There’s a historical context around Black employees and their hair, and how our hair is policed in society, but also in the workplace,” Shereen Daniels, managing director of HR Rewired and author of The Anti-Racist Organization, told HR Brew. “If you’re working in organizations where you are a statistical minority because of your race or ethnicity, the majority is likely to have European hair, and therefore the expectations around professionalism are going to come from a very Eurocentric standard of beauty.”

Shereen Daniels, CEO and founder of HR Rewired, says it’s important that leaders communicate a sense of collective responsibility, regardless of whether people are personally impacted by racism. She says: “It’s critical to measure racial disparities and probe deeper, asking the tough questions about why some employees consistently have poorer experiences in comparison to others. This includes understanding which group of employees are most affected, how these disparities are reflected throughout the employee lifecycle, and examining the ways in which decision-making processes might intensify or mitigate these disparities. It’s also necessary to consider how the overrepresentation of white employees in positions of authority can be addressed.”

We were very proud to be gold partners at this year’s Advancing Racial Equity Conference hosted by Shereen Daniels, Managing Director at HR rewired and bestselling author of The Anti-Racist Organization – Dismantling Systemic Racism in the Workplace.

Our own Nick Croucher took part in a panel on the power of brands, led by Reeta Loi – storyteller and strategist who’s supported household names such as Vice, Gay Times, Amex, ASOS and Sony. Nick was joined by Elfried Samba – Chief Community Officer at Ioconic, CEO of Butterfly 3ffect and former Head of Social Content at Gymshark

Before Tapestry hired David Casey as its first chief inclusion and social impact officer in April 2022, its diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy sat under HR and was limited to a purpose-driven approach, with commitments seen as beneficial to community and society but separate from profit and shareholder value. Over the past year, Casey has been working to weave DE&I into every function of the company.

The decision by clothing firm Levi Strauss to use models generated by artificial intelligence to show off its products has been criticised by an HR consultancy specialising in race equity.

Later this year, Levi Strauss will present AI models in different body types, skin colours and ages, allowing customers to see how products might look on them.

The AI models will be “inspired” by real people, said the company generating the images, Amsterdam-based Lalaland.ai, but it was unclear if that meant the real people on whom the creations will be based would be paid or even informed of their involvement.

Levi's said its decision to use AI-generated diverse models was not a "means to advance diversity" or substitute for real action following an outcry.

The denimwear brand came under scrutiny this week after it announced a partnership with Lalaland.ai to use AI-generated models with more diverse skin tones and body types. Lalaland.ai is a Black-owned AI company set up in 2019.

Last week, Levi’s unveiled a partnership with Dutch digital fashion studio, Lalaland.ai, which will help the denim brand create customized AI models for its online platforms.

In a press release, Levi’s stated that the use of AI models would “supplement” human ones, increasing the number and diversity of its models in a sustainable way.

While the brand stated that AI models will “likely never replace human models,” it said it is “excited by the potential capabilities this may afford us for the consumer experience.”

Key takeaway: Diversifying the executive team is top of mind for luxury’s leaders — but progress will take time. The companies making the most headway are thinking about succession planning with a DE&I lens; offering opportunities for mid-level talent from underrepresented groups to progress through mentorship and sponsorship schemes; and shifting their perception of what a “culture fit” is. Hiring more people from underrepresented groups alone does not solve the root issue: companies must overhaul their culture to become more inclusive, with leaders actively working on breaking down their biases and taking employee feedback on board.