The recent announcement of a male designer succeeding Sarah Burton as the creative director of Alexander McQueen, along with the lack of diversity among Kering’s creative directors, has once again highlighted the underrepresentation of women and people of color in leadership positions in the luxury fashion industry. This issue of gender inequality is not new, but it raises the question as to why, in 2023, there are still so few female designers at the helm of these corporate-backed fashion conglomerates.
The fashion industry has long been criticized for its patriarchal structure, with men consistently rising to the top positions in the industry despite the fact that luxury fashion is primarily made by and for women. A recent analysis of major luxury fashion brands revealed that the proportion of female creative directors is now even lower than it was 15 years ago. This lack of representation extends beyond gender, as people of color are also greatly underrepresented in leadership roles.
While some luxury fashion brands are making efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, they remain the exceptions rather than the norm. Chanel, for example, is led by a female creative director and has a female global chief executive. Chloé and Hermès also have a history of female creative directors. However, these brands are the minority, and the industry as a whole continues to perpetuate a culture of prejudice and discrimination that limits the opportunities for women and other marginalized groups to advance to creative director positions.
The gender imbalance in the industry is not limited to senior positions, as a survey conducted by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Glamor magazine revealed that 100% of women believed that their gender hindered their career progression. However, only half of the male participants acknowledged the gender inequality that affects their female colleagues. This imbalance is particularly concerning given that gender-diverse companies have been shown to outperform their peers in various industries.
There are various reasons behind the lack of female creative directors in luxury fashion. Some argue that the shift from a product-oriented approach to a more marketing-oriented one has placed women at a disadvantage, as they are often perceived as less powerful in attracting consumers to the brand. Additionally, the industry’s reliance on networking and personal connections, which are predominantly male-dominated, further reinforces the underrepresentation of women in top positions. Discrimination in design schools, where female students often outperform their male counterparts, also contributes to this gender imbalance.
Overall, the lack of female creative directors in luxury fashion brands is a reflection of the patriarchal structure that dominates the industry. While some progress has been made, there is still a long way to go to achieve true gender equality and diversity in leadership positions. The industry needs to question its hiring and promotion practices and create a more inclusive and equitable environment that values the contributions of women and other marginalized groups.
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When French luxury conglomerate Kering announced last week that Sarah Burton, Alexander McQueen’s creative director for 13 years, would be replaced by JW Anderson’s ready-to-wear chief Seán McGirr, a compilation of photographs of the six Kering creative directors, all men, all white. – immediately began to circulate on Instagram.
“White men? For spring? Innovative,” wrote one male commenter under the original post. @1Barn, the Instagram account of a publication run by students at London art and design school Central Saint Martins. Kering declined to comment on her selection process.
That luxury fashion is primarily made by and for women (and yet the most powerful and well-paid roles are played by men) is no secret within the industry. People of color are also greatly underrepresented in leadership positions.
However, the appointment of a male designer to succeed Burton at McQueen and the apparent homogeneity of Kering’s creative directors have once again raised the question: why, in 2023, are there so few female designers at the helm of these corporate-backed brands? conglomerates?
“Patriarchy is a powerful force in the world and in the fashion industry, and this is a very real manifestation of how we see it playing out,” says Ben Barry, Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York. “We see men rising to the top of these industries at a rate that does not reflect their [make-up] in the industry.”
A Financial Times analysis of creative directors and CEOs at 33 major luxury fashion brands showed that the proportion of female creative directors is now lower than 15 years ago.
Of the 14 brands that make up LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division, only three (Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pucci’s Camille Miceli and Fendi’s Silvia Venturini Fendi) have female creative directors (three have no designated creative director). OTB Group, owner of five labels including Diesel and Margiela, has only one creative director: Jil Sander’s Lucie Meier, who shares the role with her husband Luke. Prada still has Miuccia Prada, but her heir apparent is Raf Simons. Burberry has never had a female designer.
The fact that many of these companies position themselves as champions of diversity and inclusion makes the makeup of their creative directors even more surprising.
Some companies are bucking the trend. Chanel is led by creative director Virginie Viard and global chief executive Leena Nair, who last year became the first woman of color to head a major European luxury fashion brand. Richemont-owned Chloé has been run by a succession of female designers since the late Karl Lagerfeld stepped down in 1997, and both Hermès’ women’s and men’s clothing lines are designed by women.
But they are exceptions, and designers currently or formerly working at large luxury groups describe a culture of prejudice and discrimination that prevents them from even being considered for creative director positions.
A Paris-based designer who has directed ready-to-wear for two major European brands and who spoke only on condition of anonymity, says she believes she will “never” be hired for a creative director position because of her gender. In recent conversations with headhunters, she has been told that she could be the “shadow head” of a brand, but if she wants the title of creative director, her only option is to leave luxury and dedicate herself to something more commercial and lifestyle-oriented. mostly. probably in the US.
