'True representation is about authenticity, empathy and collaboration' - Lottie Jackson, Journalist, Activist and Editor at Fashion Roundtable
Representation and Inclusion in the Fashion Industry: A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion
A Foreword by Lottie Jackson, Journalist, Disability Activist and Editor, Fashion Roundtable
Our quest for beauty has lain at the heart of civilisation for millennia. Creating, showcasing and analysing aesthetic beauty is an intrinsic part of what makes us human. The fashion industry we see today, for all its disparate parts, is the cultural legacy of humanity’s obsession with all things beautiful. From the glossy images captured in magazines, to the clothes we wear every day, fashion is about defining beauty, harnessing artistic freedom and seeking empowerment. It’s a living celebration of who we are and who we can become.
However, there has been a historical tendency for beauty standards — the very idea of what constitutes beauty — to descend into a realm that’s inflexible, oppressive and unattainable. Rather than promoting individuality, fashion has often become a negative force, imposing dictatorial (and sometimes dangerous) mandates on how we must look. Mandates that have traditionally ignored, erased or silenced minority perspectives — in terms of race, ability, gender, age and religion.
As a fashion journalist with a physical disability, I made my first steps into the industry in 2017. A time when conversations around diversity and fashion were starting to effloresce and yield some visible results — in part, precipitated by the arrival of Edward Enninful as Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue, and a wider cultural awakening to the shameful power that unconscious bias has wielded over us.
Through my journalism work, I’ve reported on topics such as whether diversity in fashion is simply a trend or a long-standing movement, retail accessibility and the rise in adaptive fashion (clothing designed specifically for people with disabilities). I have raised awareness about the importance of inclusion, placing a spotlight on underrepresented issues and fighting the damaging stigmas that still surround disability. During this time, it’s become clear to me that diversity isn’t just about who we see in front of the camera. The faces we see in the media and on the catwalks are, in blunt terms, the tip of the iceberg. We require more diverse voices leading from behind the camera — in positions of creative authority, making business decisions or shaping the way fashion is communicated through the media. We’ll see positive change happening organically if there’s more diversity at all tiers of the fashion industry. But to achieve this required level of representation entails hard work, support and expert guidance, such as this ground-breaking report by Fashion Roundtable.
Creativity and policymaking are viewed as distinctly separate spheres. They are, ostensibly, seen to be antagonistic forces. After all, why would a free-spirited, creative mind want to be constrained by the rigmarole of legislation? And, on the reverse, why should politicians feel compelled to engage with a domain that is so fluid, and has traditionally been seen as superfluous to public life? It’s for this reason, we’ve rarely stopped to consider the immense value that a collaborative, joined-up approach could bring to each separate domain — building a link between policymakers and an industry which represents £35bn of UK GDP.
For me, the matter extends beyond numbers and commercial incentives. Achieving greater representation in fashion is a moral imperative. We must challenge the systems that tell us, time and time again, that beauty is found in archetypal norms. Through the work of Fashion Roundtable, policymaking can help to facilitate the fashion industry’s move towards positive action and establish a unified commitment to inclusion. We are optimistic that this report will offer an essential framework for action — from achieving greater protection for workers and safeguarding against harassment, to laying the foundations for a strong infrastructure that holds businesses accountable for systemic prejudices.
True representation is about authenticity, empathy and collaboration. In fashion and politics, we must do everything to ensure that a full spectrum of identities are heard, valued and showcased in the most creative of ways. This is where real beauty lies.