Even if many are perhaps happy that another year marked by the pandemic is coming to an end, there were many positive developments in 2021, including in the fashion industry. FashionUnited has compiled a few of them by field.
Work culture
Probably one of the biggest influences the pandemic had on the way we work – no longer rigidly from 9 to 5, but more flexible and often from home. While some like to sit alone in front of the screen, others lack the opportunity to communicate with colleagues. Companies are increasingly accepting the preferences of their employees and trying to make their day-to-day work as flexible as possible. Here are a couple of examples.
While some companies – such as Zalando and Nike – Recognized the importance of relaxation and recreation and gave their employees a week’s vacation as a gift LVMH Thought about their future and set up an emergency fund respectively Dr. Martens £ 500 worth of shares given away per employee: in.
Decathlon meanwhile, made its work culture more flexible while Otto Let employees decide for themselves where they want to work. Desigual even shortened the working week to four days.
Diversity
Also in the area of diversity in the workplace – namely the diversity and backgrounds of the employees – something happened this year. Many companies have understood that diverse teams can only enrich the workplace and the working atmosphere. And happy employees: after all, they are also good for the overall result.
at puma An all-round diversity strategy even has an impact on the canteen, where the holidays of different cultures are taken into account. at Denim Expert In Bangladesh, care is taken to ensure that transgender employees have the same rights and that they find a fair and safe employer in the company.
But diversity already begins in training, and that’s what Ben Barry, the new dean of, wants Parsons School of Design, Inclusion, decolonization and sustainability are the focus of fashion education.
donate
Many companies have also discovered charitable causes and donate where necessary – for example after a flood, to reforest the forest or to crisis areas.
The Californian shoe label Toms For example, decided to donate a third of its net profit to social initiatives in the future, while the Berlin fashion label Blood siblings used the VAT cut to donate the amount saved to two international projects and a German one.
sustainability
A lot happened in the area in 2021 sustainability in the fashion industry with numerous projects, collaborations and innovations in the field of materials and environmentally friendly corporate management. One example is the new sock brand Cheeriowho would like to reduce their carbon footprint through a forest project.
You can find more examples in our upcoming sustainability round-up 2021.
Birthdays
Last but not least, in 2021 there were also several birthdays to be celebrated by personalities in the fashion industry who achieved high, well-rounded days of honor: the fashion icon Iris apple for example, which celebrated its 100th birthday in August and inspires people all over the world with its zest for action. Carmen Dell’Orefice, arguably the oldest active model in the world, turned 90 in June. Grace Coddington, Fashion rock star and US Vogue creative director, turned 80 in April.