Not only is she one of the top few stylists in the fashion industry, but she’s also black. She and she is almost too much for Italy, conservative, sexist and racist. Stella Jean, originally from Haiti, has long been the only black talent to parade on the official calendar of Milan Fashion Week, where racism is particularly uninhibited.
Stella Jean, black spearhead of the fight against racism in Italy
There, several luxury houses have already indulged in the production of racist pieces and/or communication campaigns, such as Dolce & Gabanna, Prada or Marni. After the death of George Floyd, the international expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement and the hypocrisy of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI: Italian fashion authority) who only made false promises to pretend they wanted to make things better, Stella Jean he announced that he would no longer show in Milan as long as he acted as guarantor confirming the exclusion.
He had also founded We Are Made in Italy (WAMI), a collective of racialized people in Italian fashion in response to the industry’s lack of inclusion. But now he is on hunger strike, to contest the fact that the CNMI abandoned WAMI, while Milan Fashion Week is held from February 22 to 27, 2023.
Since George Floyd’s death in May 2020, Stella Jean has redoubled her efforts to move the lines of racism in fashion in Italy, amidst violent indifference. Almost three years since she no longer parades in the official calendar, therefore. If WAMI, composed of 5 designers (Gisèle Claudia Ntsama, Frida Kiza, Mokodu Fall, Karim Daoudi, Joy Meribe), created its own fashion event in September 2022, this remains insufficient, as Stella Jean stated during a press conference l on February 8, 2023, explaining that the CNMI had dropped WAMI. In your opinion, the collective’s black designers would even receive anonymous death threats.
The Italian trade union chamber of fashion has stopped financially supporting the rare black Italian designers
Asked by Stunnedthe CNMI explains that it has not withdrawn its support, only its economic aid which should only be timely:
“Economic support to brands for the production of collections and events is not one of CNMI’s core activities: any additional economic support can exceptionally, punctually be made available to new brands, especially at the beginning of their journey. »
The economic support of the CNMI granted to WAMI was “ due to extraordinary funding, due to the COVID pandemic “, Continues a spokesperson with the British media.
Stella Jean goes on hunger strike over Italy’s lack of support against racism
However, Stella Jean reports that the end of this subsidy puts several designers in economic danger, as they already have upfront costs that they are unable to compose. And for this Stella Jean goes on hunger strike until the president of the CNMI guarantees long-term aiddiscuss with Stunned :
“When those who represent the reality of a country speak, we all have a duty to listen. The truth remains clear: Much corporate engagement does not provide increased coverage and financial support for underrepresented minorities. This is a deliberately missed opportunity to help racialized designers and exploit them as a gimmickwhile capitalizing on consumer interest in all things multicultural. What we need are real business opportunities, not cocktails. We have to create collections, show and sell them, not photo shoots. »
Front page photo credit: Instagram screenshot of Stella Jean.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
