We know that an outfit can say a thousand words. You can also sing a thousand songs. An outfit gives us strength, strengthens our identity, and strengthens our power. However, some of the most influential designers and stylists in fashion history remain largely unknown and, as in a male-dominated industry, many of those anonymous heroes are women.
Like so many other industries, there are huge inequalities in fashion. Consider this: at parsons School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology and Pratt, 3 of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world, at least 85% of fashion graduates are women. So why, according to McKinsey’s Shattering the Glass Runway report, less than 50% of well-known women’s clothing brands are designed through women and only 14% of major brands run through a female executive? The lack of racial inclusion is also behind: from the 84 collections presented at New York Fashion Week in February, only nine designers were black.
Obviously, we have a challenge with representation, but the truth is that the female skill in the fashion industry is not gaining the popularity they deserve. Award-winning fantasy documentary The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion fits that. Exploring fashion through a cultural lens, it highlights the hidden designers who introduced the taste of hip-hop into a global phenomenon. Directed through Farah X and Lisa Cortes, the film focuses on stylist Misa Hylton and designer April Walker, among others. Mass has created iconic looks for Lil ‘ Kim, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott; April is known as the first woman to master urban men’s fashion. Along with the release of The Remix on Netflix, we organized a series of four-part virtual conversations in partnership with MCM, bringing the documentary to life.
I strongly inspire you to adhere to the total series. In the meantime, I’ve combined some of my favorite concepts from the diversity of speakers we’ve hosted. I hope you feel as inspired by those remarkable creators as I am.
“We have to remix the story and our story. The way we learned it was very bleached because it was written through white men. We also have to make a story with him.
– Farah X, director, The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion
Other have been there in every single incredible moment in history, but we’ve become invisible. When we remix and recontextualize the past, we reboot and repair our narrative.”
– Lisa Cortes, director, The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion
“Have the courage and tenacity to see things. I’ve never created it from a position I look at for compatibility. I walked in the less busy direction, and was alone, but now I can look back and be proud of my journey.”
– Hylton Mass, global creative partner, MCM
“As we get older, we have to make adjustments. We can have a smart life in each and every level of the game; we just have to replace the way we play. Instead of prioritizing each and every one, start your own cup.
– April Walker, Executive Director of Walker Wear
“When you stay focused and engaged no matter what, and don’t forget your ‘why’, get there. I didn’t even know that fashion design can be just a race for me. But I was still hooked on my passion.
– Hylton Mass, global creative partner, MCM
“I didn’t let my ego take away the most productive. It’s about paints and products and knowing that I’m creating something bigger than me.”
– April Walker, Executive Director of Walker Wear
The industry would possibly change, but the excuse I hear for lack of representation is the same: there are not enough candidates to fill the position. And for that, Lisa Cortes has the best line, which I leave: “Our team was made up of 90% women. If someone says they have trouble locating women with skills, check our credits. The skill is there. It is up to us to rent them, buy them and, above all, raise them and percentage of their stories.
Shelley Zalis, known as the “main troublemaker,” is an online research pioneer, a movement leader, and a gender equality advocate. He’s a world-renowned