MICHAEL CUBY ON FIXING THE SYSTEM
© WILLIAM LAIRD
“For far too long, the fashion industry has been run and controlled by a primarily white establishment, at all levels. Equity, to me, means a complete restructuring of this criminally outdated system, where Black people are not only invited to take a seat at the table, but are also given the opportunity to do the inviting. In my opinion, it’s too easy to look at ‘diversity’ as a problem that can be solved with a few replacements, but as long as white people are the ones doing said replacing, I find it hard to believe that we will ever reach a place of true ‘equity.’ We have luckily been blessed with people like Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Bethann Hardison, whose efforts through initiatives like Balance Diversity have helped to reshape the way our runways look. But there is still much work to be done. There is only so much these people can do while still working within a system that’s inherently designed to keep Black professionals out — or, at the very least, at a significant disadvantage to their white peers. The only way to fix an inherently flawed system is to eradicate it completely and work to rebuild it from scratch. This may sound radical, but then again, to reach a point where Black professionals are on true equal footing with everyone else is a radical ask.
THE ONLY WAY TO FIX AN INHERENTLY FLAWED SYSTEM IS TO ERADICATE IT COMPLETELY AND WORK TO REBUILD IT FROM SCRATCH.
The primary step is to actively seek out Black talent in all aspects of the hiring process, on all levels. In so many industries — fashion included — there is an easy confirmation bias, that there aren’t enough qualified Black people to hire in these positions. But as long as people are unwilling to take risks in hiring people who may not have had the requisite training, the same (white) people will keep getting hired, forming a vicious cycle. As someone whose career in media would not have been possible without the industry gatekeepers I know seeking me out specifically to offer me opportunities in spite of my lack of experience at the beginning, I can confidently say that risks often do pay off, so long as you’re seeking out people with a real passion and proven work ethic. Now, after going through the motions and feeling like I’ve paid my dues, I feel comfortable seeking out my own future opportunities. But there was definitely a time when my complete separation from the industry discouraged me from pursuing anything. I was lucky enough to know people in positions of power that wanted to help kickstart my career, and that’s the only way I’ve ended up where I am today. Industry gatekeepers across the board need to continue this process.”
–Michael Cuby, Editor at Large, them., Condé Nast