Unveiled Stories

Bringing together Black and Asian experiences in fashion education by Nephthali Mbila

The Under-Represented project was created to give Black and Brown students creative agency and a much needed voice.

Underrepresented is the word that I would use to describe my experience as a student of colour in a predominantly white educational institution.

For years, there has been a growing recognition of the ethnic inequalities in the fashion sector. Which includes, an active process of hiring more ethnic minority runway models. 43% of castings went to diverse models for Fashion Week as a part of the Autumn/Winter 2021 season; a slight increase from the Spring/Summer season standing at a rate of 41.3% according to The fashion Spot.

However, much more needs to be done to achieve veritable diversity and a healthy and sustainable representation behind the scenes. There is lack of diversity within the workforce as well as a disparity in fashion’s corporate culture. Hence those in power maintain their status while minority groups find it difficult to access any.

The root of this matter begins in education, Black and Asian students are underrepresented across all fashion courses including fashion design, marketing, and communication. Furthermore, inclusivity has been ineffective in terms of creating a climate where diverse students feel safe expressing themselves creatively and are able to contribute their work without shame. If you are white this may come as news but many students of colour suffer barriers which makes for trauma and low self esteem.

Michelle Muirhead, Senior Lecturer BA Fashion at Kingston School of Art and FACE member, created the project ‘Under-Represented’ in order to dig deeper into the educational educational experience for students of Black or Brown (POC) descent studying a fashion related course. In teams, we would produce and present a pitch for a project which actively promotes race equality, race diversity and a sense of belonging. The sort of projects we wish we had been given.

Inclusion plays an important role in academic progression

Inclusion and progression was one of the key factors that steered the project as we got a chance to collaborate with other Black and Brown students from all levels and fashion courses. Throughout the three weeks in production, we recognised the importance of learning our history as we got a rare opportunity to engage with non-white professionals in the workshops.

We became part of the discussion with Beatrice Newman (Fashion Design Leader UEL – FACE GGF TRUSTEE - FACE member) as she discussed the meaning of luxury and how the word has come to be redefined in the age of culture, racial and social awareness. Aysia Durrani-McCann (Associate lecturer, Fashion Promotion and Business Management, Manchester Metropolitan University, MMI - FACE member) gave a real-life insight into tokenism and the unconscious compliance to ‘fit in’ into education, social and the work environment. Joyce Addai-Davis (Principal CEO of Alpha Female Academy – FACE Member) discussed the topic of racial biases and the different types of biases people may possess, Prae Chaiphet (Kingston Alumni 2018, winner of Swarovski Sustainable Accessories Award at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 - FACE member) uncovered the raw truth of the exploitation and objectification South Asian women endured through the medium of fashion. And Avis Charles, (Guest lecturer at De Montfort University, regular speaker at international conferences including, the World Economic Forum and honoured at Women: Inspiration and Enterprise roll call of 50 of the UK’s most inspiration women in business and leadership - FACE member) unveiled the necessary yet hidden stories of figures in fashion history and addressing the need of accurately represent the work of the Global Majority.

We also had an exclusive Q&A session hosted with Saul Nash, a former Central St Martins Graduate and now the founder of a British menswear label. And Foday Dumbuya, a Sierra Leonean designer and the founder of the Labrum brand. We got valuable insights into their own experiences, through the challenges/barriers our speakers faced in terms of racial inequality. This was powerfully reassuring to know that we are not alone in our individual journeys.

We were given the ability to reflect through our projects. Parts of our reflection were based around our own journeys in education and how this project would help us moving forward.

Putting together our project was important because we were able to reflect on our individual experiences and got a chance to discover that being in a predominantly white institution impacted how we put our work out there and how we changed as people

We were placed in two teams and within my group we all had a chance to collaborate and share the moments we felt we were unable to freely express about our cultural identity during our studies.

We quickly recognised that the lack of diversity has made us feel restricted and ashamed. We aimed to create a brief that would allow students to express themselves through the mediums of art, design and narrative (reflecting on what they learned in the workshops) in an illustrative journal. They would also get to collaborate with their peers through group tasks assigned during the workshops.

Creating an inclusive and safe environment is paramount for all students, to enable them to explore and honour their authentic selves. Also, meaningful relationships would be fostered through empathising with each other. Black and Asian (POC) experiences of feeling different and ostracised in a white - centric fashion education sector are complex and personal, but we can all connect. Moreover, we addressed the many stigmas and stereotypes of Black and Asian individuals created by our white counterparts. Of course white students and lecturers would be educated by our presentations too.

Project 1. In My Shoes

We created a brief that consisted of four workshops (one for each person in the group) that the students would attend, with the help of these workshops students would have had the opportunity to create a compilation of emotions, visions and dreams that would have been exhibited through a journal. They were centred around honouring the real and raw pieces of ourselves and our pasts, hence the name of the project, In My Shoes. The student’s journal should have overall identified personal and professional growth.

