Ageism And... Fashion: Embracing Authentic Age-Inclusivity Vs Exposing Tokenism & Inconsistency

The fashion industry is a multi-billion dollar with over 1 in 10 of the global workforce contributing to making and selling the world's clothes, shoes and accessories. Combine this with the industry’s undeniable influence over cultural and socio-economic attitudes,  norms and behaviors, and you have an incredible force to recon with. So when it comes specifically to ageism – something fashion is notorious for – we have an industry that is hugely powerful  and responsible for shaping both society’s and our own views around ageing. And it’s vital that we engage with the industry and enact change from within, rather than reject it, if we want to end ageism once and for all. And yes, progress is happening. But it often feels tokenistic and is moving at an incremental pace. The good news is that there are more and more voices actively working with and in the fashion industry who are advocating and driving change. In this episode, founder Jacynth is joined by highly revered fashion stylist Claire Ginzler (who's credits and clients include Stuart Weitzman, Calvin Klein, John Lewis, M&S, Prue Leith and Sarah Pascoe - not to mention she discovered J W Anderson when Director of On|Off) as they discuss the development of age-inclusivity in fashion over the years; expose tokenism vs authentic commitments by brands; why age representation is so important; and how consumers can both champion change and truly embrace age through fashion and style.