THE WOMEN IN DENIM

THE WOMEN IN DENIM

WHY WE NEED MORE

WOMEN IN DENIM

The Women in Denim initiative is a network for a group noticeably underrepresented in the denim industry’s management positions: women. And this is despite the fact that denim is closely interwoven with the history of feminism.

Wonder women in NYC: By supporting each other instead of putting each other down, women can achieve great things.

Just imagine, you run a thriving company that is owned in equal parts by you and your husband. Your company receives interview requests and holds business meetings, but nobody wants to speak to you, only with your husband. Lucie Germser, self-professed Denim Creative at Munich denim tradeshow Bluezone, is all too familiar with such ludicrous injustices. She decided to draw a line under this chapter in her life by establishing branding agency Sphynx, which she manages on her own. And she also decided to do something about such unfair power dynamics. But where to start?

Preferably where your own expertise lies, which in Lucie’s case was the denim community of Bluezone. Together with the trade fair organisers she arranged a talk, which took place during the September 2019 edition of the fair. Lucie brought together interesting women from the industry, ranging from managers and artists to manufacturers of the end products. To guide the discussion in the right direction, Lucie laid the facts on the table at the start: women earn around 24 percent less than men to do the same job; 94 percent of top global managers are men, not to mention 100 percent of the exhibitors at Bluezone. “After this intro, I gave the microphone to our guests, and what came out was amazing,” recalls Lucie today. “We found out that not only did we all have that same feeling of injustice, but we also had a whole bunch of crazy and unbelievable testimonies to share. This uniting moment was a success and a revelation because we realised that we were not alone. We felt pumped up and super motivated. So I created our group and made it official.” Suddenly it became not only an opportunity for creative interaction, but also a forum for new ideas and bold approaches. Inspired to make a change, Lucie then established The Women in Denim together with product designer and denim expert Anne Oudard – and the successful talk became an annual event supported by Bluezone. Since then, The Women in Denim have been working on empowering women in the industry and fighting for equality. International brands offered their support and enabled the community to meet women from the denim industry all over the globe. So far, The Women in Denim have around 180 official members worldwide, plus a big social media following.

Despite three years of dedication and commitment by The Women in Denim, the female quota at tradeshows is still nowhere near the preferable 50 percent.

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN WEARING DENIM

Despite three years of dedication and commitment by The Women in Denim, the female quota at tradeshows is still nowhere near the preferable 50 percent. For the females of the species, the mills in the denim industry seem to be grinding very slowly. It took a whole 45 years after the invention of denim jeans until the first model for women was launched, for example. Originally developed for hardworking farmers, miners and cowboys, denim was regarded as being too rough and ready for women. Jeans were the symbol of the masculine

THE WOMEN IN DENIM

working class. But during the First World War, women’s roles and status began to change, with many of them stepping in to take on the men’s jobs when they were called up to the frontlines. As everyday women’s clothing wasn’t robust enough for farm and factory work, the female labourers discovered the benefits of men’s jeans and tailored them to fit. By 1918, the war was over and Levi Strauss & Co. created its ‘Freedom-Alls’, which, however, didn’t have a lot in common with the jeans we know and love today. The one-piece suit made from a denim-like cotton fabric was corset-free and therefore looser than the everyday fashion of the time, had harem-style trouser legs and was designed for “work or recreation”. In 1934, the first denim jeans for women finally came onto the market, also by Levi Strauss & Co. The feminine version of the 501 Jeans, which were known as ‘Lady Levi’s’, don’t need any further explanation here – because they went down in history and, with only slight variations, are still being worn and celebrated to this day.

“WE CAN DO IT!”

Born from the female desire for continued freedom during the post-war era, the jeans soon became a symbol of rebellion against entrenched gender roles. During the Second World War, women in jeans eventually became a symbol of the war effort, embodied by the iconic, denim jumpsuit-wearing allegorical character Rosie the Riveter, who went down in history. After the war, it wasn’t only the battles on the frontlines that eased, but also the acceptance of women in workwear trousers. Jeans were no longer seen as workwear, but also became an acceptable and even stylish choice for leisure activities. And a very special icon of pop culture gave them the ultimate fashion status – Marilyn Monroe. The photos of her wearing tight, high-waisted jeans are still seen as a synonym for the sex appeal of the 50s and 60s.

