the mission
"Fashion - and style as a whole - should be an expression, an identity, and a celebration of who we are, whatever our age"
- Jacynth Bassett
Founder of The Bias Cut & Ageism Is Never In Style®
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Clothes serve a purpose beyond function. Each day we make an active choice about what we wear: it's a form of self-expression, a display of identity, and an emotive influencer.
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But what happens when that choice is limited by the very industry that enables it? When it marginalises you soley based on your age, thereby dictating your relevance, sense of self, and value?
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It's no secret that fashion has an age problem. The youth-focus of fashion is estimated to cost the industry £11 billion in the next 20 years. But it is also costly to each of us. It perpetuates our personal fears about ageing, eroding mental health and even life expectancy.
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The consequences of ageism are so great that the World Health Organisation has started a global campaign to combat ageism.
And, despite appearances, ageism in fashion is still rife; the industry struggles to grapple with age-inclusivity in an authentic, educated way, resulting in tokenism, outdated stereotypes and an artificial appreciation of different demographics.
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A global shift in how we think, feel and act about ageing is coming, and fashion can lead the way. Instead of reflecting our ageist culture, fashion can act to change it by making every age a fashionable age, and every age an expressive age.
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Now is the time for change. Now is the time to ACT. The Redressing Ageism Project is leading the way.
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understand & define
We want to understand and define the issues of ageism in fashion. Through our platform and workshops we will provide a safe, creative space for Industry leaders to explore and answer the following questions:
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Where does ageism exist in fashion?
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Why does it exist?
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What change do we want to see?
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What change can we enable?
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How might we imagine an age-inclusive fashion industry?
enable
Our workshops and events will facilitate learning, thinking, innovation and solutions.
Using our team's unique combination of skills, expertise, experience and research, we will support the fashion industry to develop their own ways to challenge thinking around ageing and tackle ageism.
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act
We want to unite, inform and educate leaders and professionals, to become the spark of a social movement and change within fashion.
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We will create a co-creative platform that will feature relevant resources for the industry and relevant regulatory bodies.
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Not only will it raise awareness of the problem, and how it manifests, but it will provide content, data, solutions, information, and opportunities, empowering others to address and end ageism once and for all.