British Fashion Council to audit demographics of UK fashion industry

The British Fashion Council has joined The Outsiders Perspective and Fashion Minority Report to launch an industry-wide survey, which will audit the demographics of the UK fashion industry.

The Fashion DEI Census marks the first step towards the measurement of the UK fashion industry’s collective progress towards the goal of fair representation.

It will provide insights into whether or not the industry reflects the diverse and global communities it inspires and serves.

The audit will be conducted via an anonymous, self-declaration survey and is designed to snapshot demographic data across the whole UK fashion industry.

This includes all job roles (retail, brand, media, agency, freelancers), all functions (marketing, operations, HR, finance, store) and all seniorities (from graduate to c-suite).

Individuals will be asked to complete a short series of questions, without giving any further detail on their place of work or any personal data - with the intention being to review the industry as a collective, rather than to index progress across different organisations.

The audit will then form the first part of a comprehensive review of the state of play of diversity, equity and inclusion in the UK fashion industry, and will feed into a wider report to be published later this year, as part of a pilot programme led by the three organisations.

The report will provide data and analysis on the status of D, E & I in the industry today, as well as inform a best practice playbook - ensuring that future progress can be real and measurable.

Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, said: "The last few years have been a wake-up call for industry to address imbalances in the workforce from board to entry level positions.

"While most organisations have taken the time for reflection, there is an alarming lack of industry-wide data on the demographics of the UK fashion workforce, making it very difficult to track our progress.

"By gaining invaluable data insight into the UK fashion industry’s key demographics through this audit, we can accelerate tangible change to ensure fair representation and a truly inclusive workforce."