4 Leaders Dedicated to Breaking the Glass Ceiling in the Fashion Industry

When people think about fashion, they might not consider
it serious, but this billion-dollar industry isn’t frivolous. In
fact, the fashion industry accounts for
1.8 million jobs in the United States alone, making its
economic, environmental, and social impact truly astronomical. The
industry’s influence isn’t just setting this season’s trends;
it’s more than that. Fashion reflects the value society places on
women and labor. Despite the fact that fashion is predominantly
female, with a workforce made up of 70% of women, women in
the fashion industry hold less than 25% of leadership positions in
top fashion companies. This discrepancy, of course, is a
microcosm of the wider issue of gender equality in society.

Unless we begin to actually address the problem, nothing will
change, so we spoke with four leaders who have agreed to be part of
Tresemmé and Vital Voices’ campaign
Women Lead the Way. Tresemmé and designers such as
Rebecca Minkoff,
Cushnie,
Jonathan Simkhai,
Jason Wu, and
Studio One Eighty Nine have pledged to use their work and their
leadership to strive for gender equality in the fashion industry
through mentoring, hiring, and promoting women into leadership
positions. Because there’s no “just sticking to fashion”
anymore. Not caring isn’t stylish. If we start to break the glass
ceiling within the fashion industry, maybe it will catch on.

You’ve agreed to be part of Tresemmé’s Women Lead
the Way campaign. What compelled you to sign on to the pledge? And
how will you be upholding this pledge?

As a female CEO and business owner in this industry, I feel
committed to using my platform to support and foster female talent
from the start of their careers and beyond. I’ve always felt that
there was a drastic gap between the number of women working within
the industry, and the number of women at the executive level and at
the top of design houses, and the statistics really bring that
truth to light. I am thrilled that Tresemmé is taking the
initiative to push the conversation forward and promote change from
the top down, and I look forward to upholding this pledge.

You recently were named one of the Council of Fashion
Designers of America’s newest board members. What is your role on
the board, and what do you hope to achieve as one of the board’s
female leaders?

In 2013, I was nominated for the
CFDA Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, and I was surprised
to learn that I was the first woman of color to be nominated in
that category. Now, to be given a seat on the CFDA’s Board of
Directors is truly an honor, as it gives me a platform to evoke
change and to be a voice for young designers and women within the
industry.

Your S/S 20 collection was inspired by the women who
inspire you. Could you give us a little background as to why you
wanted to highlight these women and what you hope the collection
tells the world?

This season,
in lieu of a runway show, I wanted to focus on a narrative
close to my heart. As a new mother myself, I wanted to take this
opportunity to highlight and celebrate the incredible mothers that
I admire: women who are not only amazing mothers but who are also
at the top of their game and are just completely courageous and
badass examples to women everywhere. I think this project
celebrates the truth that women can be both successful mothers as
well as successful in their work. No one path is the same, and I
think that as women, it’s important to lift each other up and
support one another.

Support Cushine’s work:

When it comes to the conversation around women in
leadership roles, there often can be a lack of comprehension and
acknowledgment around the intersectional barriers that prohibit
women of color from assuming roles in the fashion industry as well.
How do you think we can combat this issue and make it so everyone
has the opportunity to lead based on merit rather than nepotism or
bias?

I talk about it a lot, but you have to make sure who you have at
the table at every level of the organization doesn’t look like
you and consistently strive for your executive team, your
management team, layers within the company, all need a diverse set
of people. It’s easier said than done. Just as most companies
have to go out of their way to pull in more women in leadership,
sometimes you have to go out of your way to find women of color and
make sure they have a path within the organization.

“Women have the power to change the world. From our
purchasing decisions as consumers to the leadership and employment
opportunities we offer as business owners, women are an incredible
and undeniable force. More than 11.6 million firms are owned by
women, which translates into 9 million jobs and $1.7 trillion in
sales. Women reinvest income in their families and communities at
higher rates than men. By increasing the wealth and opportunities
for
women-owned businesses, we can significantly impact our
communities for the better.”

