I have been very lucky within my career to work primarily around DE&I, which has come with its complications, frustrations and huge learning curves. In this blog I attempt to unpick a few papers that have helped me with my career so far and some new ones I have been introduced to by the PGCERT, looking at mapping Anti – Racism in Fashion education through this research. I do however recognise that I come from a privileged place as a middle class white woman, and can honestly say that at the beginning of my career in DE&I I didn’t recognise this !
Rachael Garrett’s study on the career trajectories of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education highlights how systemic racism manifests through subtle exclusion, limited mentorship, and constrained career imagination (Garrett, 2024). She argues that beyond representation, structural and cultural shifts are vital to affirm intersectional identities and challenge dominant norms. This resonates powerfully within fashion education, where visibility, networks, and institutional recognition significantly shape emerging designers’ career pathways.
Asif Sadiq’s TEDx talk further expands this critique, warning that superficial DEI efforts—driven by quotas or optics—often neglect the lived experiences of minoritised individuals. He urges the adoption of equity-driven systems that adapt teaching practices to individual needs, emphasise empathetic learning cultures, and measure success by genuine belonging—not merely demographic targets (Sadiq, 2023).
Complementing these scholarly perspectives, Kelly Parker’s research uncovers a specific stereotype: Black fashion students are pigeonholed into sportswear design, particularly tracksuits, echoing grime and gang imagery. Parker’s analysis critiques how fashion education reinforces racial tropes by expecting Black students to default to athleisure aesthetics (Parker, 2022) University of Northampton+1SAGE Journals+1. This assumption limits creative exploration and reinforces institutional whiteness by contextualising Black designers only within narrow stylistic frames.
Analysis & Positionality
These three strands—Garrett’s systemic critique, Sadiq’s call for equitable cultures, and Parker’s stereotype challenge—create a robust analytical framework. Garrett’s focus on marginalisation aligns with your observations of staff stereotypes: tutors assuming Afro-Caribbean students will design African headwraps, or young Muslim students defaulting to modest fashion, regardless of their actual interests, all of which I have had experience of ! These biases replicate the sportswear trope Parker describes, restricting creative identity and self-definition among students of colour, again something which I have also experienced as some tutors expectations.
Sadiq’s emphasis on equity over optics parallels the work I did leading the British Fashion Council’s education DE&I group. And my previous work in widening participation at CSM, more recently designing a culturally responsive MA project with Ghanaian partners, and ensuring equitable resource distribution—demonstrate that equity must be embedded through structural change, not just represented superficially.
Implications & Recommendations
To move beyond tokenism, the following strategies are critical:
- Culturally Responsive Mentorship
- Establish mentoring schemes pairing students of colour with designers and tutors of colour (e.g., UoN–AFWL model) University of Northampton. This builds confidence and expands career networks, directly addressing Garrett’s call for structural recognition.When I was in WP I set up a project called RAP ( Retention and Achievement Project) this did exactly this, I have been thinking of ways to bring it back.
- Decolonised Curriculum & Assessment
- Audit projects and rubrics for cultural exclusivity. Include diverse design traditions—beyond Western sportswear stereotypes—and integrate global perspectives, as supported by Blanchard‑Emmerson’s advocacy for anti-racist pedagogy University for the Creative Arts – UCA+1University for the Creative Arts – UCA+1. This was useful when designing the MA FD Ghana Makers Camp project.
- Equity‑Driven Systems
- Use Sadiq’s framework to shift from meeting quotas to nurturing belonging. This includes staff training on unconscious bias, restorative assessment tools, and feedback loops that measure culture and belonging, not just metrics. This can also be done at our team DE&I meetings.
- Stereotype Awareness Workshops
- Facilitate peer‑led dialogues unpacking assumptions—tracksuits for Black students, headwraps for Afro-Caribbean identities, modest fashion for Muslim students. These structured conversations surface hidden bias and honour student narrative agency. This can easliy happen with MA and BA alumni and could be done as part of the Fashion Alumni group that is set up, or more broadly the UAL alumni association.
Conclusion
By linking the insights of Garrett’s structural critique, Sadiq’s equity ethos, and Parker’s stereotype challenge, fashion educators can dismantle racism embedded within institutional culture and practice. My ongoing leadership—through curriculum reform as KE lead, equitable mentoring as a CSM Fashion tutor, and platform-building via the BFC and London Fashion Week—exemplifies this integrative approach. Continued investment in culturally responsive mentorship, anti-bias education, and curriculum decolonisation will foster CSM Fashion studios where creativity is inclusive, identity is self-defined, and anti-racism is foundational.(In a perfect world – we do however have a bit of a way to go !)
References
Garrett, R. (2024) Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education. Globalisation, Societies and Education.
Parker, K. (2022) ‘Grime, gangs and the perpetuation of stereotypes by sportswear brands in the United Kingdom’, Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion, 9(1), pp. 77‑98.
Sadiq, A. (2023) ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right.’ TEDx, 2 March. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw (Accessed: July 2025).
Blanchard-Emmerson, J. (2023) ‘Do #BlackLivesMatter in the education of fashion business students?’, in Intersectionality and creative business education: inclusive and diverse cultures in pedagogy. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 67‑92.