Ends Friday:

Lock in a year of Digiday+ for 35% less.

SUBSCRIBE

The fashion brands that bet on messages of diversity

Amid the fear left in the wake of this fall’s terrorism attacks in Paris and California, some retailers have been caught racially profiling shoppers. Zara apologized after a video uploaded a day after the Paris attacks showed one of its stores there barring a Muslim woman wearing a hijab from entering. In Los Angeles, following the San Bernardino shooting, a Muslim woman complained that she was profiled after inquiring at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods about hunting ammo.

Some retailers that have deliberately made inclusiveness part of their brands, though. H&M featured a hijab-wearing model in a major ad campaign back in September, before the terror attacks. Net-a-Porter ran a capsule collection in June honoring Ramadan. Even Abercrombie & Fitch is trying to mend its ways — the store refused to hire a hijab-wearing woman in 2008, and the Supreme Court ruled in June against the company. Since then, Abercrombie has created a diversity and inclusion team.

More in Marketing

Premier League gambling ban gives brand sponsors an open goal, but CMOs must still prove value

An exodus of betting brands from the Premier League means there’s a chance for marketers to bag cut-price soccer partnerships. But proving the worth of that investment is another concern.

In Graphic Detail: Why OpenAI’s ad business is still a work in progress

As OpenAI is reportedly gearing up to go public as early as September, Digiday has charted the promise, and early tensions behind its ad business.

The AI paradox: Marketers trust AI to buy media, not build brands

Some executives are wary of AI-generated creative ideas while using automated tools to brainstorm campaigns.