Called “The Outsider’s Perspective,” the program aims to address the underrepresentation of minorities in the fashion industry.
Created by former Roksanda chief executive and BFC executive board member Jamie Gill, the initiative will provide mentoring opportunities for people of color looking to break into the fashion industry in various areas, such as sales, merchandising, operations , marketing and legal.
The program has six financial backers in total, including the Mayor of London’s office, Deloitte and Karla Otto.
Attendees will also benefit from networking sessions with industry leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds, including “chief marketing officers and merchandising experts from leading British fashion brands”, who will also host structured workshops to introduce candidates with key industry business functions, Gill told BoF.
“Beyond being important to representation, The Outsiders Perspective will address a real business need in fashion,” said Gill. “Many companies tell me they want to hire diverse talent, they just don’t know how to do it yet.”
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