There has been a noticeable, though steady, change in the market over the last five years. Edward Enninful, the first black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, was appointed in 2017. Tyler Mitchell, the first black photographer to take a cover for American Vogue, fired Beyoncé for the September issue last year. Virgil Abloh became the first black artistic director at an LVMH-owned brand on the other side of the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, according to data collected by The Fashion Spot, the proportion of marketing ads showcasing models of colour increased from 15% in the spring of 2015 to 35% in the spring of 2019. A similar change has been seen on the runways of London, New York, Paris, and Milan. The statistics also reveal that older, plus-size, bisexual, or non-binary women are most often seen on fashion week runways.

In order to appeal to a larger and more varied customer base, designs are evolving. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer and H&M have experimented with conservative fashion pages, aiming at Muslim customers and those who want to escape the rising hemlines and plunging necklines that dominate mains.

In February, 11 Honoré, an inclusive-sizing online retailer, debuted at New York Fashion Week for the first-ever runway show at an event showcasing plus-size women dressed in high-end designer clothing. And there’s an increasing understanding of customers’ needs with mobility or health issues: Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and Target, for example, have all created special functional collections and products.

However, much of the transition has been cosmetic; it has been more about marketing than actual change. Beyond the facade of its major glossy promotional ads, the industry is still trying to adapt its way of working to embed inclusivity in the way it runs. Céline Semaan is the founder of Slow Factory, a beauty think tank and a non-profit organisation. seminar the Library Study Hall is a series, said, “An inclusive industry is not just an inclusive spread of models of varying sizes and skin colours; it’s a C-suite that’s as diverse, inclusive, that has welcomed different cultures.”

That’s a difficult discussion to have in a market that has largely relied on selling exclusivity. Though power players have been eager to bend to customer appetite for more diverse faces, there is near-monthly proof that they cannot cede power to add more voices to the decision-making table.

The bulk of the world’s largest apparel corporations’ CEOs and C-suites are white and male.

“What’s lacking right now is a recognition that the obstacles to integration are structural, and that the change must be Ben Barry, chair of fashion… at Ryerson University in Toronto, said it’s important to be structural. “Inclusion isn’t a box to check.”

Although businesses are paying more attention to the subject — Burberry, Gucci, and other fashion houses-have recruited diversity and equality officers this year — substantive progress has been sluggish and arduous.

Economic Imperative

It’s also logical from a corporate standpoint. The US Census Bureau estimates that about 40% of the country’s population is non-white. In the coming years, it is expected to become more culturally and ethnically diverse. Meanwhile, developed and developing markets in Asia, Latin America, and Africa is increasing the pressure on brands to appeal to a wide range of customers.

According to Coresight Research, the women’s plus-size industry in the United States alone is worth $30.7 billion.

The worldwide demand for adaptive footwear, which is tailored primarily to meet the needs of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses, is expected to be worth approximately $290 billion. According to a survey by Reuters and DinarStandard, Muslim consumers invested $270 billion in clothing and accessories in 2017. By 2023, the figure is estimated to rise to $361 billion.

“For years, fashion has been able to uphold one standard of beauty as the norm and almost impose it on people, but the public now needs something different,” said June Sarpong, a TV personality and diversity advocate. “If you want to future-proof your market, diversity and inclusion are no longer a nice-to-have; they are a must-have.”

Brands have taken a long time to realise this. Ghizlan Guenez approached scores of designers for her initial edit of high-end, high-coverage garments when she launched e-tailer The Modist in 2017. They were completely unconcerned.

 Role of Social Media 

The internet’s game-changing impact extends well beyond the development of new sales channels to target underserved audiences. Social media has totally transformed the fashion landscape, bringing exposure and a voice to audiences that the fashion industry has previously neglected.

Since 2008, CeCe Olisa has been writing a blog about plus-size models, exercise, eating, and body positivity. When she first started, plus-size clothing choices were minimal. Where brands did appeal to bigger bodies, they mostly kept to dark colours and shapeless fits. Women had few opportunities for celebrating their bodies and having fun in their clothing because of the choices available. “It’s difficult for those designing for plus-size women to have no idea what a plus-size woman feels or wants,” Olisa said. “It’s the male gaze; it’s body-shaming; it’s fatphobia,” says the author.

She credits social media for transforming the dialogue and giving plus-size people a voice to show what they want and demonstrate a demand for it.

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