Tommy Hilfiger commits to diversity with People’s Place Program – FashionUnited UK

American fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger has announced that it is launchinga new platform in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, which willseek to advance the representation of Black, Indigenous and people ofcolour (BIPOC) working within the fashion and creative industries.

Dubbed the People's Place Program, the initiative takes its name fromTommy Hilfigers first store which opened in 1969 in Hilfigers hometown ofElmira, New York, and will have an initial minimum commitment of 5 millionUS dollars in annual funding for the next three years.

What is happening to Black communities in the US and around the worldhas no place in our society, said Tommy Hilfiger in a statement. The factthat it has continued to exist in our industry, overtly and systemically,is unacceptable. We are far behind where we should be in achieving diverserepresentation.

Hilfiger, added: It shouldnt have taken us this long to acknowledgethat, but we are determined and committed to changing it going forward. Wewill be intentional, fearless and unwavering in the actions we take.Through the Peoples Place Program, we will use our platform to createopportunities and stand up for what is right.

The initiative will centre around partnerships, career access andindustry leadership, utilising a three-pillared strategy to achieveconsistent, long-term change, added the PVH Corp-owned company.

The first pillar is partnerships and representation where the brand willenhance its diverse talent pipeline, focusing on purpose-ledcollaborations that specifically increase minority visibility, as well asintroducing partnerships with organisations and creative peers whosemission is to advance BIPOC representation and equity in the fashionindustry.

The second pillar is dedicated to career support and industry access toadvance representation of minority communities within the fashion andcreative industries. Tommy Hilfiger states that it will use its knowledgeand resources to ensure career opportunities by providing access toinformation or physical materials, specialist advice, and industryintroductions.

The final pillar is regarding industry leadership and to help increaserepresentation at every level, Tommy Hilfiger has stated that it willcommit to independent, industry-wide analyses of diversity, equity andinclusion in the fashion industry, and will work towards creating concreteaction plans to use internally that can also be shared with the broaderfashion industry.

The launch of this programme follows Hilfigers personal call to actionfor himself and his namesake business in response to the Black Lives Mattermovement at the end of May, which he states instigated a shift towards aculture of greater listening, learning and engaging both internally andwith the fashion industry to better understand the role the brand shouldplay to support BIPOC communities.

To oversee the Peoples Place Program project, the brand said that itis building a governance structure to ensure its success formed of seniorleadership members, who will be appointed to direct the initiative,accelerate its growth internally and externally, and maintain focus ontransparency through regular reporting on progress and impact made.

The 'Peoples Place Program team is currently engaging in discussionswith industry peers and partners who can help advance the platform missionand maximise impact throughout the fashion landscape.

Martijn Hagman, chief executive at Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe,added: As a company, we havent done enough. But we are determined to dobetter. We are taking immediate action to ensure that BIPOC communities inthe fashion industry feel represented, heard and equally welcome to theirseat at the table.

The Peoples Place journey starts now with a dedicated internalgovernance structure that will drive and report regularly on the long-termobjectives of the platform. This is a firm commitment and first step in along journey for what the Peoples Place Program can achieve.

The luxury brand also stated that it has launched a 'ComprehensiveAction Plan to ensure immediate internal strides to become a moreinformed, less biased organisation with a strong sense of belonging in aneffort to address what it calls its shortcomings in its internal BIPOCrepresentation.

The plan will act as a starting point to address discrimination,injustice, inequality and racism, added the brand, and will includecreating more opportunities for all associates to listen and be heard, aswell as equipping leaders and hiring managers at all levels with tools andresources to develop a deeper understanding of systemic racism, privilegeand bias to become stronger allies and advocates for change.

In addition, the company will be rolling out mandatory continuousunconscious bias training to all associates, building a dedicated inclusionand diversity digital resource channel accessible to all associates, aswell as launching an educational and informational event series forassociates on racial justice.

The final layer of the plan will be for the company to act withBroadening Business Resource Groups (BRGs) to include regional chaptersdedicated to advancing, empowering and amplifying BIPOC voices in ouroffices around the world, as well as attracting more diverse talent byevolving recruitment policies and practices, casting a wider net andthoughtfully increasing representation at all levels of theorganisation.

Image: courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger

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Tommy Hilfiger commits to diversity with People's Place Program - FashionUnited UK