*Credit:* *Nora* *on Flickr via* *CC BY-SA 2.0*

Diversity in women’s fashion is backsliding. During last October’s fashion weeks alone, only 0.8% of the models featured on runways were plus-size, 4.3% were mid-size, and 94.9% were size zero. According to former casting director James Scully, that puts the industry back where it was a decade ago when labels increasingly began casting models with diverse sizes.

Those trends reach the C-suite. According to the British Fashion Council’s first-ever census of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the UK’s fashion industry released in 2023, only 39% of executive teams are women—and as few as 9% are people of colour.

Fortunately, there is a way forward. Shana Gujral of Think Lila believes closing the diversity gap should involve brands authentically wanting to empathise, evolve, and make change happen. Thus far, one leading brand is doing just that: Burberry.

The pinnacle of British heritage in fashion, Burberry has been particularly transparent about its mistakes and improvements towards becoming more inclusive, something vital for humanising its journey and authentic wish for change. Here’s more on the brand and how far it’s come in celebrating diversity in women’s fashion.

Behind the iconic British fashion label

*Credit:* *@vijayopticsin* *on Instagram*

Burberry’s illustrious history reaches back to the 1850s, when founder Thomas Burberry crafted the brand’s signature gabardine fabric. This lightweight, breathable material did away with the heavy and cumbersome outerwear that protected Brits against the country’s climate at the time. As such, the luxury fashion house is now best known for its line of Burberry rainwear. Its trench coats and scarves—often adorned with the iconic Burberry check—are still preferred by many today, with the latter now even available via virtual try-on to help these classic pieces reach new audiences.

Since then, the brand has expanded its offerings, focusing on combining style and protection apparent in its accessories. Burberry sunglasses like the Willow and Daphne, which are among Sunglass Hut’s bestsellers, continue to showcase a blend of the brand’s heritage and its spirit of innovation. Integrating the Burberry check into both classic and creative takes on everything from cat eyes to Aviator frames, they illustrate how it aims to strike a balance between classic and contemporary.

Of course, Burberry doesn’t always get that balance right. The label’s biggest wake-up call likely came in 2019, when it showcased a ‘noose’ hoodie on the runway that sparked controversy during London Fashion Week. What’s notable, however, is that it went beyond simply apologising to consumers by taking the opportunity to ramp up its DEI efforts—something it continues to do to this day.

How Burberry celebrates diversity

Since 2019, Burberry has undertaken multiple initiatives to embrace diversity. It started by improving the visibility of those initiatives by embedding inclusivity into its marketing materials, which Gujral mentions is one of the best first steps brands can take towards closing the diversity gap. In particular, Burberry began improving the diversity of the models it hired to promote new releases, with a number of campaigns highlighting British talents like Down syndrome model Roni Littman, amputee Iona Hall, and LGBT artist Campbell King.

The brand has also gone further by helping champion women who are excelling in male-dominated spheres. In 2022, it partnered with the global gaming organisation Gen.G to help it create a series on women and inclusivity in esports and gaming content creation. The four-part series covered multiple aspects to inspire women in the field through episodes such as ‘My Platform is My Power,’ ‘The I in Imagination,’ and ‘Supercharging Self Care.’ As part of the collaboration, Burberry also put money towards the Gen.G Foundation Scholarship, which supports female talent in the esports and video game industries.

Perhaps most importantly, Burberry has shown its dedication to fostering DEI efforts at all levels of its organisation. Immediately following 2019’s ‘noose’ hoodie controversy, the brand initiated a three-step plan that involved conducting diversity training among its employees, as well as creating both dedicated DEI employee councils and an advisory board of external experts to guide its designs and campaigns. The fashion house also expanded diverse representation in its international scholarship programme for the creative arts, Burberry Inspire, and began financially supporting DEI-focused charities like Samaritans in the UK.

Today, it continues to make those necessary changes following the British Fashion Council’s latest census. As one of the 11 fashion leaders highlighted in the council’s research, Burberry began hiring talent from outside the fashion industry in efforts to close the diversity gap, allowing it to benefit from unique perspectives in roles ranging from operations to marketing. What that means is that Burberry can now make better top-down decisions that help its final offerings embrace more kinds of women. This is a journey other brands can learn from as they similarly look to uphold inclusivity in women’s fashion.

_

Cyan Dacasin is a lifestyle journalist and editor with bylines in LA Weekly, Vingt Sept Magazine, The Los Angeles Tribune and more. She held the position of Managing Editor of Mr Warburton Media under media personality, Derek Warburton. Aside from that, she was the lifestyle editor for British Thoughts Magazine under photographer Zainea Alexandrou.

Featured