BFC’s Jamie Gill wants to fix fashion’s talent diversity problem

To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here. Jamie Gill is on the lookout for change this London Fashion Week. While he expects designers to send a diverse mix of models down the runway, the chair of the British Fashion Council’s (BFC) diversity and inclusion committee has run out of patience with the lack of opportunities for people of colour to progress behind-the-scenes in operational roles. Through his new talent incubator, The Outsiders Perspective, he hopes to transform the way brands approach recruitment. “The area I’d love to see develop more [during fashion week] is brands using more young POC creative talents — photographers, stylists, art directors, set designers. Brands are fearful of taking a risk, but there are enough lookbooks, and e-commerce and campaign shoots, to explore new creative teams,” says Gill, who is also executive director (formerly CEO) of womenswear brand Roksanda. The Outsiders Perspective aims to attract talent from other industries into the operational roles of fashion businesses, from merchandising to finance — areas that have often been overlooked in efforts to improve diversity. It is backed by Burberry, fashion PR agency Karla Otto, and the Mayor of London. The initiative encourages applicants with four-plus years of experience in professional services such as law, finance or management consultancy, who have tried to enter fashion before and faced adversity. It will take a cohort of 25 through a rigorous programme of evening workshops with industry experts, which will explore fashion-specific business knowledge around topics such as seasonal selling, merchandising, various fashion business models and working capital stresses. The programme will run over mid November to December 2022. Teachers will include C-suite executives from Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Net-a-Porter and Dazed Media. “We are this industry that's perceived to be so diverse on its outskirts, with runway shows, campaigns and models,” says Gill. “But, you look behind closed doors of the fashion industry and we still haven't got an equal balance of women leadership [38 per cent, per BFC research]. We've got a high proportion of LGBTQ+, but again, not leadership. And then when you look at ethnic minorities, it represents 5 per cent of the fashion workforce, it’s crazy.” Meanwhile, he adds, “there’s vacant roles everywhere, from the BFC to brands like Burberry, who are telling me they need talent.” Fashion businesses too often focus on diversifying their intern networks and junior positions, while the C-suite remains dominated by white middle-class, middle-aged men, Gill says. He aims to change that with The Outsiders Perspective, by attracting experiences and highly skilled business talent who can enter at varying levels of fashion businesses, including on the leadership teams. “Bringing together different experiences, perspectives and communities enriches creativity and innovation within Burberry and beyond,” says Geoffrey Williams, VP of DE&I at Burberry. “Alongside creative and design, operational roles ranging from finance to merchandising teams are crucial to the long-term success of businesses. We look forward to working with The Outsiders Perspective and its partners to equip candidates with mentorship and resources, enabling them to explore new opportunities within the operational side of the fashion industry.” Gill followed a non-linear path into fashion himself, starting his career at Deloitte before co-founding an Indian couture bridal brand and later joining Roksanda as CEO. He joined the British Fashion Council (BFC) executive board in September 2020, and became chair of the diversity and inclusion committee in May 2022. He’s experienced first-hand the difficulties in breaking into the industry as a person of colour and having done it, wants to open the door for others. “You've got diverse talent in professional services with bankers, accountants, lawyers, whatever marketeers, who have woken up post-pandemic thinking, ‘I want to be in a creative space,’” he says. “But, they’re thinking ‘I can't be a lawyer at Burberry.’" Once participants have completed the series of workshops, The Outsiders Perspective will initiate networking events for them to meet potential employers from its partner organisations and help place them in employment. The industry could benefit from the business diligence, analytical mindset and skillsets on processes that candidates in the professional services sector provide, Gill adds. “London is amazing for innovation. We have an abundance of creativity and future brands that have the prospects. But, [it needs to be] married with a diligent business skillset. That's maybe why many [British luxury labels] are not scaling.” The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement: “London is a leading global city and renowned fashion capital, but there is still much work to be done to ensure that the industry fully reflects our city. That’s why I am delighted to support The Outsiders Perspective — a brilliant and timely project that will build a workforce across the fashion industry that is truly representative.” More broadly, through his work with the BFC, Gill has his work cut out when it comes to implementing change. The diversity and inclusion committee has set up various pillars, across education, mentorship and communications, he says. “What I'm working on now is to be quite clear and coherent around the vision and the goal for the British Fashion Council — on behalf of the British fashion industry — for diversity, and how we're going to achieve that goal.” Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com. More from this author: Tommy Hilfiger CEO on Web3, Gen Z and the brand’s big return to NYFW Fashion East and Swedish Fashion Council partner to showcase rising talent in Paris How to build a brand the Peter Do way

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