She says a recruiter at a large luxury conglomerate told a former colleague with similar credentials that she would never be proposed for any creative director position “because they just hire men anyway.” She has since left the fashion industry.
“There are simply more men than women in creative director positions, so when you put that important and very curated [candidate] Together, we always have to work a little harder to find women who we know will be accepted by the client,” says Karen Harvey, founder of recruitment consultancy Karen Harvey Associates.
Experiences of gender discrimination are not exclusive to senior positions. In a 2018 survey of fashion industry professionals conducted by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Glamor magazine, 100 percent of women surveyed said their gender had hindered their career progression and that of their partners. female pairs. However, only half of the male participants acknowledged that gender inequality was holding back the careers of their female colleagues.
And while it is well established that gender-diverse companies outperform their peers across industries, leadership imbalances remain.
“I don’t think there are any bad intentions. [within these luxury companies]” says Gabriela Hearst, who designs an eponymous brand in New York and until recently was creative director of Richemont-owned Chloé in Paris. “But it’s time [for HR] Is everything being done well?
She believes companies are missing out by not hiring more female creative directors, who better understand how to design for women’s bodies and have a great track record of selling products (she cites Dior’s Chiuri and Chanel’s Viard in particular).
Harvey believes that luxury fashion’s shift from being product-oriented to being more marketing-oriented has put female candidates at a disadvantage. “We place creative directors on a regular basis. And they often tell me: ‘She’s a really good designer, but…’ . . ‘ ‘But does she have that much power to attract people to the brand?’ “She tends to be quieter.” ‘She’s not that well known.’”
Parsons’ Barry points out that male designers have long been portrayed as creative geniuses, while female designers are perceived as more practical, an entrenched stereotype that could be hurting women’s chances of landing creative director jobs at brands. where both the face and the image are expected to be. the designer.
Most of the executives hiring for these positions are also white men; Of the brands analyzed, less than a third have a female CEO. “Does a man feel more comfortable talking to another about business face to face? If a man grew up where women were in the kitchen, [maybe they do]”says Hearst.
“This is because the fashion industry is all about networking,” says one London-based designer who asked that her name not be published. “And the inner circle is all men.”
Designers say discrimination begins in design school, where female students tend to significantly outperform their male peers. (At Parsons, 82 percent of students are women.) “But boys get more attention,” says the former ready-to-wear director. “And the moment you start working, boys are given space to develop these egos and personalities, while women are taught that having no ego and being collaborative is a good thing.”
The gender imbalance in fashion wasn’t always so stark. Many of the great haute couture houses of the 20th century (Madame Grès, Lanvin, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Chloé) were founded and run by women. (Both Lanvin and Schiaparelli are now designed by men.) That began to change after World War II.
Today, the industry’s prominent designers (Miuccia Prada, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, Stella McCartney, Chitose Abe of Sacai) tend to also be the founders or owners of their businesses.
“To be a creative director and a woman, you have to make your own brand. It’s a fact,” says the London-based designer.
It’s not just women who are underrepresented in creative director positions at luxury fashion conglomerates, notes Parsons’ Barry. Representation of other marginalized groups is also lacking, including disabled and ethnic minority designers. Age is another factor. It is rare for the creative director to get her first appointment after the age of 50.
The racial diversity of head designers has improved in recent years, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matters protests of 2020. Pharrell Williams is now the men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, the largest luxury fashion and leather goods brand. for sales. LVMH-owned Kenzo and family-run Ferragamo have also appointed men of color to run their design workshops in the past two years.
To close the gender gap, recruitment consultancy Harvey says it would encourage LVMH and owners Kering to broaden the consideration pool beyond male designers in “number two roles” who have lately been favored for creative director positions , a list that includes McGirr, Bottega Veneta Blazy’s Matthieu and former Valentino deputy Sabato de Sarno, now Gucci’s creative director.
“I strongly encourage Mr. Pinault and Mr. Arnault to really believe what is necessary around [women designers] make sure [the companies] They also get the marketing value and business value they need. And it should not be taken for granted that women cannot generate publicity.”
June Ambrose, a former costume designer for Missy Elliott and Jay-Z who in 2020 became Puma’s first black creative director, agrees that luxury fashion companies need to rethink their hiring criteria and look for creative directors with less conventional background. She points to Williams’ appointment at Louis Vuitton as a step in the right direction.
“What are they looking for? Do they just want to maintain the status quo? It’s a very old appointment mentality,” says Ambrose. “I recognize that my path was not traditional. But we have to challenge the norms of the selection process.”
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