Performative Diversity in Fashion Week

The entire business model of the fashion industry is not the only thing being disrupted right now. The french brand Jacquemus that everybody is wearing this season (or so, we are told) is right now on the front cover of the fashion internet - and not in a good way. Following a recent runway show - in a large field of oats by the way - where the different models in the most fabulous way showed why representation matters, a picture of the team, who put the whole show together backstage, surfaced. And yes, you guessed it, the team was all white.

It’s the same issue we face when Hollywood promotes new films with e.g. black actors, but the entire production behind the film is all white. Or when corporations have fancy diverse pictures on their website of different ethnicities and genders, but an all white male leadership team. Because when do we just perform diversity and make it a question of optics? And when do we actually work with structural and cultural issues reflected not only in the fashion industry but all industries?

Real change is systemic change

If there is no walk behind the talk, diversity becomes yet another buzzword, like sustainability, that has no real impact on the injustice that many minorities experience in the workplace. We must aim towards a transformation of the structures and cultures and not just put people on the poster for a system they have previously been excluded from. The only way to make real change with diversity and inclusion is to make systemic change.

Which brings me back to the point about a sustainable business model. Because one thing is the consumption of products, which for the fashion industry has been out of this world, but what really makes a sustainable business? Is it a business that is committed to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals? Is that enough? Or is it a business model focused on commercialising renewable energy? Or is it a non-profit?

I don’t have the answer at hand. However, what I do believe is that if we are to be truly sustainable, we have to address all aspects of the systems we have built and examine how those systems translate into our culture, language and behaviour. From that point, we will be able to find the solution to creating a sustainable business that also includes an inclusive working environment, where diversity thrives.