Last month, Gucci was the middle of a fashion misstep when, after much social media backlash with some calling for a boycott of the brand, they pulled their black $890 balaclava sweater with red lips, which too closely resembled blackface. The fashion company issued an apology promising that they are “fully committed to increasing diversity throughout our organization and turning this incident into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.” To put their words into real actions, Gucci’s executives released a list of action items to their [Twitter account]https://twitter.com/gucci/status/1096559663452176384] in an effort to both regain their customer's trust and show their genuine want to create a more diverse company.
Their first step was to be more inclusive in their hiring practices. The second step was to create a multicultural scholarship program by instituting a new program called Gucci Changemakers, which was officially announced today. The program will include a $5 million Changemakers Fund and a $1.5 million scholarship program in North America, as well as a global employee-volunteering initiative to address fashion’s social impact on different communities.
In a press release, Gucci’s CEO Marco Bizarri said the company wanted to address their “shortcomings” through the program. “Through our Changemakers program, we will invest important resources to unify and strengthen our communities across North America, with a focus on programs that will impact youth and the African-American community,” the release says.
The 1.5 million dollar scholarship will be disbursed over four years and each student will receive a $20,000 grant. The $5 million fund will work with a council of fashion insiders including Cleo Wade, Dapper Dan, and Will.i.am who will help them determine that the money is being used responsibly. Dapper Dan shared his thoughts on the new initiative saying, “It is imperative that we have a seat at the table to say how we should be represented and reimagined. Through our work together, Gucci is in a position to lead the overall industry toward becoming a better more inclusive one.”
Since Gucci apologized and pulled the balaclava sweater from shelves in February, fans of the brand have been asking them to do more to make a change. This new initiative seems to be a step in the right direction to reconcile this major diversity issue.
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