Winnie Harlow believes that all sections of the fashion world need to work together to “take accountability” to ensure that the industry is diverse.
Winnie Harlow says there is “a lot of work to be done in terms of diversity” within the fashion industry.
The 25-year-old model believes that all sections of the fashion world need to work together to “take accountability” to ensure that the industry is diverse and she hopes that discussions will continue in the future.
She told WWD: “There is a lot of work to be done in terms of representation and diversity within fashion from behind-the-scenes, to, of course, in front of the camera, from the CEO’s, to the designers, and all the way to entry-level whether it’s a new model or whoever is being hired. I also think that everyone in the fashion industry needs to take accountability so that real change can happen…
“Diversity is an everyday thing. It’s not a one-off thing or a trend. I’m hopeful that these discussions are currently being held. We just need to keep the dialogue going.”
Winnie also revealed she signed on to work with Puma on a new campaign after very open discussions about things they can do to help move forward this movement [of diversity].”
Her first collaboration with the brand in June supported the Trayvon Martin Foundation’s STEM summer camp and she is excited about working with other causes “that really need support, especially during these times.”
She added: “They have always allowed their partners to get behind causes that are important to them. That was always really exciting and important to me.”
Meanwhile, Winnie admitted she has no idea how the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the fashion world going forward and she is waiting to see what happens with upcoming fashion weeks and collections.
She explained: “Every season everyone wants to do something new. With this new challenge put in front of us, everyone is still going to want to do something new. Not everyone is going to want to do the same thing. So we’ll just have to stay tuned until September.”
