In fashion, girls’s equality comes with a sophisticated paradox. Women may dominate the industry at the entry degree, but that illustration typically disappears when it comes to the rooms where the largest selections, and the largest checks, are made. And for Black girls and other girls of colour, the path to the high can come with an even steeper set of limitations.
Women make up the majority of fashion’s entry-level workforce, yet that presence drops considerably in management. According to McKinsey and the CFDA, girls maintain a majority of entry-level positions across fashion, but only 14 % of main fashion manufacturers had a feminine govt in charge in the examine.
For feminine founders, the problem takes another form. Access, visibility, mentorship, investment, and alternative can typically be influenced by both what you know and, perhaps more importantly, who you know. Those networks have not traditionally been equally accessible to girls, and the limitations can be even more pronounced for girls of colour.
The funding numbers inform a story of their own. In 2024, startups with girls CEOs obtained just under 11 % of U.S. enterprise capital funding in priced rounds, while startups led by males obtained more than 89 %, according to Carta. For many girls founders, building a company therefore means turning into an investor before anyone else is keen to take a likelihood: placing personal financial savings, income, time, and relationships on the line to deliver a imaginative and prescient to life.
So, what does equality truly look like for the Black girls building fashion’s future? In honor of Women’s Equality Day, we spoke with three feminine designers and founders about access, funding, sacrifice, visibility, and what they hope will change for the girls who come after them.
Nia Thomas, founder of Nia Thomas
What Equality In Fashion Means to Her: “To me, women’s equality in fashion means that women are not only designing the products or executing the creative vision—we also own the companies, control the capital and occupy the most influential and highly compensated positions within them. Women should be CEOs, creative directors, investors, marketing executives and board members with genuine decision-making power.”
On the Industry’s Current State: “Women drive so much of the fashion industry, both as creators and consumers, yet we are still underrepresented in the positions that determine where the money goes, which businesses receive investment and whose ideas are given the resources to grow. We are not there yet. True equality will exist when women have equal access to ownership, leadership, funding and long-term wealth—not simply visibility or representation.”
On Her Current Realities: “When I go to main textile suppliers, I am sometimes seemed up and down and assumed to be an intern or an assistant representing a male founder. In those moments, I have discovered to stand a little taller, clearly state that I am representing myself and display that I perceive every element of what I am sourcing—from the material composition and width to the actual portions and colour names.
I make sure I arrive exceptionally ready because I know my experience may be questioned before I have even spoken. Once they acknowledge that I know precisely what I am doing, I can see their notion of me shift. While it is satisfying to earn their respect, it is also irritating to know that I typically have to show my authority before it is given to me. I should not have to outperform someone’s assumptions in order to be acknowledged as the founder and decision-maker.”
What She Hopes For the Next Gen: “I hope the next technology of girls fashion founders have better access to two issues that can make or break a business: capital and mentorship. Both are crucial to sustainable growth. Specialized steering from people who have already constructed profitable companies can save a founder years of pricey trial and error, while access to capital gives her the skill to truly execute what she has discovered.
The actuality is that it takes money to construct a company—to develop merchandise, rent a workforce, invest in advertising and marketing, produce stock and create the infrastructure required for growth. Talent and imaginative and prescient are important, but they can only take a founder so far without the correct assets and support. Through the work I am doing, I hope to help make the path more seen and attainable. I need the next technology of girls founders to start with better access, stronger networks and a clearer understanding that they belong in every room where selections are being made.”
Kaia Baker, founder of Quintessential
On What Equality In Fashion Means to Her: “To me, equality in fashion means equal opportunity to learn, to grow, and to exist in an equitable environment. We deserve to get into the room based on our accomplishments and the value we can provide—nothing else. So many women carry real pride in the intelligence they’ve built through their businesses and careers, and that should be enough. This industry has long run on ‘who knows who,’ and that dynamic won’t disappear overnight. But working hard, working smart, and building something impactful for our communities is work that deserves to be celebrated—that’s what equality looks like to me.”
On Her Current Realities: “I don’t spend much energy on what others expect of me. The real pressure is proving to myself that I can scale this brand as big as I’ve dreamed—and give it the impact I’ve always envisioned. There’s also the pressure of showing up for my team, because they’ve poured so much genuine work and love into this brand. I refuse to let them down. Anyone else’s expectations of me aren’t my concern—but we hold ourselves to a high standard of excellence and consistency across every medium, and that will never change.”
