In recent years, inclusiveness has become a watchword in the world of fashion and luxury. Under the pressure of a generation for whom awareness is essential, a generation who expects socially responsible brands to be representative of humanity in all its diversity, the sector is shaking up its own codes and coming up with daring new salvos. Welcome to Episode 7 of our "After Calendar," 2021 trend book.
American Vogue has just released its January 2021 issue. There are four covers to choose from, including one that is making a buzz: it features Paloma Elsesser, a "plus-size" American model in a sensual, confident pose. The previous month, the cover showed singer Harry Styles, dressed in a Gucci ball gown, the first time the title has featured a cover man on his own. The fact that the world's most powerful fashion magazine ends 2020 and begins 2021 with these kinds of covers shows that fashion is more than ever, doing some real soul-searcing this year, and looking towards a more exemplary new start. "New year, new world," US Vogue titles the issue -- and in this "new world," issues of diversity and inclusiveness will certainly be central.
Read also: These Are 5 Of The Most Significant Fashion Moments Of 2020
Inclusivity, not just a matter of visibility
Inclusivity is about considering everyone in the same way, and giving everyone a very real visibility. And in the fashion industry, everyone knows that this has not always been the case. Thin -- and we could add white -- models, are still the majority in the sector. The concern for more inclusiveness does not date back to 2020, but goes back much further. Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano proclaimed way back in several of their iconic shows that "fashion comes from the street." In the last two years, black models have become more numerous on the catwalks and increasingly in demand as 'it girls' for brands -- a kind of new beginning..
And this evolution marks the beginning of a journey towards the acceptance of human diversity in the broadest sense; women with skin problems, such as model Winnie Harlow who has vitiligo, or, more recently "plus size" women, are good examples.
But inclusiveness is not just about choosing a black or mixed-race woman as a muse. It is also about her discourse: understanding her skin texture or hair type in order to give her the best advice. It is also about making sure that her salary is equal to that of her white colleagues. With this in mind, this past October an organization saw the light of day in the United Kingdom: called the Fashion Minority Alliance, it aims to represent and defend all minorities in the fashion industry. Its manifesto is clear: "to promote and secure the advancement of Black and Minority creatives and ensure that the intersectionality of all our differences are accountably transformed into positive, sustainable, long term industry change."