The lack of diversity and representation in the fashion industry is quite surprising. It seems like there still aren’t enough of “us”. I find I get asked to contribute on projects more than I can possibly handle rather than spreading the spotlight around. I don’t actually like it because it’s more tokenizing. There are plenty of black and brown voices out there that simply aren’t getting enough shine. If I could do anything to change things for the future it would be to make brands actually listen to people of color instead of just using us in their marketing campaigns. If people of color had the necessary amount of power, the entire landscape of fashion would look entirely different.

My name is Donna-Marie & I am half of the Photography & Directing duo ‘The Masons.

With over 15 years experience in photography, advertising, TV and Film, we create work that captures complexity of characters and real emotion in dramatic and bold style making brands and their subjects stand out from the crowd. Inspired by people who break boundaries and are not afraid to lead the change, we explore diversity, equality and creativity in a timeless style with an edge. The most shocking thing about diversity and inclusion in this particular industry is that it still doesn’t exist, there is still tokenism, however it now needs to be integrated within the system & there definitely needs to be more diversity and inclusion in the rooms where the big decisions are being made. Since the death of George Floyd there has been a slight shift in the industry. Brands, magazines & advertisers have been wanting to be more accountable especially in America. We have a lot of our commissions coming from America at the moment, these companies are now consciously making decisions to hire a more diverse team, i.e. black, female, lgbtq photographers or directors based here in the UK. The UK however are much slower on the uptake, eventually they will have no choice but to follow suit. The narrative is slowly changing. As you will see from our work I have always had a strong voice and a powerful story to tell, when it comes to diversity and inclusion. If I could go back I wouldn’t change a thing, moving forward I will continue to create work that I can be proud of and continue to push for more equality and inclusivity.

The lack of black people in the Japanese fashion is not really surprising, it is something that I have noticed change within the last 8yrs of me living here. Something I still find shocking is that some people show up to conversations with preconceived notions of what African countries are like, they tend to generalize all African countries. The shocking thing with this is that when you tell them otherwise, they sometimes act as if they know better than you. Leaving a legacy is something that I have always and still very much aim for in everything I do. After completing my graduate studies in Kyoto, I wasn’t exactly sure what direction I wanted to go. I could either return to Canada and work in the finance industry like many of my friends did, or I could follow the path that I felt had been calling to me since my first trip to Japan, the entrepreneurial path. Though I wouldn’t necessarily call myself one, it’s a term many of my friends seem to use. Embarking on the journey to start Awa`Tori, all I knew was that I needed to do everything possible to bring the idea to life… that I wanted to leave a legacy, a platform that allows African creatives access to the Japanese market, in all aspect of the supply chain, as well as for Japanese creatives on the flip side. After much reflection, I made the decision to move to Japan to start this journey. I can’t say much has changed, other than my resolve that anything is possible with the right resolve and team. I would say that I am still changing, still growing, and still have a long way to go. I try to live by the motto of “living a life with no regrets”, which means only making decisions where I am OK with the possibility of failure, and always having a plan B in mind. So, it’s kind of hard to think of what I would change for a better future because everything I’ve done, I have gone into knowing that I would be OK with whatever happens. I would like to dedicate more attention to building Awa`Tori as a company and the platform to strengthen the work we do with African brands.

It’s surprising to me that it has taken a long while to accept that plus size women are a representation of style and beauty when generally speaking most women in our community are plus, that lack of representation was utterly shocking. Constantly being overlooked for projects in the fashion industry when I started out as a content creator was quite demoralizing. A lot has changed now, for instance, many brands are including plus-size models and influencers in their campaigns. Every body type is being represented…..not fully but it’s a start. In addition to this, more plus-size content creators are emerging, I’m so happy about this. Seeing women loving and embracing their bodies fully, giving hope to others in the same field. It’s beautiful. The only thing I would change or urge others to change is to include a wide range of all body types, let everyone be represented in this industry, I want to see more representation, even those who are physically disabled must be included. This is the only way.

