MILAN (AP) — Milan Fashion Week began five days of previews of womenswear collections for fall/winter 2024-25 on Wednesday in a new initiative aimed at highlighting diversity, promoting inclusivity across the industry and restoring showcases for underrepresented designers.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday by the Italian Fashion Council, the government’s anti-discrimination office and a nonprofit group promoting African fashion, aims to “track, identify and fight” discriminatory practices. The effort will begin with an extensive survey to create a snapshot of the representation of women, people of color and other underrepresented groups across the industry, from fashion houses to suppliers.
Carlo Capasa, president of Italy’s National Fashion Council, told The Associated Press he hoped to have results within a year.
Capasa said he was approached by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s anti-discrimination office to take part in the initiative “to see what we can improve”, and used the fashion industry as a focal point to drive social change.
“I don’t think that organisations like ours can solve the (discrimination) problem. It’s a very simple problem to solve. I think we can try to make our own contribution,” Capasa said, adding that the government’s role was key. “The level of awareness has changed. This is already progress.”
The Italian fashion industry has been under pressure to be more transparent about the representation of people of colour in decision-making forums since the Black Lives Matter movement, but privacy restrictions have hindered figures, something Capasa said he hopes to overcome with the new survey.
He distinguished this initiative’s behind-the-scenes focus from other efforts to empower designers of color, such as “We Are Made in Italy,” which mentors designers of color living and working in Italy, and the Black Carpet Awards, which celebrates diversity across sectors.
Fashion Hub profiles emerging black designers
The Fashion Hub once again showcased emerging designers from underrepresented communities, including US brands BruceGlen and anOnlyChild, and UK brand Sabirah. The initiative was sponsored by Teneshia Carr of Blanc Magazine and the Italian Fashion Council, providing a platform for buyers and the fashion community to discover new brands.
Twins Bruce and Glenn Proctor of the BruceGlenn brand channeled superhero vibes in colorful “Thrill” tracksuits with layered V-lapels reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s Thriller jackets: Bruce in burgundy, violet, pumpkin and amber, while Glenn paired bright fuchsia and eggplant with an aqua blue base.
With a collection built around light-catching iridescent melanges, BruceGlen aims to spread joy rather than staple products.
“Our goal at BruceGlen is to design clothes that spark joy – when you put it on and look at yourself in the mirror, it puts a smile on your face,” Bruce said.
Déborah Latouche’s latest Sabila collection is inspired by Dominique Deveraux, the first black fictional character to appear on the 1980s TV series “Dynasty.”
“She was dressed head-to-toe in monochrome with matching hats, bags and shoes. She just had it all,” Latouche said. “It definitely made people in the UK think, ‘Looking at someone who has a great TV presence.'”
Latouche echoed Deveraux’s spirit with a flowing gold dress with a swept-back train worn over a snood, a look that would be suitable for any red carpet and befits the brand’s understated ethos.
For his New York-based anOnlyChild collection, Maxwell Osborne drew inspiration from his Jamaican roots to create a range of hand-me-down looks made primarily from deadstock fabrics.
“My family grew up with nothing but our school uniforms, which had to be ironed and clean at all times, but we had no shoes,” said Osborne, a self-taught art student who cut her teeth at Puff Daddy’s Sean John brand. “There was joy and playfulness. That was their world.”