Overall, we wanted the students to acknowledge and honour their true selves as it would allow them to recognize the differences between them and their fellow classmates. One story highlighted in the workshops expresses the pressures placed on Black and Asian students by lecturers to present their cultures in their work in attempt to create an inclusive environment when in reality it only makes us feel more different. This is also highlighted by Black Excellence Prize winner Joy Julius in a previous FACE blog

Because of my hijab my teachers always push me to reference my culture in my work without knowing the full story of who I am

By absorbing these restrictions, POC students are unable to freely present their individual style. Unconscious bias plays a major role as people assume and categorise before getting to know who we truly are. Expressing the issues around assumption has allowed us to acknowledge that we would no longer conform to stereotypes placed upon us by our white counterparts. By creating a comfortable environment for our project, we hoped to express and praise individual uniqueness.

We hope for our lecturers to take the time to see us and understand the ways that culture has an influence on our work rather than disregarding the individuality within our cultural references we may include in our projects. As well as respecting the time it takes us to do so. For instance, I have constantly felt like I am in competition with my Black counterparts as our lecturers tend to think that we produce the same work. So, for lecturers to actively learn about the differences within our cultures, it can be regarded as special and unique, rather than being overlooked.

There are parts of us that we have been convinced to hide by society, but they are in fact, the very thing that makes us powerful

Project 2: Third Space

A further group project was inspired by an exhibition created by Grace Wales Boner, named, A Time For New Dreams and featured in the Serpentine Sackler Gallery. The exhibition explored magical resonances within Black cultural and aesthetic practices. This exhibition was brought together through dialogue with different collaborators. Wales Boner said she was always interested in a multiplicity of voices and perspectives and never wanted to show a singular vision or fixed notion. Inspired by her desire for composing ideas through multiple voices, the participants in the group wanted to create a project that focused on collaboration.

The Third Space is home to where all these intersections can exist, including cultural and political identities whom which are welcomed and elevated. This project was made special as it centred around the participant’s definition of their individual ‘third space’. Their individual stories included different cultural identities that formed them to be the person they are today, which is described to be often portrayed in their work. This was interpreted as a representation of the Third Space from the students in the group, as they explained the different ideas coming together allowed them to collaborate and create innovative ideas.

The process of creating this project was described to be like a therapy session. The students had a chance to unpack their frustrations about their experiences in studying in a predominantly white institution. Their creation of a comfortable and safe environment allowed them to be brutally honest with one another. Raw emotions were placed in the forefront of their profound conversations. However, their overall feeling remained hopeful for the future of fashion in education.

The ‘Under-represented’ project was seen as an opportunity to unpack the emotional labour that the students were facing and receive support and encouragement from others facing the same issues. Also, by presenting our experiences non POC students got to understand and empathise.

These projects allowed us to work in supportive groups; something we hadn’t done throughout our university experience, this taught us what it is like to collaborate. We all recommend this hands-on project as suitable for design students who would produce a small collection presenting a culmination of their research. Our group hoped white students could understand and empathise with the process that we go through as students of colour whilst creating cultural designs. Our history may also contain generational trauma that we must visit, in order to innovate and create new ideas.

Overall, this project changed our views on fashion education as the project made us realise that it is possible for our white counterparts to truly listen to us. We received great news that our separate projects could possibly be integrated into the modules studied at university. We also received feedback from the academic and professional panel stating how inspirational and meaningful our projects were.

For the first time in my four years at university I felt heard

Throughout the project we learnt about the importance of staying true to yourself and having the confidence to express our cultural differences through creative projects.

Learning through our guest lecturer’s experiences, further created a safe environment in order for us to express our difficulties studying in a predominantly white university. This in turn made us realise although we are the minority, we were not alone in our journey. We came together as strangers and aided each other in relinquishing the shame we were burdened with, throughout the years that we had studied.

By opening up and being vulnerable we created connections and fostered an understanding of each other’s individual identities.

To embrace vulnerability a person must let themselves be seen

One student didn’t realise where her shame came from and how it played a large part in her life, by recognising the external factors and reflecting on that, this helped her move forward. Once we finished our presentations our confidence grew for our work and our views on university moving forward. Furthermore, we found the resilience to stand up for our work. Through the help of our teams, we became active in moving closer to being unapologetically ourselves and being confident in the projects we create.

Reflecting on our futures in the fashion industry I asked several students a question describing what improvements can be made in the fashion industry. “What would they like changed in the fashion industry?”

“As someone who works in the magazine industry, I would like to see less mainstream culture and more of creatives who aren’t currently getting recognition. Instead of looking for the next ‘hot thing’ and people who are already established I would like for them to showcase creatives who don’t have the encouragement of press. They deserve that space to be able to tell their story too.”

“I want transparency in the fashion industry and for the industry to shift their viewpoint on who is allowed the access, as I feel like that it can be elitist at times. Since, people who are more successful must go to the ‘right’ schools or be at the ‘right’ places to thrive in the industry. For people with working-class backgrounds to reach that level of success in the industry is so far fetched.”

“I want people to see fashion as a way of communicating to people who don’t really have access to the fashion sector. As well as a tool for education and political change. I am so tired and bored of how performative fashion news can be.”

We know you join with us in hoping that student desire for the fashion industry to change for the better, is well underway.

Credited websites:
Serpentine Galleries. (2021, April 7). Grace Wales Bonner: A Time for New Dreams.

Report: Fashion Month Fall 2021 Is the Most Racially Diverse Season on Record, but Size, Age and Gender Representation Plunge. (2021, April 9). TheFashionSpot. Article