How Diverse is the Fashion Education System & the Retail Industry?

In every industry, diversity and inclusion bring different people, talents, experiences, and ideas together in order to create the best possible products and services. However, demographic trends in retail and the fashion industry suggest that it’s not as diverse as we may think, or want it to be. In 2018, total US employment was 155.76 million, and all of fashion and retail employment accounted for 1.5% of that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. White people account for more than 72% of employees in clothing, shoe, jewelry, and leather goods stores, and women account for more than 64% of total retail employees. Meanwhile, Latinx employee statistics range from 18-26% (depending on clothing, shoe, or jewelry retail), African Americans or Black employees range from 9-14%, and Asian employees are roughly between 4 to 7%.