Is fashion changing?

Against the backdrop of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and amid a flurry of racist incidents in the fashion industry, the fashion world vowed it would change.

Has it? And how would anyone know?

In an effort to find out, we looked for concrete numbers about who gets to make fashion, sell fashion and represent fashion.

We asked a set of companies identical questions about the percentage of Black people on their executive team, on their boards and among overall employees — as well as in their ad campaigns and on their runways, shelves and magazine covers. We also asked about their measurable targets for change.

We chose those companies by starting with the fashion show schedule in New York, London, Milan and Paris, the most-watched collections of the year. We looked at brands that are part of that runway system and that have more than $50 million in annual revenue, or have Instagram followings of more than 1 million.

We focused on 64 brands best known for their womenswear whose products set trends, whose designers have become celebrities and whose imagery sometimes depends heavily on Black culture.

To that we added 15 major department stores and online sellers in those same cities — the ones that act as fashion destinations and serve as conduits between brands and consumers, and whose stamps of approval can change a business.

And we picked the glossy women’s magazines that often serve as the avatars of that system: Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and InStyle.

Here’s what came next.

There Was No Consistent Response

When we first contacted the companies, most of them wanted to have preliminary conversations — without being quoted — to explain the complicated nature of their individual situations before providing (or not providing) answers.

The hurdles they mentioned included the financial repercussions of the pandemic and the lack of diversity in their geographic regions. They brought up their success in gender representation. They suggested that we should be looking at diversity overall, not just Black representation. They asked about The New York Times’ own diversity numbers. They said European anti-discrimination laws meant they did not have the relevant information.

When the responses finally came, many questions were left unanswered, and the range of transparency was striking:

— Four of the 64 fashion brands (Tory Burch, Coach, Kate Spade and Christian Siriano) tried to answer each question fully.

— Several more (16 companies) answered at least half of our questions, including Thom Browne, Oscar de la Renta, Burberry, Brunello Cucinelli, Proenza Schouler, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

— Nine European companies provided no answers, saying they were legally unable to participate. In France, a controversial 1978 law regarding “data files, processing and individual liberties” prohibits the collection and processing of personal data that reveals, directly or indirectly, the racial and ethnic origins, or religion, of any persons. In Italy, brands cited European Union Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), under which employers can gather and analyse some information about employees for equality monitoring purposes, but prohibits companies from processing data on race, ethnicity, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership or sexual orientation without explicit consent. Despite these laws, other companies based in the same countries partly answered the questions.

— Eight companies declined to participate at all. One never replied. Ten brands declined to answer questions but sent statements declaring their commitment to equity, such as “Diversity is an asset to be nurtured; inclusiveness is a moral and professional duty” (Armani) and “Ending racism has been at the heart of our brand communication since its inception” (Moschino). The rest responded with partial information, usually with information that was already publicly available, like designer ethnicity. Several offered information on their general diversity initiatives and human resources programs instead.

— Of the 15 retailers, nine declined entirely, two never responded and four offered a partial response.

— As for media, InStyle answered our questions, but other magazines said either that they couldn’t release employee information or responded with links to their public diversity, equity and inclusion reports.

— In discussing their efforts to address the question of representation and inclusion, companies often used similar words, phrases and general sentiments, even if their headquarters are in different countries and are of different size — such as “more work to do” (LVMH and Chanel) or “more that needs to be done” (Tom Ford) or referring to diversity and inclusion as “embedded” in their “culture” (PVH) or “DNA” (Capri).

So Why Focus on Numbers?

Numbers may tell only part of the story — the other part is human experiences — but it is a crucial part when it comes to measuring change. Racial progress requires vulnerability and real transparency, and choosing accuracy over opaqueness is a key part of creating trust.

Last year, groups formed to drive change in the industry. That includes Aurora James with the 15 Percent Pledge, a drive to get retailers to pledge that 15% of their stock comes from Black-owned brands, as well as the Black in Fashion Council and the Kelly Initiative, both focused on third-party audits to ensure accountability. Although they are all in the United States, they work with companies that have a global footprint.

They did not necessarily agree on how change should happen, but they all agreed on one thing: Data matters.

“One of the key elements of change making, especially in regard to diversity and inclusion, is metrics,” as Kibwe Chase-Marshall, a writer and a founder of the Kelly Initiative, told The Times.

But here’s part of the problem: Some brands share numbers and some won’t. Others don’t collect numbers in the first place. Still others say it’s out of their control.

More Sticking Points

Many of the Black-owned brands that have been most in the fashion spotlight over the past six months, such as Christopher John Rogers, were not surveyed because of their size. That these businesses were still relatively small was revealing, reflecting the historic lack of support from backers and retailers.

It also reflects the reality that, as a result, some Black-owned and -run brands such as Telfar and Pyer Moss have simply opted out of the system, choosing to work direct-to-consumer as both an intervention into and rejection of the bias endemic to the industry.

Some companies said they were working on gathering and analysing employee demographic information and forming action plans — as many businesses are. But the hurdles go beyond legal issues.

