has talked to have been engaged in training and scholarships, work whose results might take time to see.
Ms. Hardison is an inaugural member of Gucci’s Changemakers Council, launched last year. Earlier this month, Gucci announced the first class of its North American Changemakers Scholars, a scholarship program. The 20 students—all people of color—will receive up to $20,000 as well as mentorship and internship opportunities at Gucci America.
“The movement is going to change the way things are seen and done because now people feel put upon and because of that, they’re now going to start to want to see how they can include or be thoughtful,” Ms. Hardison said.
A look from Gucci’s Fall 2020 show. In the wake of protests over the police killing of George Floyd, Gucci announced it was financially supporting associations including the NAACP, Campaign Zero and Know Your Rights Camp.
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty ImagesWrite to Ray A. Smith at ray.smith@wsj.com and Jacob Gallagher at Jacob.Gallagher@wsj.com
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