Where Have All the Women Gone?

“Women make up 74% of fashion courses, but 12% of creative directors” (Le Monde) 

With the recent creative director musical chairs happening within the fashion industry, many people are starting to notice the lack of women in these leadership positions in fashion. Donatella Versace stepping down as creative director of Versace is what really sparked these conversations in fashion spaces. Men in creative spaces are usually seen as visionaries; people who have such a distinct point of view that a woman could never see in herself. The most prominent example of this would be the late great Alexander McQueen. He was seen as one of fashion's greatest, and since he was a man, it set a precedent for men in fashion. This precedent was that they could offer more experience than female creative directors, who were seen as more practical when it came to ideating what a woman wants. Is it possible that a man could know more about the female body and mind than a woman? I don’t think so.

Stella McCartney has spoken about this issue, claiming that in luxury “the primary market is women’s fashion so why is it increasingly difficult for women to land positions as creative directors?”. This quote speaks volume as Stella became the creative director of Chloé right out of college; she has firsthand experience with being a woman in a leadership position within the fashion industry. When Sarah Burton departed from McQueen, everyone expected another woman to take the role, so when Sean McGirr was appointed creative director, many were confused. It has been said that he was not qualified and as he continues to create collections for McQueen, that sentiment is getting stronger among those involved in fashion. Of course, men are perfectly capable of creating wonderful clothing for women but, these women should also have a seat at the table.

When you think of fashion, you might think of all the women who have created the fashion industry that we know today, but often the industry highlights the men who are fewer and farther in between. When a man is put into a creative director position, it may have to do with traditional values and how women could be intimidated by these leadership positions. I personally believe it is due to the creative industries long standing diversity and inclusivity problem. All creative industries have an issue with finding the right candidate to put in a leadership position, that is both qualified and a visionary. While there have been improvements within the industry's usage of female talent, there is still a long way to go.

Women have always been in the room; now it is time for them to start leading the conversation