SHELBY IVEY CHRISTIE ON BREAKING THROUGH GLASS CEILINGS

“Equity for Black professionals in the fashion industry means not just affording us a seat at the table but allowing us to occupy seats that possess real decision-making power. It’s no longer good enough for us to just be in the room — we should be business drivers. Entry-level and middle-management roles are vital to learning the ropes. However, there’s a glass ceiling there for us. We get pigeonholed into these constricted middle-of-the-pack roles where there’s limited visibility to big picture business KPIs, scarce interaction with senior management and lack of final decision-making power. We have such valuable and unique points of view to impress upon the fashion landscape, but how can we add value to the industry when we don’t occupy positions where our voices can truly be heard and where we can ensure our contributions are directly attributed to us? I think real equity for Black professionals in fashion is on the other side of the ceiling, in leadership and executive roles, where we cannot only sit at the table but have a real stake in the decisions being made. We have Black executives in fashion who are doing excellent work, but we need more of us at the top so that we are represented fully across the industry.

REAL EQUITY FOR BLACK PROFESSIONALS IN FASHION IS...IN LEADERSHIP AND EXECUTIVE ROLES, WHERE WE CANNOT ONLY SIT AT THE TABLE BUT HAVE A REAL STAKE IN THE DECISIONS BEING MADE.

I think it’s important that industry gatekeepers be pro-active, instead of reactive, about avoiding the pitfalls that accompany a lack of diversity at all levels. Appointing Black senior leadership as a reaction to criticism or crisis is not the best approach. I want gatekeepers to proactively seek out Black talent to join their teams because they are supremely knowledgeable & skilled – Not because there’s been an outcry for inclusion. “Diversity is being asked to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance and belonging is being asked to select a song on the playlist.” The fashion industry is just beginning to turn the corner on diversity. However, I think our gatekeepers should not only be seeking out and hiring Black talent but implementing and promoting culture that fosters real inclusion, so that Black talent can also feel like they belong. We want Black talent to be in these rooms. But we also don’t want it to be at their expense. We want the rooms they are occupying to be a space where they are truly included and where their viewpoints are welcomed and valued – and that change starts at the top with the gatekeepers’ buy-in.”

–Shelby Ivey Christie, Fashion and Costume Historian