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 Anna Wintour, regarded as one
of the most influential figures in fashion, has
apologized for "hurtful and intolerant" mistakes
by the magazine during her 30-year tenure as
Vogue's editor-in-chief.
But Black members of the industry say real
change must come from corporate boardrooms that
often exploit Black culture but do too little to
support its creators.
"I think fashion is a great example of a
platform and business that loves Black culture,
loves the Black body, but doesn't want to pour
back into the Black community financially," said
Emil Wilbekin, the former editor-in-chief of
Essence magazine.
As mass protests took place nationwide this
month about the killings by U.S. police of
unarmed Black men and women, Johnson proposed
the Beverly Johnson Rule.
It would require fashion and beauty companies to
interview at least two Black professionals for
openings on executive boards and other
influential positions.
"I believe that the door has been cracked open
just a little bit," said Johnson, who first
graced the Vogue cover in 1974.
Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan said
she can spot the lack of diversity in luxury
brands by looking at their end products.
Egregious missteps in recent years include
Prada's 2018 keychain of a monkey with inflated
lips and Gucci's 2019 "black face" high-neck
sweater with a mouth cut out and trimmed in red.
"There's really only two that have men of color
at the helm. Olivier Rousteing at Balmain. And
Virgil Abloh who designs the menswear for Louis
Vuitton," Givhan noted.
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 "The place where the changes
really have to happen are in executive suites,
because that's where the decisions are made
about what the designer looks like, and the
designer is then the person who is able to
determine what the runway show looks like and
what the advertising campaign looks like,"
Givhan said.
Stylist Law Roach, who has
worked with singers Zendaya, Ariana Grande and
Celine Dion, said he sometimes feels as if he
does not exist in the industry.
"Have I ever been introduced as the assistant
and my white female assistant as me? Absolutely,
a thousand percent," said Roach.
He said that at fashion shows in New York, he
had been asked "to see my ticket or to see my
text message with my seat assignment lots and
lots of times."
One of the first steps Roach will take to bring
about change is to do better at championing
Black brands.
"I'm holding myself accountable as somebody who
has the power to make a difference in someone's
career and life. I'm holding myself accountable
to make sure that I do it more frequently for
people who look like me," he said.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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