The American fashion industry has radically transformed in the past year—but there’s still more work to be done. Keeping this ideal in mind, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and PVH Corp.—which owns brands like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and IZOD—have released the State of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Fashion report, which contains research and “suggested next steps” for the industry to be more inclusive and fair in the future.
Steven Kolb, Mike Amiri, Kristopher Brock, Aurora James, Pyer Moss, Nadja Swarovski (BFA)
The plan has been in the works since 2018, when both organizations began pushing for greater brand representation and talent changes. The past year found them researching how the fashion industry can be more racially equal, primarily through a survey of over 1,000 employees across 41 companies, 20 stakeholder interviews, and three student and emerging designer focus groups.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to use this research to further equality throughout the fashion industry at-large.
“We are grateful for PVH’s continued partnership with the CFDA, which allows us to address important needs within American fashion. With the study’s findings and toolkit, we look to industry stakeholders to support us in creating an industry that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA, in a statement.
Steven Kolb (BFA.com)
It’s necessary to note the report’s urgency, particularly after 2020’s numerous acts of racial injustice and worldwide financial stress from COVID-19.
“We have work to do at PVH, together with our larger industry, we have a collective responsibility to lean in and drive real impact. This is as important as any business strategy and speaks more broadly to who we are as human beings and the impact we can have on society,” said Stefan Larsson, CEO of PVH Corp., in a statement.
The report’s findings hinge on six factors—awareness, access, promotion, advocacy, compensation and belonging—which will hopefully provide a framework for organizations and brands when identifying areas of improvement. Most recently, fostering more opportunities for Black talent has become a priority.
“We need to collectively address and change this,” says said CaSandra Diggs, president of the CFDA. Our work with PVH will hasten the process and is key to CFDA’s overall DEI work around our IMPACT initiative, launching later this month to identify, connect, support, and nurture Black and Brown creatives and professionals in fashion.”
As the year progresses, it’s clear that the CFDA and PVH will continue to work on creating a more inclusive and humane fashion industry for the future.
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