In the midst of New York Fashion Week, on a slushy Wednesday afternoon, the CFDA and Google brought students, entrepreneurs, emerging fashion designers and industry titans together for Black Fashion Founders Forum: a discussion on culture, commerce, and the path towards inclusion and representation. Rikki Byrd, Washington University St. Louis Professor, pointed out that though Black History Month and NYFW are inextricably linked, these conversations must go beyond these 28 days. Diversity Coalition founder and veritable fashion icon Bethann Hardison, Chioma Nnadi, Fashion News Director of Vogue.com, and Chris Dyne, Founder of Dyne, lent their time and unique perspectives to the evening.
Visual Director and Photographer Dario Calmese kicked off the discussion with a bold and important statement: “Everything is Black Lives Matter.” Simply put, the declaration has moved beyond a street protest from a moment to a movement.
The panelists agreed that recent events have made the fashion industry more aware of their daily choices and responsibilities. The model on the cover, the women on the runway, the boardroom, the appointee of a CEO or a first design assistant, a choice of stylist, director or photographer all have implications for the representation of black culture in our industry. Some of these choices affect the visual identity that can spark a movement; others change the point of view entirely, and switch the power dynamic.
“Most blunders”, Hardison pointed out, “stem from a lack of awareness rather than an intent of racism. Though there might not have been intention to exclude, the result, was in fact, racism and we have to hold those decision-makers accountable.”
Nnadi reminded us that there is perhaps no more powerful a medium for this kind of accountability than social media. The simple exposure of Instagram has profoundly changed the conversation, and has led to powerful collaborations like those between Dapper Dan and Gucci, which stemmed from a heated albeit productive forum on Twitter.
Above all, there was a message of a profound need, as CFDA Board Member Tracy Reese pointed out, to continue these discussions. So whether it be the debate of cultural appropriation in an editorial over lunch, the choice of a marketing plan in a corporation board room, or a lively debate in comments on Instagram, we need to normalize diversity in the industry.