Thursday 3 October 2013

Balance Diversity: Ethics on the Runway

On this blog I constantly find myself discussing ethics during the manufacturing process of fashion but the ethical credentials of the fashion industry cannot be limited to this one area. Last month Naomi Campbell, Bethann Hardison and Iman brought attention to the fashion industry's limited use of black models on the catwalk. The 'Diversity Coalition' penned an open letter to the heads of the four main Fashion Councils: London, New York, Paris and Milan.


Their message is clear, ethnic diversity on the catwalks is disturbingly limited. And it's not just on the runway- Vogue has been repeatedly criticised for hiring almost exclusively white women for its covers, not only in the early days but in disturbingly recent years too. 

When we discuss ethical fashion, we shouldn't be demanding fair treatment for only those people who manufacture our clothes; we should be demanding fair treatment for all people hired in the fashion industry including those closer to home. Let me know whether you think we need more ethnic diversity on the runways in the comments section below or tweet me #BalanceDiversity

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