Suffering for Fashion

Brigid Trott, Johnathan Clancy, and Robin Chantree

Photo by K. Sark

In the last years there has been increased scrutiny of health and safety in fashion education and the fashion industry. Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) became embroiled in controversy in March 2021 when Martijn Nekoui, an alumnus, guest lecturer, and examiner for the school, was accused of multiple counts of sexual misconduct and abuse (Bezemer & Schubad 2021). Details of the misconduct were released after an investigation by Het Parool and NRC news involving 28 men who came forward to accuse Martijn – ten of whom were minors when the alleged abuse took place (Winq 2021). The close relationship between AMFI and Martijn sparked a broader conversation at the school about issues of abuse and bullying in the program. A website and action group, titled “Time to Tell AMFI,” was developed to archive dozens of stories from students about their experiences at the school (Bezemer & Schubad 2021).

In response to the scandal, AMFI hired Bezemer and Schubad (B&S) to perform an internal investigation of the social safety and environment of the school (Bezemer & Schubad 2021). B&S conducted interviews with 39 current and former students and 70 employees. Another 18 students submitted written statements, for a total of 57 student statements and 127 statements overall (Bezemer & Schubad 2021). A majority of students and staff described social safety at the school in strongly negative terms; about a quarter and a third respectively discussed a nuanced view of the school, and only three students and seven staff had positive responses to social safety at AMFI (Bezemer & Schubad 2021).

The report articulates several factors at AMFI that contribute to the perceived lack of social safety, including issues of leadership and vision, a lack of transparency for staff and students, a pedagogical framework seen as arbitrary, invasive, and focused on breaking down student confidence, and a chaotic organization of staff leading to factionalism (Bezemer & Schubad 2021). Despite the investigation being one of individuals’ perceptions rather than an objective fact-finding mission, the report notes that:

the investigators have no reason to doubt the veracity of the statements made by students…The statements cover a broad period of time and, although largely similar, do not give the impression that they are in any way coordinated…In addition, the compelling argument is that the vast majority of interviewed staff recognize and endorse the criticism of their current and former students (2021:53).

The report is significant for fashion schools globally. Concerns by both students and staff about the safety and security in arts institutions have made headlines in schools across North America and Europe, and staff crises have led to multiple strike actions in the last year. Not just AMFI, but art schools across the Netherlands had to reckon with their outdated pedagogy and lack of social safety for students and teachers. Allegations of unsafe environments and abusive conduct were made against several Dutch art schools in the fall of 2020. As a result, B&S investigated art and fashion programs at Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE), the Willem de Kooning Academy (WdKA), and the Royal Academy of Art (KABK).

At DAE, two B&S reports were conducted, one investigating the school’s education and culture, while the other looked into allegations of misconduct made anonymously on Instagram against the leader of Studio Identity, a part of the BA program. The report looking into Studio Identity found no evidence to support the allegations made, but did find proof of a toxic culture within the studio. Namely, judgments of personal work left students feeling vulnerable, there was a lack of trust between students and leadership, student supports were inaccessible and the overall environment was unhealthy and unsafe (“Studio Identity Investigation 2020/2021 Q&A” n.d.). In response, the Academy made a new Code of Conduct and pledged to take further steps to improve communication, safety and problem resolution (“Studio Identity Investigation 2020/2021 Q&A” n.d.).

The WdKA investigation was similarly prompted by social media allegations of unacceptable behaviour, including instances of discrimination against students (Nibbeling 2021). Recommendations from this report include: updating the code of conduct, examining how to improve diversity and inclusion, reducing and balancing workload, and clearly outlining expectations of confidentiality (Nibbeling 2021). Finally, the investigation into KABK was spurred on by a public report of transgressive behaviour, noting that the school environment was unpredictable and isolating, and promoted neither diversity and inclusion, nor learning and organized teaching (Nibbeling 2021). Sadly, KABK’s Code of Conduct on Social Safety needed to be used in September 2022 when a male teacher’s indecent actions against women were reported to the police. KABK fired the teacher, and in its response the school prioritized an open dialogue, provided access to counsellors and recommitted to improving the school’s social safety (“Statement Regarding Violation of Code of Conduct by Staff Member” 2022).

These reports shine a light on the proliferation of social safety issues in Dutch art education. In order to create a more socially safe culture and educational environment in art institutions, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences published a Social Safety Code and Action Plan in its 2021-2025 Agenda Plan (“Social Safety Code and Action Plan for Art and Design Institutions in the Netherlands” 2021). Furthermore, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Fine Arts and Sciences released a guide to preventing and dealing with inappropriate behaviour at the behest of the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science in July 2022 (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences: Advisory Report on Social Safety in Academia). However, in December 2020, a group of teachers working at de Kunstenbond anonymously wrote an article that questions if institutional statements, codes, plans and guides will achieve real long-term change (“It’s not your fault - how art academies perpetuate social unsafety” 2021). These teachers argue appointment procedures that do not consider pedagogical experience, the temporary employment of artists as teachers, departmental cultures of fear and gossip and arbitrary performance reviews create a gap between the pursuit of social safety and the lived experiences of students and teachers (“It’s not your fault” 2021). As they say, until students and teachers organize themselves to force change, institutional responses will not work because “the poor and skewed working conditions and power relations that make good education impossible are not addressed” (“It’s not your fault” 2021). In 2018, a fashion student’s suicide at the Antwerp Academy prompted Business of Fashion to interview 14 current and former fashion students (Sherman 2018). The final report exposed a school where teaching methods emotionally damaged students, and mental health issues like drug abuse, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, and PTSD were not unusual (Harris 2018; Sherman 2018; Spellings 2018).

