Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
In the United States 82.7% of all employed fashion designers are women
The remaining 17.3% of employed fashion designers in the United States are men
Globally women make up approximately 80% of the entire garment sector workforce
Approximately 85% of students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) are female
At Parsons School of Design roughly 82% of the student body identifies as female
Central Saint Martins reports a student body that is approximately 75% female across art and design courses
Only 14% of major fashion brands are run by female executives
Less than 50% of well-known womenswear brands are designed by women
In the top 50 luxury brands only 6 are led by female CEOs
Women in fashion design earn $0.85 for every dollar a man earns
The average gender pay gap in the UK fashion retail sector is 10.4% in favor of men
Male fashion designers in the US have an average salary of $68k while females average $63k
Historically only 2 of the 16 LVMH Prize winners for Young Fashion Designers have been solo female founders
Women receive only 2% of venture capital funding for fashion-tech startups
Of the 500 people shaping the global fashion industry (BoF 500) only 43% are women
Education & Pipeline
- Approximately 85% of students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) are female
- At Parsons School of Design roughly 82% of the student body identifies as female
- Central Saint Martins reports a student body that is approximately 75% female across art and design courses
- London College of Fashion has a female student population of roughly 86%
- In the UK roughly 87% of all students placed in fashion design courses are women
- 89% of declared fashion majors in US universities are women
- Men make up only about 11% of fashion design graduates in the United States
- At the Royal College of Art fashion programs have a female enrollment of approximately 70%
- Of the students earning Master’s degrees in Fashion Design in the US 83% are women
- Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts fashion department historically sees 75-80% female enrollment
- The drop-off rate of women from fashion school to senior leadership is approximately 70%
- 81.3% of Textile Sciences and Engineering degrees are awarded to women
- Scholarship applicants for fashion design programs are 90% female in standard industry charity pools
- Internships in top fashion houses are occupied by women 80% of the time
- Male enrollment in fashion merchandising programs is lower than design programs at roughly 8%
- At Polimoda in Italy the student population is approximately 78% female
- Esmod Paris reports a student diversity of 80% female to 20% male
- Bunka Fashion College in Japan maintains a female student ratio of over 85%
- 92% of Apparel and Textiles majors in US colleges are women
- Despite high enrollment female students are less likely to be mentored by a CEO of the same gender compared to male students
Interpretation
Women stitch together the future of fashion, comprising roughly three-quarters to nine-tenths of students, interns, and degree earners, yet about 70% fall away before reaching senior leadership, revealing an industry taught and built by women but still tailored at the top by someone else.
General Workforce Composition
- In the United States 82.7% of all employed fashion designers are women
- The remaining 17.3% of employed fashion designers in the United States are men
- Globally women make up approximately 80% of the entire garment sector workforce
- Among fashion pattern makers in the US 77.2% are female
- For the role of textile designer women account for 78.4% of the US workforce
- There are over 4679 fashion designers currently employed in the United States employed with a heavy female majority
- 69% of fashion stylists in the US workforce are female
- In the broader category of art and design workers women comprise 63% of the total US workforce
- Women account for nearly 85% of the workforce in the garment industry in Bangladesh
- In Vietnam 80% of the fluctuating garment workforce is female
- 88.6% of Costume Designers in the US are women
- The average age of a female fashion designer in the US is 36 years old
- 72% of fashion buyers in the industry are female
- In the specialized role of Technical Designer 85.3% are women
- Only 3.9% of fashion designers in the US identify as LGBTQ consistently with gender diversity metrics
- In Cambodia the garment sector is 85% female
- Caucasian women make up the largest demographic subset of fashion designers at 48.6%
- 65% of Visual Merchandisers in fashion retail are women
- Among Fashion Illustrators 73% are female
- The percentage of male fashion designers has decreased by roughly 1% over the last decade in the US
Interpretation
If fashion were a boardroom, women would already be calling the shots, comprising roughly 80 percent of designers and garment workers worldwide and similar majorities across US roles, from 82.7 percent of employed fashion designers to 88.6 percent of costume designers and 85.3 percent of technical designers; men are a minority in the teens, Caucasian women are the largest single demographic, and LGBTQ identification among designers remains strikingly low.
