A Broken Mirror: How The Fashion Industry Does Not Reflect The Consumers It Serves

In a nation where “minorities” hold a buying power larger than the economies of most countries, one would assume that by now everyone “gets it”. Apparently, the fashion industry still doesn’t. Over the last few years, fashion runways have seen a flurry of white faces. The models walking down the runways are overwhelmingly Caucasian, and look eerily similar with blond hair and an Eastern European look. The lack of Latina, African-American, Asian and South Asian models on the runways today is blaring.

From a business perspective, it just doesn’t make any sense. Currently, multicultural buying power in the U.S. wields mighty economic clout, with African Americans at $845 billion, Hispanics at $862 billion and Asians at $459 billion. According to The Selig Center for Economic Growth/Georgia Business and Economic Conditions report, these numbers will continue to grow exponentially over the next five years. In fact, Target Market News lists African-American spending power at $22 billion in the apparel category alone.

With all this money waiting to be spent, why is the fashion industry blatantly disregarding this consumer base? The runway is the premiere element of any apparel brand’s marketing plan, and the first place consumers get a look at not only the brand’s new line but also what the brand represents and who they are. If the audience is not seeing themselves reflected in the product, they will definitely notice and start looking elsewhere. Even after numerous articles and comments over the past few years from key industry insiders and outside journalists, this homogonous trend continues.

Current CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) president Diane Von Furstenburg went so far as to send a letter to the designers, casting directors and model agencies prior to New York City’s most recent Fashion Week, encouraging them to create shows "that are truly multicultural." Despite her efforts, models of color were noticeably absent from a majority of the shows, and Von Furstenberg’s runway ended up representing the largest group of diverse models. Another notable exception is the Baby Phat brand, created by Kimora Lee Simmons. Born in St. Louis of Japanese and African-American descent, Kimora Lee’s exotic look led her to become a highly successful model. After marrying hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, Kimora started Baby Phat, a spin-off of the popular Phat Farm line of hip-hop wear for men. Baby Phat features apparel for women and children with a distinctive urban, hip-hop flare and an instantly recognizable feline logo. The Baby Phat consumer is predominantly African-American and Asian and this is well represented on the runway as one of the only recent shows featuring a truly multicultural mix of models.

Marketers need to take note if they want to tap into the wildly growing purchasing power of these populations. African-Americans, Asians, South Asians, Latinos – when they look at the models on the runway, in a fashion magazine or advertisement what are they actually seeing? That these clothes and items are made for white people? That you should all aspire to be white? Many companies have added products or started new lines specifically for multicultural consumers yet they continue to use primarily white models. It just doesn’t make sense, financial or otherwise. For example, the largest purchasers of luxury brands Gucci and Louis Vuitton are from Asia, and in the U.S. both Asian-Americans and consumers from across all markets covet the Gucci or LV logo on their accessories, yet this is not reflected on the runway or in their advertising. Even amid the current economic downturn, it is possible for the retail fashion industry to grow their business and build their brands simply by reaching out to those consumer groups that continue to grow in both population and in spending power. The designers can talk all they want about “aesthetic ideals”, but the bottom line is money, and marketers need to understand that profit is at stake.