Burberry announces diversity and inclusion measures following “noose” incident

Burberry is following and steps by adopting concrete measures to
improve inclusion and diversity within the company, following a recent with string ties resembling
a noose. “At Burberry, we have always sought to build a structure that is
diverse, open and inclusive and one where all perspectives are valued. The
distress we caused with one of our products last week has shown us that we
are not where we need or want to be”, said the British label on its Instagram
yesterday.

Burberry said it has consulted “employees, experts and communities”
impacted by the company to develop a plan to “increase its consciousness
and understanding of social issues”. Measures to be taken include the
introduction of additional training for all employees; the establishment of
employee councils focused on diversity and inclusion; the formation of an
advisory board of external experts; setting up goals to build a more
diverse workforce; expanding the company’s creative arts scholarship
internationally and providing full-time employment for 50 graduates from
the program in the next five years; internationally;
and, finally, supporting organizations promoting diversity and
inclusion.

The brand had already apologized for the “noose” hoodie last week, and
removed the item from its collection. CEO Marco Gobbetti said in a
statement that the piece had been inspired by the collection’s marine
theme, but the brand was sorry for overlooking other possible
interpretations anyway. Some consumers associated the hoodie with suicide, while
others were reminded of the lynching of African-americans in the post-civil
war period.

Luxury brands counter image crisis by adopting new diversity policies

As , it
doesn’t suffice anymore for brands to simply apologize and pull the product
from stores when image crises like , and Burberry’s
“noose” hoodie happen. Social media has given consumers a voice, a direct
channel to communicate with companies. Even after brands apologize,
they keep threatening to boycott it if it doesn’t do more than just
talk. Actions speak louder than words.

As a result, Prada created a diversity and inclusion advisory council,
inviting black artists and activists Theaster Gates and Ava DuVernay to
join it. It also created internship opportunities to members of
disenfranchised communities to close the fashion industry’s “inclusion
gap”. Similarly, Gucci promised to hire directors for inclusion and
diversity at both regional and global levels, in addition to setting up a
multicultural design scholarship program and a global exchange program
which will take five designers from around the world to join the label’s
Rome design office.

A recent report by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
revealed the fashion industry not only the
presence of minority groups in its workforce, especially in management
positions, but also to make sure that all groups feel equally valued and
heard in the workplace. Another study by McKinsey & Company found that in the fashion industry even though they form the
majority of fashion graduates: only 5 percent of female surveyors in that
study said they were ever promoted to a senior role without having to ask
for it.

If you, or someone you know are thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK
(8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433 in North America or +44 (0) 116 123 in the UK.

Picture: Burberry Facebook, Gucci Facebook