The inclusion and representativeness of blacks in society as a response to racism set the tone for the debate “Compliance against racial discrimination in fashion: measures and clauses for adequacy”, on 03 and September, in the eighth edition of Law & Fashion Webtalk, promoted by ABPI and the Fashion Law Commission (CDMD) of OAB-RJ.
The webinar had as speakers the president of the National Commission for the Truth of Black Slavery of the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), Humberto Adami, businessman Fabrício Oliveira, founder of Fowler, and Ana Paula de Paula, member of the CDMD, under the moderation of Deborah Portilho, president of CDMD and Renata Lisboa, its first vice president.
For Adami, the fight against racial discrimination involves compensatory compliance actions, in order to guarantee a greater presence of black people in the labor market, and he even defended a quota system in the fashion sector. “It would be better if it were voluntary, but mandatory, if necessary, because the black population has to be included in any way,” he said. He gave the example of a chain of stores that printed their clothing with paintings by Rugendas (1802-1858), a German painter who portrayed the daily lives of African slaves in Rio de Janeiro. Even without showing on the prints the tortures to which the slaves were subjected, the pieces had to be withdrawn from commercialization under pressure from anti-racist movements. “What has been gained from this? It would be better if there was a compliance adjustment, negotiating with the chain to hire a larger number of black workers in stores ”, he considered.
Fabrício Oliveira in his speech drew attention to the “structural and incubated racism” that exists in Brazilian society. “The population lacks the will to insert black people and give up some of their privileges,” he said, adding that inclusive and anti-racism initiatives must come from within the black community itself. This practice, according to him, has been systematically adopted at Fowler, the brand he created eight years ago, inspired by suburban references. “I prefer to work with a network of black suppliers and professionals, because that way the money stays longer within the black community,” he explained.
You can watch the full webinar on the ABPI Channel on Youtube – https://youtu.be/DHGV7XFydPQ
