Munroe Bergdorf: The Fashion Industry Needs To Treat Inclusivity As More Than A Trend

'If you’re not interested and excited by diversity then you need to ask yourself why?'

munroe bergdorf

by Lucy Morris |
Updated on

‘This was a good month. This month was a personal victory and community victory. This week I starred in an underwear campaign for Bluebella. Trans women are traditionally are seen in a certain way and there are many things that we can’t do the same as cis women, but there are many things that we can and feeling confident in underwear is one of them.

I need to remind myself sometimes that we need to celebrate the good as well as react to the bad. It’s definitely the sign of the times that people are now waking up the fact that there are different people in the world and that people want to see themselves represented. We want to see ourselves reflected.

I would like to tell fashion brands, don’t see inclusion as a trend or something that you have to do or have to be involved with. If you’re not interested and excited by diversity then you need to ask yourself why? Because your brand owes it to your customer base. Get excited about inclusivity and change because you’re going to get to a point where you’ll have to embrace it.

muroe bergdorf bluebella

In the future we’re all going to be a lot more fluid in regards to sexuality and gender because phobias aren’t going to be engrained into us from such an early age. I am looking forward to the future but I think that businesses need to realise that if they are not being inclusive then they are going to be left behind. That’s just the way society is going.

Visibility in fashion is amazing, it opens people’s minds. Even though I still get designers that won’t dress me I’ve been able to show that you don’t need to be thin and white and to sell a garment.

We’re still in the process of change. New York Fashion week is incredible especially when it comes to championing race, gender and body shape. But Europe has a long way to go. People during the London shows say, ‘are you going to Paris fashion week?’ and I’m like ‘for what?’ People like me don’t even factor in European fashion weeks because the trans conversation is so small there.

I can't say it loud enough, fashion should be for everybody and an option for everyone.

This article was conducted as an interview and edited and condensed by the Grazia team.'

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