A part of my work involves the diplomatic world – I would say in as much as it is diverse, given you’re dealing with countries from all over the globe, inclusion is in a way only at certain levels. The mere fact that some countries have a say in the general wellbeing of others and how their economy is run, how their leaders should rule amongst so many other aspects shows the lack of inclusion in pertinent discussions. It doesn’t matter how many countries are around the table at high-level dialogues, at the end of the day what matters is how powerful you are and what connections you have to impact decisions. Not to mention the lack of women seated around such tables. Women having to do twice if not thrice as much as a man would in order to be able to take part in such discussions and be considered an equal voice. Female ambassadors or diplomats being mistaken for secretaries or assistants when they arrive at events. Or people asking me where my superior is even though my card says “In Charge of Cultural Affairs.” In the world of fashion/retail, it is quite common to use black models as the face of a brand but going into stores or even at the headquarters, you would be shocked to find out that there are few to no black or biracial employees. Recruitment companies immediately shelve applications from biracial or black applicants, certain companies prefer hiring men rather than women or allowing women to occupy only certain positions at their companies – adopting the “add one and stir” approach, meaning they create a diverse team so as to check the “diversity” box. The question now is even with this “diverse” team, how much say do any of these employees have an actual say in anything that goes on in the company. Japan is where I have had a longer experience professionally and if there is one thing I can say has changed since I started a career here is seeing women increasingly present in jobs normally coined as “male jobs” or jobs for men. There has also been an increase in female entrepreneurs and women speaking up for themselves and filling up spaces – doing their best in their own ways to overcome the stigma of women being alive just to get married, bear children, mind their husbands and their households. They are understanding how vital they are for the economy and what roles they can play to change certain stereotypes that date from past times. Change really happens when it starts from within and from us. It is easy (also such cowardice) pointing the finger at others or blaming situations on others rather than trying to see what role we played and what we can change. I’m continuing to work on myself. Understanding that I am never fully set or perfect. There is absolutely no way we will be capable of building a better future when we are incapable of bettering ourselves.

The most shocking fact in the fashion industry is that diversity and inclusion are still the hot topics of conversation. In an industry that is supported by all creeds and colours when it comes to the factory staff who produce the goods and the consumer who buys the finished goods, their failure to reflect that diversity in the design development and management teams is frustrating but not surprising. It’s important to show representation across the board otherwise ignorant mistakes will continue to be made. However, it isn’t good enough to just employ a diverse team and then exclude them by not valuing their contribution, respecting them and making them feel welcome. When I started out in fashion I immediately set up my first label on graduation. I was in the lucky position of being able to do my own thing and wasn’t ever employed by fashion companies in a traditional sense. However, I was the only black student in my year at university and when I stepped out into the fashion industry and dealt with the press and buyers the idea of even seeing diverse representation was novel. Whenever I freelance in companies the first thing I do is to scan the employees’ faces checking for people who share my skin tone and invariably I’m disappointed. I produce learning resources in my company, Pattern Cutting Deconstructed and I collaborate with institutions. At my first meeting at one of them, my contact bemoaned the appalling lack of diversity at practically every level, and how it was important to her to address the imbalance in her department. I’m part of a new community of Fashion Academics Creating Equality (FACE). Our aim is to challenge Higher Education, Further Education and the Fashion Industry to be more inclusive, unified and equal. We are specifically working with issues concerning race, colour and ethnicity. We will amplify voices, challenge the status quo and embrace change. We exist because while things may be changing moderately the pace is far too slow. If I could do anything differently to change the future I would make sure that the CIC Diversity Charter was signed by every fashion company and upheld.

https://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/media/533578/creative-industries-council-diversity-charter-final.pdf

The most shocking thing about diversity and inclusion is that it is pretty much non-existent! Maybe that’s not very shocking but it is very, very real. There has been a push to see more diversity of influencers that brands work with or simply have these brands create more spaces for inclusion within their communities, but it has ended up being very in-authentic or seemed forced. However, I am not going to let that hold me back from trying to carve out space on my end for people who do crave that sense of diversity and inclusion. The one thing I have seen as a big change more and more is that people are using their own personal agency to step up and speak out about injustices that are going on within their own niches. And I think this is so important because for a long time the influencing world was all about beautiful pictures and perfection. It is evolving more into this authentic and unique digital space. There are a lot of things I would like to do differently. Right now I feel like my purpose is to spread love and positivity. My hope is that this energy can move people to do something amazing with themselves, that it can inspire them to get up, get moving and change something in the world in a positive way.

The most shocking fact about diversity and inclusion in the media industry is that men are still paid more than women for doing the same job. A woman will be doing the same job or even have more seniority and get paid less than her male counterpart. Things have changed a little bit though, there are more women being included in the media field for jobs essentially considered male like camera work and technical engineering. If I could do anything differently to change things for a better future, I would create a new man who is not afraid of what being a woman represents. Most men in our society are taught from an early age that emotion is for women and that women are beneath them. If we do not change how we are educating our boys the cycle of exclusivity will never end.

I think that the state of diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry reflects society in general. Therefore, nothing really shocks me. However, I do know that the industry has the power and influence to change the global mindset toward diversity and inclusion in a positive and impactful way. Things have changed from a PR/Outward facing perspective. You see more people of color represented in advertising and more models on catwalks. However up until the recent scandals involving luxury brands and the racial reckoning in the United States that occurred this past Spring and Summer, calls to bring about significant inclusion in the industry from within were more or less met with a deaf ear. I think it is critical for BIPOC people to maintain the momentum started this Spring by amplifying stories from our communities, the work of activists championing inclusion, and staying united to realize true equity in every area of the industry.