Female Fashion Designers Are Still in the Minority

LONDON, United Kingdom — Gender parity is an elusive goal for many industries and fashion is no exception, with men disproportionately dominating top roles across all areas of business. It is a particularly ironic state of affairs for an industry where women make up the overwhelming majority of the consumer base. Despite the recent trend for gender neutrality on the catwalk, behind the scenes female designers are still outnumbered. For the Spring/Summer 2017 fashion week season, which kicked off with New York Fashion Week this Thursday, BoF has analysed the womenswear brands showing across New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks. Our findings show that there are more male designers creating clothing for women than there are women. Of the 371 designers helming the 313 brands surveyed by BoF across the four fashion weeks, only 40.2 percent are female. “Women unfortunately are still seen as a minority,” says Julie de Libran, artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. Related Articles:

Why the fight for plus-size mannequins matters | Project Economy NEW YORK (CNNMoney) —It hasn't been easy for fashion student Nayyara Chue to design clothes for women like herself. Chue, a 22-year-old senior at Parsons School of Design, petitioned the dean of her school to use more plus-size mannequins. The petition, created last spring, garnered more than 8,000 signatures. "I'm not going to design for a size I can't relate to anymore," Chue, who identifies as plus size, told CNNMoney. "To look for a plus-size mannequin, I'd have to go through every floor to find it. Parsons said it added 17 plus-size dress forms to its collection prior to Chue's petition. "It's been a very positive opportunity for us to open up the dialogue," Fiona Dieffenbacher, BFA program director at Parsons, told CNNMoney. When Parsons broke down its current dress form sizes for CNNMoney, it said that just 4% of its 450 forms are plus size. According to Howard, many schools have just a handful of plus-size forms available, something that he's hopeful will change in the future.

Vogue’s Yeezy Season 4 review begs the question: Do fashion and politics mix? Fashion reviews can be mean, mundane and sometimes even glowing — but rarely are they vehicles to make political statements. In its review of Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 4 show, which took place Wednesday afternoon at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island,Vogue.com went there when it said Donald Trump is a racist. The review, which was penned by Nicole Phelps, only nodded lightly to what most of the media was stuck on — the fact that Yeezy was largely a logistical and sartorial disaster — and instead, turned its attention to politics — not exactly Vogue’s forte. “West’s selection of the venue seemed pointed and intentional, a political statement in a contentious election year where the Republican candidate’s racism is possibly fueling a culture of hate,” Phelps wrote. Eyebrow-raising mention of the Republican candidate for president and his apparent racism seemed out of left field – but perhaps Phelps was merely channeling the controversial West? But that’s a tough one to swallow.

politics & fashion - where the revolution meets fly. Fashion and Politics | Fashion Institute of Technology Gallery FIT July 7 – November 7, 2009Online Exhibition Fashion & Politics was a chronological exploration of over 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion. The term politics not only refers to the maneuverings of government, but also encompasses cultural change, sexual codes, and social progress. Throughout history, fashion has been a medium for conveying political ideologies and related social values. "American Flag" costume, printed cotton, c.1889, USA, gift of Stephen de Pietri, 88.125.1 Vivienne Tam, suit, black and white polyester in checkerboard pattern of "Mao" portraits, 1995, USA, gift of Vivienne Tam, 95.82.5 Mainbocher for United States Navy, W.A.V.E.S. uniform, navy blue wool, 1942, USA, 84.2013.1 Featuring over one hundred costumes, textiles and accessories, Fashion & Politics examined the rich history of politics in fashion. Left: Mars of Asheville, dress, light brown paper printed with red ''NIXON'' and navy stars, 1967–1968, USA, gift of CITICORP, 98.128.3.

Fashion for people with disabilities, made in Rio Christiano Krosh knows all about being an outsider. The 30-year-old has lived all his life in Rio de Janeiro’s low-income favela neighborhoods, most recently in Cidade de Deus, or City of God. He grew up poor, and still struggles, eking out a living from the tiny studio adjoined to his house. So, when Krosh got into designing clothes, he had a clear mission. “I always had this concept that in fashion you should be useful instead of useless,” he said, employing a natty Portuguese phrase, “util e nao futil.” “So I told my professor, ‘I’m going to make fashion for people with physical disabilities, because there’s nothing like that on the market.’” Krosh couldn’t believe there wasn’t a store where Brazilians with physical disabilities could find clothes tailor-made for them. Then he set out to create a line of women’s clothing that makes life easier for them and their families. The more than 4,000 Paralympic athletes competing in Rio won’t find his clothing in stores just yet.