As a mother, and a founder, what are your thoughts on
the Family and Medical Leave Act? Obviously, it’s the law that
companies honor employees’ rights to time off and not practice
discriminatory hiring practices against pregnant women, but
that’s not always the case, even in an industry made up of
predominantly women. So how can founders and the fashion industry
lead the way in combating and changing this issue?

Henry Ford invented the modern workday of 9-to-5. But how do we
as women begin to think about shifting this formula? I’m still
trying to figure out. How do you have a company that can do its job
but then also allow for women to be in leadership positions and
still feel some sense of “balance”? I also think women need to
be more vocal when they are discriminated against. I think more
people need to speak up rather than taking the “this happened to
me” approach. It’s like, no, I’m going to be the change I
want to see, and becoming vocal about the things you want within
your company because it’ll never change unless we all talk about
it.

Support Rebecca Minkoff’s work:

You’ve agreed to be a part of Tresemmé’s Women Lead
the Way campaign. What compelled you to sign on to the pledge? And
how will you be upholding this pledge?

I believe in the power of women and the importance of creating
more opportunities for women to enter the workplace and to thrive
in the workplace. It is proven that the root-out of poverty
and the wealth of nations are fueled by women. Women are the
backbone of society. This should be reflected in the
structure of an organization, particularly at the level of
leadership. Organizations should create and hire leadership that
are more representative of the multitude of backgrounds and
cultures of the communities they serve. We signed the pledge
because we wanted to lend our voice to this movement.

“Our actions trigger reactions. These reactions can be
very positive and very negative. Every time we make a decision to
shop, we are voting with our dollar and making a choice about what
kind of world we want to live in.”

One of the things that makes Studio One Eighty Nine
special is that it partners with artisanal communities in Ghana,
Africa, to create its sustainable products. What was the intention
behind that?

My now business partner, Rosario Dawson invited me on the most
amazing trip in 2011 to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for
the opening of the City of Joy. At the opening, we met women who
had been the victim of rape and sexual violence. Despite their
horrific experiences, the women built this City of Joy, where they
could learn skills and re-learn skills as a way of taking control
over their destiny and “turning their pay to power.” They would
make small crafts, sell them to take proceeds, buy farmland, farm
and use the produce to feed their children or sell the produce to
take the money and send their children to school. It was a
beautiful circle of sustainability, and it became clear to us what
happens when you empower a woman. Motivated and inspired by the
tenacious women and men we met in the DRC, we decided to write a
plan to create a platform and a space to support the development of
local artisans and the empowerment of women. We set our mission to
use fashion as an agent of social change and launched in 2013. We
believe that if the infrastructure can be developed and supply
chains created, then the economic value can be created for
communities that are bigger than a form of aid.

Support Studio One Eighty Nine’s work:

How do you think we can address the lack of female
leaders in the industry?

Companies need to provide access to opportunities to help
support and propel women who are in the pipeline forward. We will
work with pledge participants to provide women with access to the
resources, training, and mentorship needed to drive them toward
leadership opportunities and help ensure they can succeed
there.

What’s the single piece of advice you’d give to any
woman in the fashion industry or beyond struggling to grow within
her career?

Find a mentor, build your network, and no matter your role,
remember that your voice matters and should be heard. For
individuals interested in encouraging employers to take action to
support all women leaders, visit tresemme.com/pledge for more
information and to access a letter template that can be filled out
and issued to employers.

Our goal as a brand is to inspire change and create
opportunities for all women. Sometimes efforts for women are
progressive but not always inclusive, so with our pledge, we are
committing to making a change for all women who strive for
leadership positions. The #WomenLeadTheWay pledge is about creating
opportunities for all women at the leadership level and giving
women a platform to be seen and heard. However, this is just the
beginning of a long-term commitment for the brand, and we will
remain committed to providing women with opportunities to overcome
bias such as investment, resources, and networking they need to
succeed as leaders.

Support Tresemmé’s work: