Inclusive brands and companies?
Diversity and inclusion, two relevant and essential concepts.
In recent years, the fashion industry on an international scale - like other very important sectors - has paid greater attention to major issues such as diversity and inclusion.
From a labor perspective, governments in different countries are developing campaigns to raise awareness among employers about the benefits of investing in diverse teams (not only in economic terms, but also in the social and cultural spectrum). This has also had an echo in communication, marketing, publicity, etc. processes.
It's not surprising. Consumers, increasingly connected and globalized, demand from brands/companies products and stories that are fairer and more environmentally friendly. For this reason, today we want to reflect on information that will help you reaffirm why you should create a fashion project (or strengthen the one you already have) with the application of these concepts.
Diversity, from its most basic point of view, as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy, is described as variety or difference, while inclusion is described as the action or effect of including. Well, we are sure that both terms are much more than that.
The first concept, without a doubt, from the perspective applicable to the fashion industry, could be understood as the representation of people in their multiple forms of expression, physical characteristics, conditions, beliefs and more. The second concept, inclusion, is related to participation.
Together they are a total strength in every sense for our industry. For example, the generation of clothing, accessories, jewelry, footwear and other fashion products for a wider audience is not only a commercial success, but also a duty of brands to eradicate stereotypes and combat issues such as discrimination that are still latent, especially for specific groups of the population.
As a vital complement to these new ways of producing, communicating and understanding fashion, branding strategies have played a key role. It is not just about including multiple profiles in a specific campaign (of a collection or product), but involving diversity at all times, from respect and above all, continuous dialogue.
Together, designers, entrepreneurs, creatives, business owners and buyers can learn more about this.
Did you know that…
In Mexico, there is the Mexican Standard NMX-R-025-SCFI-2015 on Labor Equality and Non-Discrimination; it is a voluntary adoption mechanism to recognize workplaces that have practices in matters of labor equality and non-discrimination, to promote the comprehensive development of workers. Yes, this certification is aimed at any workplace (private or public) regardless of its size or sector to which it belongs.
Learn more here.