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The Swedish fashion industry is suffering from a lack of diverse representation at leadership levels and unequal opportunities for career development due to ethnicity, age, financial situation and disability. Those are the findings from the Swedish Fashion Council’s (SFC) first diversity survey, released today, along with a stark warning that the industry risks losing talent if it doesn’t change.
The qualitative survey of 486 fashion industry professionals builds on interviews the SFC carried out for its annual report last year. Conducted in partnership with research platform Perspetivo, the attempt to underpin action with data is a first for the Swedish fashion industry. Similar efforts are being made in other markets: the British Fashion Council launched a diversity census in August, with results pending.
“Sweden has no real tradition of measuring diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry, making this survey unique,” says Jennie Rosén, CEO of the Swedish Fashion Council. “This, combined with a low level of expertise and anxiety over inclusion issues, is the reason why it’s taken us so long to talk about it. However, Sweden has a long history of promoting gender equality and women’s rights, which we believe needs to be translated into [wider] diversity and inclusion as well.”
Of the 486 people who completed the survey, 77 per cent were women, 19 per cent were men, 1.5 per cent were non-binary, and the remainder preferred not to answer. The male respondents were more likely to hold leadership roles, at 47 per cent, compared to 36 per cent for women. Half (51 per cent) of the respondents reported that Swedish was their first language, 22 per cent said Swedish and one or more languages, and 27 per cent said their first language was not Swedish. Most respondents were in permanent employment, though those who selected Swedish and/or another first language were more likely to be freelancers.
Two-thirds of respondents disagreed with the statement that all fashion employees have equal opportunities for career development regardless of their identity. More than 40 individual respondents — 9 per cent of the total — reported seriously considering leaving the industry because of this. Ethnicity was seen as the biggest barrier to receiving equal opportunities, with three-quarters of respondents citing it as a factor. Age, financial situation and disability were also among the commonly recognised barriers.
“The report shows that people not only have a high tendency to leave the industry but also discourage other people from joining due to the lack of equal opportunities. This indicates that the Swedish fashion industry is facing a so-called brain drain and will lose talent if this doesn’t change,” says Perspetivo CEO Suzan Hoarier Lindberg.
The report notes that there is a “positive correlation between broad ethnic diversity among management teams and company profitability” and that “one of the main priorities is to address the need for more diversity in leadership roles and create pathways for underrepresented individuals to reach these positions. Another is the recruitment and retention of diverse talent and to foster environments where all employees feel valued, respected and included.”
Across the board, respondents ranked the Swedish fashion industry relatively low in how inclusive they perceive it to be — 4.82 out of 10. This skewed highest for men, at a 5.63 mean score, and those whose first language was Swedish, at 5.11. Women and those whose first language was not Swedish scored the industry lowest for inclusivity, at 4.63 and 4.5, respectively. Male respondents were more likely to say their self-confidence regarding their competence at work has increased, at 71 per cent, compared to 59 per cent for women. Those with a first language other than Swedish were the most likely to feel they had to change something essential to their personality in order to fit in the Swedish fashion industry.
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Barriers to data gathering
The sample size remains relatively low, Rosén acknowledges — there are an estimated 40,000 people working in the Swedish fashion industry. Sweden’s Data Protection Act and the EU’s GDPR regulations mean that it can be challenging for companies to ask employees about their ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs or personal data concerning health or sexual preference. Even when consent is given, there are certain obligations required when processing this information for it to be considered lawful. Anxiety around providing diversity information in the region was a big challenge, which Rosén says was “demonstrated in the reluctance of some companies to help spread the survey throughout their organisations”. The plan is to get more stakeholders in the local industry involved as the organisation continues to build on the research.
“The hope is that by launching this survey and sharing data on where we stand today, there will be an increased knowledge and support from within the industry to address diversity and inclusion issues more comprehensively,” says Rosén. “We hope the results of this survey will encourage more people to talk and educate themselves about the issues and look inside their own organisations and teams and see how we collectively can create change.” She adds that diversity and inclusion in mandatory corporate sustainability reporting is also something that could contribute to making sure that real lasting change. This has yet to be introduced in any market, even those like the US that have looser data restrictions and a generally more positive culture around D&I work.
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“Moving forward, we also aim to make sure our surveys are not only a means of gathering data but also a platform allowing visitors to customise the questions so that they can consume it in ways that work best for them, making it more accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of people online,” Rosén says.
The Swedish Fashion Council is planning to establish guidelines and best practices to help local brands increase diversity and inclusivity and monitor the impact of their initiatives. “The Swedish fashion industry has a unique opportunity to set an example and inspire global change. Sweden is renowned for its innovative and progressive values, which should be reflected in our approach to diversity and inclusion,” says Rosén. “Accurate data and insights are vital in driving change, and our first step is to determine the issues. However, the key to driving transformation is not only identifying the problems but also taking tangible steps to address them.”
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