Tokenism Runs Rampant

The goal of our research was to obtain an understanding of how tokenism functions within the fashion industry, who it affects, its prevalence in runway shows, campaigns, and executive positions, and how brands can implement strategies to limit tokenism and increase inclusivity. We found information regarding each of these points in Scarlett L. Newman’s journal article entitled “Black Models Matter: Challenging the Racism of Aesthetics and the Facade of Inclusion in the Fashion Industry,” as well as in Jessica Metcalfe’s article entitled “Indigenizing Fashion: Push for Real Inclusion, Not Tokenism.” 

She defines tokenism as “the practice of only making a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.”

Newman lists two specific repercussions of tokenism in the fashion industry.

1. Those represented in fashion do not accurately represent the audience of people who are actually interested/take part as consumers in the industry.
2. Those who are tokenized on the runway and in campaigns are “othered” or exoticized in order to “distinguish her from her white counterpart.”

She asserts that without Black voices, the fashion industry continues to hinge on white appropriation of Black culture. Black designers and creative directors are essential to accurately representing Black style and heritage, and Black models should have increased representation in campaigns and shows that utilize Black culture as inspiration.

Newman poses an especially poignant question in her article:

“how can Black people and culture be validated without actually including Black people in executive spaces, especially because so much of contemporary popular culture is directly influenced by/appropriated from Black culture?”

Her question is made especially poignant due to the appointment of a white director of staff to Essence magazine in 2010, the lack of change after Vogue Italia’s “Black Issue,” and overall lack of statistics regarding the number/percentage of Black people in the fashion industry (which seems to cover up the starkly low number of Black people in the industry despite the population). 

Metcalfe’s article is one from a series from the Walker Art Institute entitled “Soundboard,” in which interviewers bring together members of a certain group or groups to obtain their opinions about a subject in the contemporary art and fashion industries. This specific article was written in response to four Indigenous peoples’ experiences and thoughts regarding tokenism in the fashion industry.

Metcalfe claims that “diversity of thought” will be the ultimate push to decolonize the fashion industry, meaning that designers themselves should utilize knowledge from their cultural backgrounds and education in order to create garments that are personal to them.

Metcalfe states that “Indigenous designers have a lot to offer the broader fashion world, and the gatekeepers must actively seek to include us.”

This quote is demonstrative of the vitality of including marginalized people into the colonized fashion industry in order to ensure that tokenism does not ensue (making sure that these designers feel that they have their own spaces to safely work with their own cultural objects and styles within the context of the larger fashion industry).

Our research process also surrounded obtaining empirical data regarding current diversity statistics in the fashion industry. In order to understand how tokenism plays a role in minority representation, it is integral that we understand how diverse the fashion industry is in the first place. Our research demonstrates that although fashion brands are hiring increasing amounts of models of Color, brands have little diversity in key executive positions such as design and creative direction.

A 2021 study by the New York Times demonstrated that many brands hired models of Color, curve models, and models of differing age groups and abilities in campaigns and runway shows this season. However, there is limited minority representation among brand executives and designers.

Of the 64 leading fashion brands grossing over 50 million in revenue, only one had a Black designer: Mr. Virgil Abloh.

Of the 69 creative directors at these companies, only three are Black.

Four of these brands were new creative directors. Three of the job recipients were white, while the remaining one went to Gabriela Hearst, a Latina Woman.

A Fall 2019 study conducted by The Fashion Spot was particularly descriptive of the lack of representation in the fashion industry. This study was intended to depict “how far the industry has come” but in this case emphasized “how far it has to go.”

Only 20 covers of the 214 best-selling magazines of 2017 featured a person of color.

45.8 percent of the models cast in NYFW Fall 2019 were women of color, while last season it was 44.8 percent. That’s nearly half, but as this article highlights, as racial diversity becomes more of a standard, any large growth in this area is unlikely.

Through the examination of representation, or the lack thereof, in fashion brands, our findings support the idea that tokenism is a superficial image of representation. Since tokenism appears to be progressive representation for minorities, such as the appearance of minority models on the runway, fashion brands do not face repercussions from the public, abetting the continual misrepresentation of minorities.

In order to destabilize tokenism in the fashion industry, there must be an acknowledgment that the appearance of minorities in brand image does not equate to minority inclusion.

This acknowledgment begins with real change made by those in executive positions. The power imbalance between minority voices and brand executives will remain until minorities are included in executive conversations and not as a false appearance of inclusivity.

Savage X Fenty, Rihanna’s lingerie line, has made it clear that a brand can be both a platform for minorities on the front page and behind the scenes.

With the goal of providing lingerie for all genders, sizes, and backgrounds, Savage X Fenty has redefined what it means to give a voice to everyone. While a large part of Savage X Fenty’s success can be attributed to Rihanna’s musical success, it is imperative that we understand her brand as an example of true inclusion in the executive and modeling sectors.

The change is attributed to the emotional connection Rihanna has created with women who have long been disregarded in representation. Without inclusivity there cannot be hope for growth. By remaining stagnant in old ways and false promises, brands will be left behind when consumers begin to rebel against the superficiality of tokenism. It is evident that change is never too late and fashion brands must take advantage of the opportunity to rebrand themselves in order to become a platform of change.

By utilizing tokenism, fashion houses achieve monetary profits by simply appearing progressive. However, the public is unaware of how solely representing individuals is reductive to minority cultures, thus worsening the exploitation and fetishization in the fashion industry. In the long run, the continual practice of tokenism is only going to increase the modern colonialist gaze because minority inclusion in the fashion world is limited by bigoted company mindsets. Raising the mindfulness of people working in the industry becomes very important.

• Hire people that are from their depicted cultural backgrounds for new collection launches and runaway shows.
• Maintain authentic and objective portrayal of models.
• Incentivize minority representation in design and creative direction positions in the executive sector

We understand that profit is integral to brand success, but monetary value should not be exchanged for a distorted image of minority groups. Fashion companies should constantly revise their definition of diversity to remain ethical and socially conscious brands.

“A company’s senior management enacts policies to create awareness and change within its corporate culture, so diversity has to be embraced at the top for it to be embraced throughout the rank and file.” — Frans Johansson