Every February is Black History Month in the United States, a national commemoration that began with Black History Week in 1926. For people, Black History Month is not only an opportunity to celebrate the important achievements of African Americans and gain a comprehensive understanding of American history, but also a call to action to promote social equality and diversity.
Looking at the history of the fashion industry, people can find that African-American design talents have never been absent. From Ann Lowe, who designed wedding dresses for Jacqueline Kennedy, to Zelda Wynn Valdes, who created the "Bunny Girl" image, to the creative directors who are now active in the frontline, African-American designers have won the voice of the fashion industry with their abilities and solid achievements.
Under the general trend of cultural diversity, "diversity, fairness and inclusiveness" have gradually become the key issues for enterprise development. Compared with other industries, the fashion industry, which has always been at the forefront, is also actively seeking further reforms. At the online executive forum held in February, executives from fashion brands and companies detailed the development and support plans for African American talents.
The fashion industry in the new era is colorful and inclusive. More and more African-American designers have grasped the scepter of fashion trends, integrating their creativity with their unique cultural backgrounds, breaking people's stereotypes, showing the vitality and vitality of diversified fashion, and opening the door to the fashion industry for latecomers. Among them, Ozwald Boateng, Olivier Rousteing and Virgil Abloh are three of the most iconic African-American designers.
British designer Ozwald Boateng's fashion initiation came from his mother's sewing machine. In the mid-eighties, Ozwald Boateng began studying fashion at Southgate College in London and set up his own personal studio. In 1996, he won the Trophées de la Mode Award for Best Menswear Designer.
Ozwald Boateng
In 2003, Ozwald Boateng was appointed Creative Director of Menswear at Givenchy. In 2005, he officially launched the brand's first men's ready-to-wear collection.
His colorful interpretation has brought more youthful vitality to the traditional British suit, and has also redefined the men's ready-to-wear in people's hearts. The silhouettes, fabric choices and exquisite details in the design all showcase Ozwald Boateng's style and taste, as well as his reflections on modern masculinity.
Givenchy's Spring 2007 menswear collection
Often seen in social situations, Olivier Rousteing is known as a "celebrity" designer. At the age of 18, Olivier Rousteing joined the Italian luxury brand Roberto Cavalli. At the age of 23, he became the creative director of Roberto Cavalli's women's clothing department. In 2011, at just 24 years old, Olivier Rousteing became creative director at Balmain. While continuing the rock aesthetic of former Creative Director Christophe Decarnin, Olivier Rousteing presents Balmain's inclusive values and truly modern, diverse French style through a completely open design approach, which has reborn Balmain, a brand with a history of nearly 80 years, and won the attention and love of young people.
Olivier Rousteing
In 2019, Olivier Rousteing's biographical film Wonder Boy was officially launched. Contrary to people's imagination of "the times make heroes", this candid documentary shows the unknown mental journey behind Oliver Rousteing's glamorous resume.
Balmain Spring 2012 collection
The untimely death of Virgil Abloh is also one of the legendary African-American designers to remember.
Virgil Abloh
As the first African-American designer in louis Vuitton's history to single-handedly take over the creative power of menswear, Virgil Abloh has continued to make history since joining Louis Vuitton's menswear division in March 2018. It can be said that he opened up a whole new situation for Louis Vuitton's menswear and successfully made Louis Vuitton menswear one of the trend beliefs of young consumers.
In addition to expressing his attitude through design language, Virgil Abloh has created a Virgil Abloh Postmodern Scholarship Fund to promote inclusion and equity for black communitys by providing scholarships and career guidance to black, African-American, and African-American students. He once said: "I take my youth as a lesson, hoping to let young people of color see the dawn of hope before feeling the repression of society, and bring them a positive impact." ”
Louis Vuitton's Spring '19 menswear collection
From veterans such as Ozwald Boateng, Olivier Rousteing and Virgil Abloh who have revolutionized the fashion industry, to South African rookie Lukhanyo Mdingi, who won the LVMH Prize Special Jury Award in 2021, African-American designers have surprised the fashion industry. Under the general trend of diversification, the fashion industry, which is aware of the creativity and purchasing potential of African-American culture, is also deepening its support for african-american communities.
How to attract more minority employees by gaining more recognition from the African-American community while cultivating creative talents has become a topic that fashion executives need to think about.
