Australian high-end fashion label Zimmermann has released a statement after a staff Grooming and Presentation Standards document was publicly shared this week, detailing expectations of staff that used predominantly Eurocentric ideals of beauty as aspirational imagery in a visual guide.
After Diet Prada shared the guide for Zimmermann staff on Instagram this week, a spokesperson from Zimmermann told PEDESTRIAN.TV that the guide is an “old internal document no longer used in the business” which “hasn’t been in use for over 12 months.”
In the statement issued on June 9, the company acknowledged it “must confront instances of unacceptable behaviour in our company and any business practices that contribute to the broader problem of systemic racism in society.”
Zimmermann’s team has said that as a company they “condemn racism of all kinds” and “needs to consistently demonstrate this in our actions” not only in Australia but also in its outposts in the United States and other global teams.
The statement also outlines the steps and commitments that the fashion label is taking both in Australia and abroad to work on its history with recognised unacceptable behaviour and business practices.
This included reinforcing a zero-tolerance for racism or discrimination, diversity in recruitment, additional inclusivity training for the entire company, diverse representation in shows and campaigns, and donating to legal organisations like the Aboriginal Legal Service in Australia, and the NAACP Legal Defence in the US.
This full statement follows the short statement the company posted on its Instagram this week.
Further to the statement on Instagram, the Zimmermann team has said they’ve listened to feedback from both inside and outside the business, Zimmermann has also committed to forming a reporting tool for people to anonymously report incidents of discrimination within the company.
Read the full Zimmermann statement below.
