Fashion

“ So many businesses depend on free labor ” – Glossy

In recent weeks, fashion companies have taken into account their track record of internal diversity, which in many cases been less than stellar. A number of factors contribute to the whiteness of fashion, especially in the upper echelons of management, and it starts at the lower echelons of the business. Unpaid internships are a factor stifling diversity.

Many internships are unpaid, only a certain subset of people – usually whites and the wealthy – can afford to work part-time or full-time for free. The median wealth of the average white American family is 12 times higher than black families, according to the Institute for Economic Policy. By filtering out applicants who cannot work for free, fashion companies reduce diversification before it can even begin. Internships are a valuable entry point for newcomers to the industry. Paid internships lead to full-time jobs 65% of the time, while unpaid internships only 39% of the time, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Glossy spoke to a young black woman, who completed three internships in the industry over the past year, to talk about the effect of unpaid work on the problem of fashion diversity and on the young generation of future fashion workers. She is a recent college graduate who did an internship with two leading fashion designers and a mid-sized fashion brand. She asked that neither she nor the places where she worked be identified, so as not to burn professional bridges.

Are you interning anywhere right now?
I was, but I am not currently because of Covid. I moved to New York City last year with a few online courses left to complete before I graduated. I figured I could do an internship and gain some experience while I’m doing it. It really sucks that so many businesses depend on free labor because New York is not a cheap place. A lot of the places I interned required at least a three-day-a-week commitment, which is a lot of time to work for free. Not only that, but there is [also] that unspoken thing. They make you feel like you have to go above and beyond or you aren’t giving your all and they are less likely to give you a full time job.

What was your experience?
It varies. At two of them I was doing PR work or picking up deliveries around town for photo ops or dropping things off. At a place, [a fashion brand,] I was basically a glorified maid. People asked me to do things that had nothing to do with the skills I was there to learn. I didn’t feel like I was learning or growing or anything like that.

All this was not paid for, of course. No salary, no allowance. The brand I worked in had a kitchen with little stuff for me and the other five or six interns, but if you wanted to eat a real meal, you were on your own.

Once I was going to a photoshoot where Bella Hadid [was the model], but I had a bad feeling and didn’t go. It turned out that the shoot was outside in the winter and it was very cold that day. I just remember my boss being so bewildered that I didn’t want to go out and stay in the cold for free. I’m worth more than that. And it can be demoralizing to have to do all that grumpy work for free. And then I look like a bitch for saying no to demoralizing things like that.

Does the fact that it’s unpaid affect who can do those jobs?
Absolutely. You already have to have money to be able to do things like that. It really hurt to talk to some of the other assistants and interns, who were talking about going out and doing this and that, and telling them that I can’t do that because I couldn’t afford it. It was bad. And they didn’t really care or realize it sometimes.

At a place, [interning for a stylist and editor at a major fashion magazine,] I was on a part-time internship for free and I was working part-time at another job to pay rent. I ended up leaving that job, and when I told my boss she was like, great, now you can come intern for us five days a week. And I had to say no, because I can’t afford to work for free full time!

There’s another element to all of this. Im Black, and in a lot of places I interned I was the only one [Black person], or there are only a few people and everyone is white. No one has ever said or done anything explicitly racist, but there’s just that uncomfortable energy at times. I once had to go get some expensive watches from the Upper East Side for a shoot, and the people in the shop, I could just tell they didn’t believe me. They didn’t believe I was who I said I was. I also have a pretty white name, so I can see on people’s faces that they’re surprised at what I look like when they meet me. All of this contributes to this culture where, if you are not rich and white, it is much more difficult.

How did all of this affect your desire to continue working in fashion?
I want to continue working in the industry. Right now it’s really tough, but hopefully once things are sorted out it will be easier to get back to it. But it is difficult to continue working for free. Last September I met this guy who got me to work a bit on a Fashion Week shoot that ended up in a big magazine, and I got my name in the magazine credits, which was great. But I haven’t been paid anything for it. There are just a lot of barriers to entry.

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