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Victoria Beckhamis taking “a step back” to focus on how she can strive for more representation and inclusivity in the fashion industry.
On Friday, the 46-year-old designer shared a statement on Instagram detailing what the fashion industry can do better in terms of supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The fashion industry has a huge role to play in the Black Lives Matter movement, and I can be better. We can all be better,” Beckham shared. “It starts with representation, both within our business and who we work with externally.”
She continued, “At Victoria Beckham, we have always striven to be inclusive, but we need to look inwards and be better. As a first step, we’ve set up an internal working group to look at everything from our teams and talent to our casting, suppliers, and partners.” She explained that the team will hold her business “accountable and ensure” as their short and long-term actions are executed.
Beckham stated that her titular womenswear line will also be “providing additional team training and support to ensure that we are listening to each other, really discussing the issues and identifying unconscious bias in ourselves and the wider business.”
“It’s each of our responsibilities to speak out and use our platforms for education, conversation and change,” Beckham continued her statement. “Things won’t change or be solved in a day, but we clearly can’t wait another day to start doing more.”
In her Instagram caption, accompanied by a picture of her statement, the former pop-star continued to outline the changes the fashion industry can implement to make more of a difference in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice issues.
“I’ve taken a step back this week to focus on the tragic events that I have been [highlighting] recently,” she wrote in the Instagram caption. “Watching things unfold and learning more about the Black Lives Matter movement, I’ve been truly sickened by how deeply ingrained racism is in our society.”
She went on to announce her commitment to “speak out” and continue to use her platform for “education, conversation and change.”
“Whilst things won’t change or be solved in a day, we clearly can’t wait another day to start and I am absolutely committed to being better and doing more, both personally and professionally,” she concluded her caption. “I hope you all share my sentiment and are doing the same with your friends, family, brands and businesses so that we all play our part in this vital issue.”
