Roksanda Executive Director and British Fashion Council board member, Jamie Gill, wants to help tackle under-representation in the fashion industry with his new initiative, The Outsiders Perspective – and it's already being backed by big names in the luxury sector, including Walpole Member, Burberry.
While representation of people of colour has increased on catwalks and in print media in recent years, Gill has established The Outsiders Perspective in order to push for increased workforce diversity in areas of the sector that are not so publicly visible. This was based on recent research by MBS Group and the British Fashion Council (BFC) that discovered just five per cent of those working in fashion are from a POC background.
"We know, the reasons underpinning this statistic, are twofold," says Gill. "Fashion is not seen as a viable career avenue by many ethnic minority communities due to several cultural and social mobility factors. The world of law, finance and in my case, consultancy, are seen as much ‘safer’ options for candidates who perhaps lack the personal and financial networks needed to enter a more seemingly ‘risky’ arena like fashion. What’s more when you look behind the curtain at how the industry operates, there is a severe lack of ethnic representation working on the less creative but no less essential roles - the finance directors, the sales directors and the operations managers. Aside from the macro fashion brands which most of us know, the reality is the fashion industry is made up of small to medium sized brands where there is no clear professional training ground for sourcing talent. I want to help change this".
Gill, who comes from British-Indian background, wants to take direct action by creating opportunities that can be shared between People of Colour and fashion businesses – based on his own experience of having a lack of knowledge about (or access to) the long-established networks within fashion when he entered the fashion industry from a finance background.
The initiative has already found some powerful backers, including the aforementioned Burberry, as well as Deloitte, the British Fashion Council, the Mayor of London’s Office, Karla Otto and Zalando to mentor prospective candidates with the knowledge and tools needed to transition a career into sales, merchandising, operations, digital, HR, marketing & PR, legal and finance within the fashion industry.
"There is enough evidence out there that supports the business case for diverse talent, but brands are struggling to find the team," he adds. "The Outsiders Perspective will offer a solution, and all in good time before it becomes Government policy."
Now he's looking for fashion companies of all sizes to lend their support.
“The Outsiders Perspective focuses on British fashion and luxury," says Gill, "and we’d love to have more Walpole Members joining our program to source diverse talent.”
Whether you're a looking to transition your career into the fashion industry or you're a business looking to participate in the initiative, you can learn more about The Outsiders Perspective by visiting theoutsidersperspective.org.
