E!'s CFDA Awards Special Sneak Peek: See How the Council Is Fighting for Diversity in Fashion

In this preview of E!'s CFDA Awards: Ultimate Fashion Moments special, board member and designer Carly Cushnie tells E! the Council's strategy to be more inclusive

By Allison Crist Jun 23, 2020 3:30 PMTags
Watch: How the CFDA Plans to Embrace Black Talent

Building lasting change.

Protests over the death of George Floyd and larger, more deeply-rooted issues like racism and social injustice have placed a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

As E! News style correspondent Zanna Roberts Rassi put it, "Transformative discussions are going on everywhere."

This, of course, includes the fashion industry. And tonight on E!'s CFDA Awards: Ultimate Fashion Moments special, Rassi and celebrity stylist Brad Goreski will speak to CFDA board member and designer Carly Cushnie about what the Council is doing to aid in the fight for racial equality.

"The Council of Fashion Designers of America have discussed systemic changes that the fashion world can create," Brad says in this sneak-peek.

More specifically, per a statement from CFDA Chairman Tom Ford, the Council "will create an in-house employment program specifically charged with placing Black talent in all sectors of the fashion business to help achieve a racially balanced industry."

read
How the Fashion Industry Is Answering the Call for Racial Equality and Economic Justice

The CFDA is also creating a diversity and inclusion training program and donating to groups such as the NAACP and Campaign Zero, Zanna explains.

The clip continues, with Carly—who joined the CFDA Board just last year—telling Zanna and Brad that she was glad to see the Council "really take action immediately."

"There's been a lot of statements made from a lot of companies, a lot of brands, a lot of organizations and it's important to stand with the Black community at this time," Carly says. "But even more so, it's really about taking action, taking steps."

She adds, "So I think what they've started to do in terms of creating an employment program specifically aimed at sourcing Black talent and placing Black talent through all sectors of the industry, I think is just really crucial."

Tune into CFDA Awards: Ultimate Fashion Moments tonight at 11 p.m., only on E!

And don't forget to follow E! News on Twitter, where Brad and Zanna will answer fan questions and share the inside scoop on the CFDA Awards. Follow E! News on Instagram, too, for more memorable moments.