When Racism Is Fashionable

Tina Thomas-Perez

My 1st true love was my Nana's closet and all of its contents. A lot of girls play(ed) dress up in their Mother's or Grandmother's things...hunny I played DRESSTTTT UPPPPPPP lol. Dior pumps and slingbacks, Gucci purses, Chanel suits, Hermes scarves, St John's gowns etc...it was my walk in toy box. She didn't wear the logo soaked pieces...I remember 1 time her, "sales girl" suggested that she try on a blouse that was covered seam to seam with the double G's and she said, "oh no...I will not spend all of this money to advertise for them". For her it wasn't about the label/brand it was for the quality and the craftsmanship. She justified her purchases by saying, "this purse will outlive the both of us" and she was right, I still have some of her now vintage pieces. With that being said, it was no surprise to anyone that knew me as a child that I ended up thriving in luxury retail...the crown jewel on my retail resume is, "Visual MerchandiserContemporary Department and WindowsNeiman Marcus". I graduated from my Nana's closet and hit the jackpot. I got paid well to work 40+ hours to play dress up but this time in one of the world's biggest luxury toy boxes. I worked with some of the actual designers from Etro, Escada, Cavalli etc, I hung on every word spoken by all of them. I attended NY Fashion week shows, events and after parties, movie premiers, music video shoots all because of my love for luxury brands.

In 2013 my love of all things "labeled" started to fade when Oprah Winfrey of all people was told that she couldn't see a purse because she couldn't afford it...the sales associate refused to take the $38,000 purse off of the shelf. Granted, an apology was eventually issued, but let's be clear, the associate wasn't sorry for what she said, she was only regretful because of who she said it to. A few months later, one of my favorite stores, "Barney's" settled a racial profiling/discrimination inquiry.

"When fashion has the power to spark dialogues and ignite change, when it pushes society to fight for a cause, the industry's disappointing reluctance to change is, in and of itself, an act of racism. The fashion industry needs to improve its response, not just or the good of the companies and their millions of workers, but for the good of those of us who wear their clothes every day."

-Grace Horne

It wasn't for a large amount of money but it was enough for me to take inventory of how minority consumers are treated in the luxury retail world. It was then that I started to learn more about the stores and brands that I was giving my money to. Sadly, the more I learned the more my taste for all things designer soured (but I was still buying it ya'll). At this point I was saving up for a newer car so I picked up a part time job working at a Versace boutique...It was cool until it wasn't...the owners were a husband and wife duo...I interviewed with the husband and got hired on the spot, no call backs or 2nd interviews necessary...you couldn't tell me nothing...I started a week later. At 1st it was just me and what you would call a key holder I guess, she and I were around the same age, we had a lot in common and enjoyed working with each other. One day she got sick and had to leave early so she called one of the owners to cover for her because it was maybe my 2nd or 3rd shift and I didn't know enough about the setup to shut everything down. The wife got there and my co-worker left. The owner didn't say much to me, in fact she seemed somewhat uncomfortable around me, so I did my best to keep busy and stayed out of her way. 2 African American women walked in and I greeted them, the owner at this point is obviously uncomfortable...she told me 3 times to check on them...the store was all of about the size of standard living room and it was a straight shot, no hidden

Anywho, I checked on the women each time the owner told me to and each time they understandably seemed more annoyed...the owner asked me to "check" on them again and this time I let her know that I could see them just fine and that they're just looking, then I asked her if she wanted me to update some mannequins...she cut me off, looked me square in my eyes and said, "We didn't hire you to change mannequins, we are experiencing a lot of shrink (theft), we hired you to watch the Blacks...go over there and don't leave them until they leave my store" GASP!!!!!! It's safe to assume that that was my last day...my last moment working in that store. I was floored, I was hurt, and I was angry because I spent so much time and even more money in an industry that uses/used its items to further separate and divide. Once I realized that these brands cared nothing about me or anyone that looks like me unless you're a celebrity promoting their brand I started finding ones that did. In most recent years I've stopped buying Gucci, Prada, Moncler and Burberry, because the 1st 3 mentioned released, "Black Face/Sambo" designs and Burberry released a hooded sweatshirt (a hoodie) and replaced the traditional string/drawstring with a very thin rope "fashioned" as a noose. At one time I'd see a new Gucci bag I'd literally swoon. Now, I see a bag with a bunch of Gs on it made by a company that thought nothing about making a sweater designed to look like one of the most iconic symbols of hate towards African American people.