Corey Smith, head of diversity at LVMH, says that a lot of times, personnel adjustments are made within the fashion industry. If they want to be more inclusive, fashion companies need to step out of this circle to reach a wider range of groups. In his view, in fact, some departments of the industry do not need fashion-related experience, and opening up the application opportunities for these positions outside the industry can be very effective in expanding the company's talent pool and diversifying employees.
He revealed that the LVMH Group aims to recruit 25,000 professionals this year. To ensure diversity in these new employees, LVMH focused its recruitment on HBCUs (colleges or universities originally established for African-American students), Hispanic service agencies, and women's colleges, hoping to attract more outstanding minority staff.
Corey Smith
Erica Lovett, Cartier's head of diversity, equity and inclusion, said Cartier has expanded its recruitment beyond the universities and organizations it has traditionally partnered with. "It's a battle for talent and expanding our recruitment is a top priority for us," she said. The luxury industry has always had a very exclusive feel. To change that, we have to do something we haven't done before and show ourselves to communities that haven't had deep communication before. ”
Cartier will post job postings at HBCU and serving minority community organizations, and work with African-American fashion organizations such as black in Fashion Council and high-level organizations primarily for African-Americans and Latinos to create opportunities for young students who may not yet understand the luxury industry. In Erica Lovett's view, it's an internal cultural shift. She explains: "We're looking forward to these people from different backgrounds and from different industries bringing us fresh perspectives. This is both a challenge and an opportunity, and some of these systemic changes take longer. ”
Erica Lovett
In addition to expanding hiring, executives believe the fashion industry must create opportunities for existing talent, increase employee diversity awareness, and ensure inclusiveness and diversity in management teams.
Corey Smith believes that this requires the company's attention. "We have to fully understand different backgrounds, different experiences and different cultures to really understand what they can bring to the company," he says. ”
Some LVMH brands make employee diversity one of the performance criteria for executives. In 2021, LVMH has set a goal of increasing minority executives within the group to 30% within five years. To achieve this, Corey Smith said, any minority candidate for an open position must account for 30 percent of the talent pool. "If the interview has already started, it's too late," he said. Before starting an interview, there must be candidates from different backgrounds in the talent pool, as must internal promotions. ”
He also advises that all employees should be trained in diversity, bias, and cultural agility. "After the promotion, they manage the whole team. If they themselves are not flexible enough to fit into a diverse team, they will not succeed. ”
In order to increase the diversity of its employees, Cartier and external partners launched a training program called "Understanding the History of African Americans", which requires all employees throughout the Group to undergo a four-hour training session. Erica Lovett said: "We will test the learning of everyone to ensure that employees are promoted to build a diverse and inclusive team with empathy. ”
At the same time, how to deepen the communication between the fashion industry and the African community is also a focus that people need to pay attention to.
June 79 founder and African-American designer Shawn Pean believes that brands need to have a clear understanding of their needs when it comes to communicating with different groups of consumers. When it is understood that brands share their values, it is easy for consumers to accept brands.
Founder of June 79, African-American designer Shawn Pean
In 2020, LVMH's Sephora joined the "15 Percent Pledge" campaign, promising that 15% of its products would come from beauty brands founded by African Americans. Corey Smith is very proud of this project. He said increasing marketing to the African-American and Latino communities and attracting more consumers from relevant communities is the next step for Sephora.
To that end, Sephora has increased its social media diversity by 15% compared to its online platform marketing content. Corey Smith explains that this is a full integration of a single mindset, and people respond to it. "If you don't see yourself in a marketing campaign or social media pages, consumers will think the brand isn't for them," he said. When they don't think they're a target customer, they won't apply for a job at this company, so marketing and HUMAN resources are completely linked. ”
In his opinion, if people visit a brand's Instagram page and scroll through 10 images without seeing diverse content, it means that the brand needs to improve on this, and the content on the website is the same. He added: "Consumers want to know where brands stand on social ethics, the environment, women's rights and LGBTQ rights. This represents not just the brand's position on one issue, but on many issues. ”
For the fashion industry, "diversity, fairness and inclusiveness" is no longer a "face project" that is full of political correctness and has to be done, but a battlefield for creative talents and retail performance. Although corporate prestige and development prospects are the advantages of attracting people, sincerity is the only way to win this revolution. WWD
Written by Lisa Lockwood and Obi Anyanwu
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