More recently, part-time faculty members at Parsons New School in New York City went on strike after failing to negotiate a new contract. At Parsons, adjunct professors had not had a raise in 4 years, despite part-time teachers making up 87% of instructors and management salaries increasing 45% (and revenue only 17%) from 2014 to 2019 (Freytas-Tamura 2022; Mallon 2022). The strike was widely supported: 97% of the union and 1307 of Parsons’ 1678 part-time teachers were in favour of taking action (Mallon 2022). The strike ended after 3 weeks in December 2022, when a new contract was ratified that included a wage increase, out-of-classroom compensation, and met healthcare coverage demands (Bossi 2023; Freytas-Tamura 2022; Solomon 2022). Evidently, the reliance on part-time teachers in art institutions leads to further precariousness and uncertainty in schools, and is not conducive to creating socially safe spaces for staff or students.

Why has it been acceptable for fashion education institutions to be so socially unsafe? One possible answer requires looking at the wider fashion industry, wherein precarious jobs, harsh competition, a disregard for mental wellbeing, and even abuse abound. The rationale behind much of the abuse experienced by students at fashion institutions appears to even be rooted in the expectation of a harsh and unforgiving fashion industry. In particular, the B&S report on AMFI references an older faculty, the “old guard”, at odds with the newer faculty, the  “young guard” (2021:44). The old guard sees it as their duty to “bluntly [confront students] with his/her own failure,” so as to “prepare them for the harsh realities of the fashion world” (Bezember & Schubad 2021:44), effectively traumatizing some of them before they enter said industry. However, this is not the sentiment of the entire faculty; in the words of one interviewee:

It's out of date to speak condescendingly to students and to judge based on mistakes instead of encouraging and stimulating them, and the argument of preparing them for the brutal world of fashion is stupid. AMFI is not the fashion industry; our job is to educate people and change that brutal world for the better (Bezember & Schubad 2021:43, emphasis added).

There is a new generation of faculty present who want to protect the well-being of students, yet it is troubling that some faculty members view brutality as a tool for fashion education, as recently as 2021, rather than question the cycle of abuse present in the fashion industry. 

The mental health struggles of those who work in the fashion industry are no secret, certainly not after the tragic passings of Alexander McQueen, Kate Spade, and L’wren Scott, or the breakdowns of John Galliano and Christophe Decarnin. These latter instances in particular prompted discussion about mental health in fashion. After both Galliano and Decarnin had separate breakdowns related to addiction in 2011, Women’s Wear Daily ran an article profiling the response of fashion industry insiders. Responses range from callous to compassionate, and the callous sentiments represent the brutality for which the old guard allegedly want to prepare students. For instance, Karl Lagerfeld compares Galliano and Decarnin to athletes who are “too fragile to run,” and Pierre Bergé expresses more sympathy for “people who have to take the train into work” (Women’s Wear Daily 2011). Even the compassionate responses indicate that the fashion industry pushes designers to their limits, and the article concludes with Vanessa Denza calling for fashion companies to nurture their designers, allow them a chance to rest (Women’s Wear Daily 2011).

This discussion about mental health in fashion occurred twelve years ago, however designers today still work in vulnerable and stressful positions. In the aftermath of Galliano’s unceremonious firing at Dior, Raf Simmons was appointed as the new creative director where he only spent three years at the helm before stepping down, citing his desire to pursue interests outside of work (Friedman & Patten 2015). Simmons left Dior despite his role being on a part-time basis to alleviate pressure and maintain a healthier work-life balance (Mower 2015). Maria Grazia Chiuri has headed the house since 2016, so perhaps the role is now less stressful, but the public will not know until Dior moves on to their next designer. The crux of the issue is that companies continue to cycle through talent in pursuit of ever higher profits for their investors. Even when designers do not crumble under the pressure they run the risk of losing their lustre, as Alessandro Michele did at Gucci (Phelps 2022). Unstable labour conditions like these affect every creative industry, not just fashion, and are cited as being a main contributor to the negative mental health and substance abuse issues of creative professionals (Shorter et al. 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018). This level of job instability is one of the industry pressures the old guard faculty want to prepare students for at the cost of students’ mental wellbeing, creativity and sense of safety.

The release of the B&S reports highlights the abuse fashion design students undergo in the pursuit of realising their creative ambitions. These reports relate to issues plaguing fashion education, but they reflect issues that permeate the wider fashion industry as well. Aspiring designers should not have to be prepared to work in an industry that does not value its workers. This article does not even address the mistreatment of models, the plight of textile workers worldwide, and ongoing issues of diversity and inequality in fashion. The bottom line is that everyone deserves to feel safe at work and at school. Hopefully, the new guard of fashion mentors can foster young creatives to change the fashion world for the better.

Bibliography

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Bios:

Brigid Trott (she/her) is a graduate of the MA in Fashion program at Toronto Metropolitan University, where her research centred around idealised depictions of fashion, femininity, and the body in visual culture. She currently lives in Ottawa, Canada, on the unceded territory of the Anishnaabeg nation. 

Johnathan Clancy (he/him) is a doctoral student at York University in the Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies program. Johnathan’s research uses qualitative, material culture, and arts-based approaches to examine how fashion objects interact with the performance and production of gendered, classed and racialized hierarchies.

Robin J. Chantree (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist and designer currently residing in Tkaranto/Toronto but originally from north-eastern British Columbia in Treaty 8 territory, historically the land of the Dane-Zaa people. They hold an MA in Fashion from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. They work between fashion studies and visual art, often mixing analogue and digital tools to explore how clothing embodies historical and cultural norms and how these ideas can be challenged through the materiality of garments.