On What She Hopes For the Next Gen: “I hope the next generation of women founders feels confident and inspired to chase the dream they’ve carried their whole life. I want to show them there are no limits on what they can build. While I’m laying this foundation with my brand, I want to inspire people to dream big and execute even bigger—I don’t believe in putting a ceiling on what you can do. I’ve been a daydreamer since I was a kid, and I’m still executing on those daydreams today. Every new daydream becomes new motivation, new vision, new inspiration, a new goal. I just want to encourage women to never stop—learn to balance, learn what you want to prioritize, and go after it. I don’t believe in putting limitations on what you can do or what you dream of.”
What Equality In Fashion Means to Her: “I think being a woman founder comes with many beautiful gifts and advantages, first and foremost. But if I’m being honest, there have been many moments where I’ve had to over-explain or convince my male counterparts that my vision and my voice hold weight.”
On Her Current Realities: “I’ve often felt that I spend more time proving that I am competent than simply being able to move forward in my work. Sometimes I’m having to overly sell who I am in conjunction with my career, rather than allowing my career, experience, and the role I hold to speak for themselves. I’ve had to really crystallize and articulate my vision in ways that require additional explanation and validation, and delay progress on the goal in front of me. Hate it! It’s a reality I’ve had to navigate, but it has also made me incredibly clear about who I am, what I bring to the table, and the value of trusting my own voice.”
On the Industry’s Current State: “I think equality for girls in the industry appears like seeing more girls appointed as inventive administrators at luxurious homes. It also appears like girls holding govt positions where they can actually be a voice for change and help form the tradition and direction of these firms from within.
Beyond illustration, I think girls need more flexibility—at least here in America—to prioritize motherhood without feeling the strain to return to work before they’re prepared or that they no longer can be related in an industry and tradition that is always trying forward. The listing could actually go on and on and I don’t know if I think we’re fairly there yet.
Ultimately, we need to consider capitalism and our work constructions as a entire in order to actually meet the wants of the trendy lady at present. So much of the method we work was constructed around a specific concept of who the employee is and what their life appears like. If we need to create a more healthy industry, I actually believe we should be trying to girls. Our experiences, wants, and the many roles we navigate can train the fashion industry a lot about what a more equal and sustainable method of working could look like, for everyone.”
On What She Hopes For the Next Gen: “I hope that the next technology of girls getting into this industry have a more trustworthy sense of self-worth and confidence. I hope they know that there is room for connection and group, and that it doesn’t always have to really feel so aggressive or convincing for us to get forward.
We’ve adopted so many dated ideas and methods of doing issues in fashion—whether that’s the system for gaining access or the perceived path for climbing the social ladder. But I believe we should be dismantling the notion that we all have to do issues one specific method in order to discover success in this industry.
I’m no hero, and I’m actually not a good particular person, but I do believe that my skill to stay assured in my imaginative and prescient, and to keep grounded in my own understanding of what success truly appears like, has allowed me to expertise a lot less disappointment when I lay my head down at night time. It has also been the very factor I emphasize anytime I have a likelihood to communicate with the next technology. At the finish of the day, I think there’s something to be said for building a life and profession that feels good to you, rather than always measuring yourself against someone else’s concept of what should be. I hope they know that.”
Danielle Laraque, founder of Laraque
What Equality In Fashion Means to Her: “To me, women’s equality in the fashion industry looks like women being able to lead in historically male-dominated spaces with confidence, authority, and without having to prove that they belong there. I think of something similar to Mirana Pristley in The Devil Wears Prada—a woman who holds an incredible amount of influence and creative authority—but I want that to exist beyond the screen and in real life.”
On the Industry’s Current State: “We’re not quite there yet. When you look at the creative directors of many major fashion houses and labels, a large portion are still white men. That’s why seeing Rachel Scott as the Creative Director of Proenza Schouler is so beautiful and such a major step forward. It’s exciting to see a woman, and especially a woman of color, stepping into a position with that level of creative influence. I hope we continue to see more women represented not only in these positions, but actually shaping the creative direction and future of the industry.”
On What She Hopes For the Next Gen: “I hope the next generation of women fashion founders feels more supported by other women and feels like they don’t have to build alone. I’ve noticed that there can be a strong sense of community and support around emerging male-founded brands, and I want to see that same energy grow among women.”
On Her Current Realities: “A big part of what I’ve tried to create through my own brand is a space where women can come together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. For me, building a fashion brand has never just been about selling clothes. It’s about creating a creative community around them. I hope that the spaces I’m creating today make it easier for women to support and celebrate one another.”
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