Home / Arts and Entertainment / Fashion's Diversity Gap: An Italian Fight
Fashion's Diversity Gap: An Italian Fight
26 Jan
Summary
- Michelle Ngonmo founded Afrofashion Association to boost minority representation.
- Ghanaian designer Victor Abbey-Hart debuted at Milan Fashion Week.
- Advocates demand action from Italian fashion houses on diversity.
Michelle Ngonmo, a Cameroonian-Italian, has spent a decade leading the Afrofashion Association to elevate Africans and other people of color within Italy's creative industries. The organization produces runway shows, mentors emerging talent, and presents awards, having supported 3,000 individuals to date. Ngonmo emphasizes Italy's evolving, diverse landscape, countering perceptions of a solely white Italy.
Following the Black Lives Matter movement, designers like Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan, alongside Ngonmo, pushed Italian fashion houses for tangible diversity and inclusion actions. Despite initial momentum with initiatives like 'We Are Made in Italy' (WAMI), funding challenges and industry economic crises led to a diminished focus.
Ngonmo now collaborates with institutions like the Italian National Fashion Chamber, which provides platforms for Black talents during Milan Fashion Week. Ghanaian designer Victor Reginald Bob Abbey-Hart, who debuted his collection recently, exemplifies this support. Abbey-Hart's journey from Ghana to Milan highlights the opportunities and persistent challenges faced by Black creatives in Italy. Carlo Capasa, president of the fashion chamber, acknowledges Ngonmo's crucial role in addressing the needs of minority communities within the industry.
