Impact of Racism on Mental and Physical Health in UK Fashion Retail Industry

FASHION
DISSERTATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................6
Is the fashion industry racist?......................................................................................................6
Why is there lack of diversity on the catwalk and on front-page publications?.........................6
What are the profitable trends of cultural appropriation and inspiration?..................................7
What are the mental effects of racism?.......................................................................................7
What are the brands that have demonstrated racism?.................................................................8
Is there hope for change? ...........................................................................................................8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................10
DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................15
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................15
RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................18
Books and Journals...................................................................................................................18
Online sources...........................................................................................................................19

INTRODUCTION
Background of the topic
The inhumane treatment of Brown and Black people globally is centuries systemic and
old. Recent videos have also showed that police are creating universal anger and outrage and it
has also showed that racism does not just exist in these clips any more (Krause and Li, 2020). It
has deeply entrenched every part of culture, involving the fashion industry, where progress is
quite slow (Hudson, 2016). Fashion has created itself in multiple ways that create white
supremacy, from the standards of parameters of style and beauty being dependent upon white
European standards, to the dismissal of of Black culture's contribution to aesthetics, to the
tokenism of ethnic ambiguity.
This is the industry that allows quite few people of color in decision making, leadership
and gate-keeping roles and its dragging responses to racial injustice have been highlighted in the
weeks since the killing of George Floyd. Fashion holds a unique place in the whole world
because it is great for shifting mindsets, creating new norms and excluding or including whole
groups of individuals from its vision of beauty (O’Connell, 2021). Fashion industry requires
more Brown and Black people at each and every level because this helps in getting multiple
perspectives from different viewpoint or culture. This ultimately assists in making whole fashion
industry more inclusive (Iqbal, 2017).
Racism is referred as an omnipresent broader social problem but the fashion industry is
damaged with unique structural issues that form it particularly unequipped to confront racism,
exclusivity and representation (Därth, 2020). In the existing investigation impact of racism on
mental and physical health of people is shown within fashion retail industry of the United
Kingdom. It also shows the reasons that encourage racism in the fashion industry along with
examples of brands that have supported racism while demonstrating their products.
Research aim, objectives and questions
Research Aim:
To identify the impact of racism discrimination on mental and physical health of people
within UK fashion retail industry.
Research Objectives:
 To identify the reasons of racism within UK fashion industry

 To examine the causes behind lack of diversity on the catwalk and on front-page
publications
 To determine the profitable trends of Cultural appropriation and inspiration for UK
fashion industry
 To evaluate the impact of racism discrimination on mental health of people within
fashion industry
 To discern the examples of brands that have supported racism while demonstrating their
products
 To identify the ways that UK fashion industry can use to mitigate or prevent racism
within fashion industry
Research Questions:
 Is the fashion industry racist?
 Why is there lack of diversity on the catwalk and on front-page publications?
 What are the profitable trends of cultural appropriation and inspiration?
 What are the mental effects of racism?
 What are the brands that have demonstrated racism?
 Is there hope for change?
Research rationale
The major purpose of conducting the existing dissertation is to showcase the level of
racism discrimination within fashion industry. I have selected topic discrimination in fashion
industry because there are many people related with this industry face discrimination on the basis
of their color. Racism within fashion industry treat Black and Brown people in an inhumane way
(Peterson, 2020). There are two vital objectives that are met with the help of two different
perspectives which are: personal and professional. In terms of personal perspective, I will get the
chance of increasing my knowledge about the fashion industry of the United Kingdom. This
dissertation will also assist me in knowing about the various methods of research to collect and
analyse information in a systematic manner. On the other hand, in terms of professional
perspective, I will learn about the ways through which racism in the fashion industry can be
prevented and mitigated. This will aid me in my professional career as I can be able to recruit
candidates from different culture so that diversity can be improved in the fashion companies and