Harlem’s Fashion Row founder Brandice Daniel on the state of DE&I in fashion: ‘The regression is disheartening’

Similarly, the company’s list of 2020 accomplishments was long. 

“2020 was a pivotal year for us,” said Brandice Daniel, founder and CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row, on the Glossy Podcast. “We started our nonprofit, Icon360; we got a million-dollar donation from the CFDA and Vogue; and Anna Wintour had me in her editor’s letter in August. It opened up so many doors for HFR.” 

During the episode, along with discussing fashion’s fluctuating prioritization of inclusivity over the last four years, Daniel shares her secrets to driving deals between emerging designers and mega fashion companies and her hopes for fashion’s future. Her included comments, below, have been lightly edited for clarity. 

The state of DE&I in fashion

“This industry has so much work to do. And unfortunately, I feel like the bulk of the work and the best work we’ve seen happened between 2020-2021. At this point, it really is going to require us as consumers to vote with our dollars [to determine] who continues to succeed. … I am such an optimist, however, I do not have a lot of faith that this industry will make the changes it needs to make without pressure from consumers. It’s honestly disheartening when we see the regression that’s happening right now in fashion. The thing that keeps me hopeful is that there is still a nice core group of brands that are still doing the work. And a lot of them are doing the work without any press or any press release, and I get to see that. Like, Saks hosted masterclass workshops with designers. Nobody knew that they were doing it. They had their top executives on a Zoom with 50 Black designers, giving them advice and giving them instructions on how to be carried in any department store. I’ve seen it with so many of the brands that we work with: Nordstrom is doing great work behind the scenes, and Macy’s is our longest-standing retail partner. There are people at these brands that are still pushing forward and, because of their effort, things are actually changing. You don’t see it in the fashion industry overall — it is challenging, especially in the luxury space, quite frankly. But I am seeing a lot of effort that gives me a lot of hope.” 

The biggest challenge facing young Black designers 

“The No. 1 challenge right now is funding — which is probably the challenge for most emerging designers. The opportunity is so great. And when I say opportunity, I’m talking about revenue opportunity. … But it takes money to make money, right? A lot of times, [designers] don’t have the capital to really scale their business — because the cash flow is tight or they’re not able to hire the right team. … I was hoping that, out of 2020, an investment group specifically for Black designers would be formed to provide a centralized infrastructure for Black designers, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

Retailers’ evolving prioritization of carrying Black-founded brands

“Before 2020, a lot of [Black] designers wanted to be sold in department stores, but they never got the opportunity. And so [access to those opportunities] went from zero to 100 in months. … And if you’re in this industry, you understand that it’s a very intense process to … go from DTC[-only to leveraging] wholesale for business. Number one, a lot of their pricing structures weren’t priced for wholesale. … And a lot of them didn’t understand how you ship to department stores, because that’s a whole process of its own. In the very beginning, stores were saying, ‘Don’t worry about it; we won’t charge you back if you make a mistake; it’s OK.’ … A lot of times, department stores were also giving them deposits [for orders]. So it felt like this abundance of amazingness was happening. And then — literally, it was only a year later, in 2021 — the deposits stopped. And department stores started to say, ‘Look, you’ve got to ship to us the right way.’ … And, ‘ You’ve got to read that big routing guide so that you understand how to ship to our store.’ By 2022, retailers were like, ‘OK, wait a minute. Is this [brand] selling? We’re not giving you a deposit; now we’re giving you a chargeback.” It was so fast and furious. And what I’ve been talking to retailers about is that it’s not enough to bring Black designers into your store.… How can you maintain them? … And I would challenge department stores and say, ‘I would measure the success of your diversity programs by these designers’ success. Because if they’re being carried and they’re not successful, and you’re actually causing them more stress than benefit, then that’s not a successful program.’”