JEANS AND FEMINISM

As a symbol of the shifting of traditional gender roles, jeans are inextricably linked to the history of feminism. This is also how the annually held ‘Denim Day’ went down in the history books. At the end of April, a dark day is commemorated that calls attention to sexual assault and victim-blaming. The ‘Denim Day’ campaign was triggered by a rape case that was brought to the Italian Supreme Court in 1998. At the time, the victim was actually accused of helping the perpetrator – because she was wearing skinny jeans that he supposedly wouldn’t have been able to take off on his own, suggesting that it was no longer rape but consensual sex. The culprit ended up walking free when his conviction was overturned. Outraged by this ignorance and blatant misogyny, women all over the world took to the barricades. Protests took place throughout Italy, women wore jeans to work, and waved banners embellished with slogans like ‘Jeans, an alibi for rape’. Still to this day, every year people around the globe still take to the streets on ‘Denim Day’ to protest and make their voices heard.

Nowadays, womenswear dominates the jeans market and yet, the higher you climb, the fewer women you find.

BREAKING FREE FROM OLD THOUGHT PATTERNS

“Nowadays, womenswear dominates the jeans market and yet, the higher you climb, the fewer women you find,” is how Anne Oudard, co-founder of The Women in Denim, sums up the problem. “There are a lot of women garment workers, designers, managers… but at executive positions, the figures fall to under 15 percent. Nearly every major denim brand is run by a man.” Many fashion houses are already showing their women’s and menswear collections together in one show and unisex is

ARNAULT-BREYSSE PHOTO

Female power in Milan.

pretty much old hat these days – the fashion world is meanwhile more open-minded than ever before. Yet the stereotypes of a typical man and a typical woman still very much endure. Subconsciously, a lot of women are still clinging to the roles they grew up with. First and foremost: always be nice, quiet and good-tempered. Men, on the other hand, seem to have an advantage with the roles attributed to them: decisiveness, target-oriented and without fear or reservations, for example. This is also exacerbated by the fact that feminine characteristics, which are actually positives, are seen by many as weaknesses. Sensitivity, empathy and careful consideration when it comes to taking big steps, for example. Women need to make more of an effort to earn respect – sometimes it often just feels that way, but often it is sadly the case. So isn’t it high time we started celebrating these supposed weaknesses as the strengths that they are? “And the best way to do that is together,” says Anne, adding with a smile: “The more we communicate with each other, the less we’ll hear those kinds of silly comments.”

THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN DENIM

There’s one thing in particular that the two activists Lucie and Anne agree on: bringing more diversity to the denim industry is vital for the future. “With womenswear being the bread and butter of the denim industry, it sounds logical that a woman would have a good understanding of this market and be very suited for a leading position. More generally, I think diversity brings new perspectives,” explains Anne. When an entire industry is run by the same kind of person, you run the irrevocable risk of overlooking a whole host of viewpoints and problems. “We’re facing a dramatic climate crisis and we aren’t anywhere near fair working conditions across our supply chain. The denim industry has to keep improving its practices to reduce its impact. Can we really afford to keep women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ out of the conversation?” And The Women in Denim have a lot of plans up their sleeves for the future: their biggest project is a lottery they have organised to support teenage mothers in Madagascar. “We want them to have a shelter, a secure place to raise their kids, while they can continue their schooling and get training for real jobs and careers. It’s urgent because due to COVID, this organisation is no longer receiving money from people or companies, so these very young mothers are back on the streets and have to abandon their children,” Lucie tells us. The community aims to collect donations by asking renowned denim brands for garments that have been worn by international celebrities. All proceeds from the online lottery, which everyone can participate in, will go to the organisation. Another project is helping women in Bangladesh who have lost their jobs with fast fashion brands due to the pandemic. And COVID-induced travel restrictions permitting, a big tour of Italy is also planned for the near future.

A FEELING OF SOLIDARITY

For anyone who is interested and wants to become a Woman in Denim themselves, the good news is that Anne and Lucie welcome everyone into their community with open arms. “Any woman working in the denim industry is very welcome to join us. From students to CEOs. The more of us there are, the better we can help each other. Contact us and join our activities, but also propose your own event if you wish to.” To stay up to date with the latest from the community, follow @TheWomenInDenim on Instagram and LinkedIn.