Leadership & Executive Roles
- Only 14% of major fashion brands are run by female executives
- Less than 50% of well-known womenswear brands are designed by women
- In the top 50 luxury brands only 6 are led by female CEOs
- Men hold 63% of the executive roles in the fashion industry despite being a minority in the workforce
- Only 40% of womenswear brands presented at major fashion weeks are designed by women
- 100% of LVMH's top fashion houses were led by male creative directors as recently as 2017 before recent appointments
- At Kering women account for 55% of managers but only 33% of the Executive Committee
- Only 25% of board members in UK fashion companies are women
- Among the top 30 publicly traded fashion companies women make up only 23% of board directors
- Female representation on the boards of Fortune 1000 apparel companies is stuck at roughly 22%
- As of 2019 only 12.8% of the leadership positions at LVMH were held by women
- Women are 30% less likely than men to be promoted from entry-level to management in fashion retail
- Only 7 out of 30 major Paris houses had a female creative director in 2019
- At Inditex (Zara) women represent 76% of the workforce but 39% of the Board of Directors
- At H&M Group the board of directors is 55% female which is an industry outlier
- Nike’s vice president level leadership is only 43% female
- Under Armour's leadership team is only 26% female
- 9 out of 10 department store CEO positions are held by men
- In French luxury giant conglomerates only 27% of P&L responsibility roles are held by women
- Adidas reports a global director level of 36% women
Interpretation
Fashion celebrates women as its labor, its customers, and its inspiration, and yet systematically denies them leadership, decorating runways with their presence while reserving executive suites and boardrooms for men.
Ownership & Recognition
- Historically only 2 of the 16 LVMH Prize winners for Young Fashion Designers have been solo female founders
- Women receive only 2% of venture capital funding for fashion-tech startups
- Of the 500 people shaping the global fashion industry (BoF 500) only 43% are women
- In the 92-year history of the Academy Awards arguably the biggest fashion red carpet only 17% of Best Costume Design winners have been men showing a reverse skew
- At the CFDA Awards female designers win Womenswear Designer of the Year only 32% of the time over the last 20 years
- Only 25% of brands showing at Paris Fashion Week in 2020 were founded by women
- London Fashion Week traditionally has the highest ratio of female designers on the schedule at roughly 45%
- Brands founded by women are 20% less likely to receive second-round funding than those founded by men
- Spanx founded by Sara Blakely is one of only 3% of female-led fashion billion-dollar valuations
- In the history of the Time 100 Most Influential People Fashion Icons are 70% male
- 61% of female fashion founders usually self-fund their initial launch compared to 42% of men
- The "Lipstick Effect" phenomenon is studied primarily by male economists with 80% of citations coming from male authors
- Only 1 in 5 fashion patents are registered by women
- Retail dive reports that 95% of retail tech (fashion focus) unicorns are led by men
- At the Met Gala the featured designer for the exhibit has been a man 80% of the time in the last 30 years
- Among sustainable fashion brands 56% are founded by women higher than the general industry average
- 33% of female fashion founders cite work-life balance as the primary reason for leaving their own companies
- Wikipedia biographies for female fashion designers are on average 20% shorter than their male counterparts
- Only 10% of high-end sneaker collaborations are with female designers
- Vogue's "Designer of the Year" mentions have been 60% male over the last decade
Interpretation
Fashion keeps being designed, launched and often self-funded by women, yet the industry's funding, awards, valuations and major headlines remain dominated by men, so talent is applauded without being properly owned, paid or promoted.
Salary & Compensation
- Women in fashion design earn $0.85 for every dollar a man earns
- The average gender pay gap in the UK fashion retail sector is 10.4% in favor of men
- Male fashion designers in the US have an average salary of $68k while females average $63k
- At Director level roles in the fashion industry the pay gap widens to 23% in favor of men
- Men in the fashion industry are 2 times more likely to receive stock options than their female counterparts
- Entry-level male designers ask for 20% higher starting salaries than female peers
- Burberry reported a mean gender pay gap of 30.5% in 2022
- Chanel Ltd reported a gender pay gap where men earned 16.5% more per hour than women
- Top earning male creative directors at luxury houses can earn over €10 million annually dwarfing average female design wages
- While women dominate the workforce textile garment workers are among the lowest paid globally earning 50% less than the living wage
- In the UK textile industry the median gender pay gap is approximately 15%
- Male models typically earn 75% less than female models the only sub-sector where the gap is reversed
- Sweaty Betty a female-focused brand reported a pay gap of 22% favoring men in corporate roles
- Next Plc reported a mean gender pay gap of 11% favoring men
- Urban Outfitters US data indicates a $4k difference in median pay between male and female store managers
- In New York City the specific pay gap for fashion designers is closer to 9% narrower than the national average
- Freelance male designers charge on average 30% more per hour than freelance female designers
- The bonus gap in fashion retail management is 28% favoring men
- L.K. Bennett reported a median gender pay gap of 6% relatively low for the sector
- ASOS reported a median gender pay gap of 32.2% in 2021 largely due to more men in tech roles
Interpretation
Fashion talks equality on the runway, yet behind the seams women are paid less at almost every step, from lower entry salaries and freelance rates to smaller bonuses, fewer stock options and much lower director pay, while exceptions like female models earning more and a few modest gaps only disguise a systemic pattern that leaves garment workers, mostly women, earning a fraction of a living wage.
References
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