California Apparel News

The nation and the world has been gripped by protests and unrest in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Many U.S. companies and organizations have made statements promising to support changes requested by protest groups such as Black Lives Matter. On June 2, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced that it would work to make fashion a more-inclusive business. It unveiled programs that would develop a more-diverse fashion industry.

The measures included the CFDA creating an in-house employment program to place black talent in all parts of the fashion business. This initiative will include introducing black creatives to companies looking to hire.

It also will develop an internship program to place black students and recent graduates with prominent fashion companies.

The CFDA’s statement ended with a challenge to the fashion industry.

“We urge each and every member of the CFDA to take stock of their corporate structure to ensure that they have a racially balanced workforce and we challenge the retail sector of the fashion industry to ensure that their roster of brands and their product assortment is representative of the Black talent within the industry. “

The statement was signed by Tom Ford, the CFDA’s chairman and Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s president and CEO.