At 4:30pm EST tomorrow, you can virtually join a conversation led by the founder of The Fashion and Race Database, Kimberly Jenkins, featuring renowned fashion journalist Robin Givhan and luxury retail entrepreneur Sherri McMullen. The conversation is the third and final instalment of a series Jenkins created in partnership with Holt Renfrew’s H Project (which focuses on spotlighting international artisanal practices).Jenkins, who is also a professor at Toronto’s Ryerson University, introduced the ‘Retail as a Portal’ discussion series in order to examine, uncover and understand the systemic racism within the fashion industry which has caused issues from brand’s releasing racist designs to a profound lack of diversity behind the scenes.“As an educator teaching fashion history and theory, I was disenchanted with the lack of diverse resources in my field to work with and was troubled by the insidious influence of ‘race’ when it comes to beauty and power in fashion,” Jenkins said in a press release sent out in advance of the upcoming event. “The goal for the database is to centre and amplify BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) fashion scholarship, illuminate under-examined histories, and address racism throughout the fashion system. What’s more, this platform will provide hands-on research and publishing opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students and showcase exciting work from established BIPOC writers and allies.”
Want to tune in? Register for the free event here.