French fashion house, Chanel is making moves to improve its diversity and inclusivity approach by anointing its first Head of Diversity and Inclusion.
Following the passing of long-time creative director Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel has decided to change and improve their corporate structure by introducing the new position, “Head of Diversity and Inclusion.” The title is the first of its kind for the fashion house and is a step forward towards making a difference in the fashion industry.
Chanel’s newly anointed Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Fiona Pargeter, had previously worked the same position at Swiss Bank UBS across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. A Chanel spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter,
“Fiona has been hired to continue to create momentum for the efforts of the house. This recruitment is a sign of our commitment to these topics and its importance to the house.”
Prior to Pargeters recruitment, the topic of Diversity and Inclusion was led in the People and Organisation function by the people communication and engagement leader for a couple of years.
The French fashion house’s efforts to improve existing diversity and inclusivity approaches followed suit after a year of criticism towards many big fashion houses. Namely, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Prada, and Gucci who faced heavy criticism regarding racism and cultural insensitivity in campaign ads and products. Most brands, Gucci in this instance, exercised damage control in March by implementing a racial diversity initiative led by Harlem fashion icon, Dapper Dan; however, the public saw this as a means to save face.
Despite the Head of Diversity and Inclusivity not being a person of colour (POC), we can acknowledge the effort and hope it encourages other brands.
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