Dive Brief:

• The Fashion Spot surveyed the status of diversity in ads from the fashion industry in 2017 and was underwhelmed with the progress in representations of racial, body, age and gender diversity.
• In the assessment of fashion print ads featuring 444 models, only 24.6% were non-white, a meager 1.2 point increase over the previous season.
• Fashion ads did not do much better in others areas of diversity, with plus-size women representing 2.3% of castings, over-50 models at a mere 0.5% and transgender at 1.1%.

Dive Insight:

Diversity has become a point of focus in marketing both within the makeup of the industry itself and in brand messaging. In fashion, diversity is front-and-center as calls by consumers, particularly millennials, increase to improve the diversity of fashion imagery in an authentic way. Research from the Harris Poll finding nearly 65% of 18-to-34-year-olds overall prefer shopping at retailers that offer a wide selection of multicultural products.

As to why fashion marketers aren’t taking calls for diversity to heart and altering their advertising strategies, The Fashion Spot speculated that it is possible brands have a fear of the unknown or lack the confidence to make such changes. ”We do know that the movement toward greater racial, body, age and gender diversity in ads is a slow-dripping faucet, and we’re tired of this dated reality," the report states. 

Fashion marketers may also be afraid that any effort to increase diversity could come across as inauthentic or be construed in a way not intended by the brand. There have been a few recently examples where brands unintentionally whipped up a social media backlash by trying to be more inclusive in their marketing.

Last month, Pepsi was forced to pull an ad featuring Kendall Jenner and a diverse group of protesters after it received widespread criticism on social media for trivializing important social movements like Black Lives Matter. 
In another example, Dove introduced limited-edition packaging resembling different female body types, a move many on social media called inauthentic and exploitative.  

The fashion industry has a wide audience of creative, passionate consumers, giving it a unique platform to promote diversity. However, this report suggests that those who believe the industry can execute on that promise may be overestimating fashion marketers' abilities or desire to do so.

"Advertising may be one of the more progressive industries seeking to meet the needs of a global audience that’s hungry for culture and diversification," Tiffany Tulloss, PR account specialist at Function previously told Marketing Dive. "From makeup giants featuring male beauty influencers to global soda companies reminding us to stand together, advertising is one of the largest platforms to showcase inclusivity."