Gucci Commits to Diversity

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Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele made headlines last month when he unveiled audition videos for his Pre-Fall 2017 campaign on Instagram. The videos were taken during an open casting call Gucci held in London, and featured only models of color. The house refrained from confirming whether or not those featured were the official faces of the upcoming campaign, but it did state that the ads, which are slated to debut in April, will star people of color exclusively.

At the time, the move came under fire from some critics who said that limiting any cast does not promote diversity, but given Gucci’s most recent announcement, it would be hard to argue that the house’s overall strategy isn’t well-intentioned. Last night in Milan, the house became the first luxury brand to team up with Italian nonprofit, Parks—Liberi e Uguali. The charity organization’s name literally translates to “Free and Equal” in English, and its company ethos is to support inclusivity in relation to race, gender, and LGBTQ communities.

In a statement on Parks—Liberi e Uguali’s website, Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri said that Michele himself spearheaded the move, after overhauling the company gradually over his two-years-and-counting creative tenure. “We are extremely proud to join Parks, and we could not identify a better moment to start the partnership with this inspiring organization,” said Bizzarri. “In the past two years, we have implemented a complete turnaround of our company, following our mantra of being the voice of self-expression. Attracting, retaining and promoting talent, while celebrating ethnic, age, sexual and gender diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity across the company, is our mission, which is completely consistent with the vision of our parent company, Kering.”

Inclusivity has been a hot topic over the past few seasons in the fashion industry—and rightfully so. Historically, Italy fares pretty low in statistical breakdowns of runway and workplace diversity, so it’s encouraging to see a major player like Gucci commit to making real and meaningful changes. It goes without saying, we hope that where it leads, other key fashion houses will follow soon.

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