— Representation and diversity are also diverse matters, encompassing gender, sexuality, religion and physical ability. Many brands can fairly claim to be genuinely diverse in one of these areas, though not all.

— The industry is in the middle of rapid, chaotic changes, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The easiest way to make a company more diverse is to hire a wider spectrum of people. But in the past year, many brands had reduced their employee base. So, instead of expanding their employee base, they were contracting.

— Racism takes different forms in different countries and is rooted in different histories of slavery, colonisation and migration. Representation also varies according to demographics. In Italy, for example, less than 1% of the population is Black. Despite these distinctions, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the United States and Europe indicates how pervasive the issue is across borders and cultures.

— And fashion is an industry built on mystery, uncomfortable with transparency, which intrinsically dislikes being forced into any sort of cookie-cutter structure or signing up to a group set of parameters; the concept itself runs counter to its principles of creative independence.

Some Glimmers of Change

Today it’s easier to see the shift in representation in magazine covers, ad campaigns and runway shows than in C-suites and boards. That’s because such platforms rely on freelancers and contractors, people who can be hired quickly and employed temporarily — and thus changed to reflect changing mores. These workers include models, stylists, photographers, and hair and makeup artists.

Five out of nine American Vogue covers since September have featured Black models, three of them shot by Black photographers (another cover featured an illustration of a Black designer), as have four out of six Elle UK covers and three out of six British Vogue covers. InStyle used Black models and Black photographers for four out of six issues.

Two of five American Harper’s Bazaar covers have featured Black models; neither was shot by Black photographers. The French Vogue has had a Black model on one of its five covers.

These images matter because they’re the ones that go around the world, and the world they depict — long dominated by a small handful of familiar Black names and held up as an example of token representation as a result — seems finally to be embracing a spectrum of new faces.

In addition, many brands and retailers have increased their financial commitment to historically Black colleges and universities, and to mentorship programs. That’s important because in order to change the workforce, you have to help create a workforce.

But There Is Still a Very Long Way to Go

When it comes to the power structure of established brands, and the designers who represent them, Black representation is incredibly small.

Of the 64 brands we contacted, only Off-White has a Black CEO — and that man, Virgil Abloh, is also the founder.

Of the 69 designers or creative directors at those companies, only four are Black. (One of them, Abloh, runs two brands: Off-White and Louis Vuitton menswear; the others are Olivier Rousteing of Balmain; Rushemy Botter, a co-designer of Nina Ricci; and Kanye West.) This number just shrank by one when LVMH and Rihanna hit pause on her Fenty fashion house. There had been one Black woman at the head of a major Parisian luxury brand. Now there are none.

Five top designer jobs have come up since the summer. Four went to white men and one to Gabriela Hearst, a Latina from Uruguay.

And of the brands we examined, only six of them, and three of their parent companies, work with the Black in Fashion Council. All those companies are American, despite the fact the council works with other international organisations.

Of the 15 public companies in this group, seven have boards with at least one Black director. Of those, two (Capri and Ralph Lauren) have more than one.

Retail establishments and magazines are likewise lacking in Black representation in leadership.

Two of the seven retailers that responded, or whose C-suite information was publicly available, have a single Black member of the executive team. The rest have none.

Two of nine magazines we examined, which included international editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, are led by Black editors- in-chief.

Of the retailers we surveyed, two had joined the 15 Percent Pledge: Bloomingdale’s and, this month, Moda Operandi. One company, MatchesFashion, published its own breakdown of how designers self-reported their ethnicities — but out of 715 designers, 223 had not responded.

Of the magazines, Vogue and InStyle have signed the pledge, committing to commission at least 15% Black talent, including photographers and writers.

So What Happens Now?

We will continue to track metrics going forward, to see where and when change does happen and report back during the fashion shows in September and February — since, despite their splintering, such events are still the closest thing the industry has to annual gatherings.

Meanwhile, in the absence of a single unifying watchdog or set of goals, a number of initiatives have been created to spur further change.

Last month, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced the start of a talent pipeline called Impact, to “support and nurture Black and Brown creatives and professionals in fashion.” The goal is to connect fashion companies and organisations with Black industry professionals seeking jobs, freelance opportunities and paid internships.

Also in February, the Black in Fashion Council and IMG joined with the model Joan Smalls and the nonprofit Color of Change for the #ChangeFashion initiative, to provide a road map for fashion companies concerning racial justice and inclusivity.

A number of different marketplaces have also emerged to raise awareness around and sell items by Black-owned businesses, including the Black Fashion Fair, founded by Antoine Gregory, and Black Owned Everything, founded by Zerina Akers.

But while some establishment retailers have also highlighted Black talent in their stores or online — offering pop-up shops during Black History Month, for instance — Gregory suggested these efforts could be misguided.

“That creates otherism,” he said. “It’s fashion’s version of segregation. We’re not asking to be in our own little space — we’re asking to be included.”

© 2021 The New York Times Company