A growing interest in company values means D&I efforts are expected to produce tangible results on the consumer-facing end as well, and over time, more companies have taken steps to meet this expectation.
Perhaps the biggest movement encouraging inclusivity in recent years stems from Aurora James's 15% Pledge, in which the designer called on retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space to Black-owned brands and businesses. At Outler's behest, Macy's joined the pledge last November, adding 11 Black-owned beauty brands to its inventory, and launching 16 Black-owned brands of its own. She's also helped create a supplier diversity program aimed at providing opportunities for ethnically diverse, women-owned, veteran-owned, and LGBTQ+-owned suppliers.
At H&M, Wu aims to strengthen product and campaign imagery practices, ensuring they reflect and celebrate the brand's diverse fanbase. Similarly, Royal works to channel diversity through product at Abercrombie & Fitch, introducing capsule collections that celebrate Black and LGBTQ+ communities in collaboration with organizations such as The Trevor Project and The Steve Fund, and donating a percentage of proceeds back.
