Prada Group is deepening its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion within the Company and the fashion industry as a whole, with substantial investments in talent and educational advancement programmes. In an effort to increase representation within the industry, it has partnered with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to develop scholarships focused exclusively on aspiring fashion industry professionals and undergraduate students of colour in the United States and Africa. Moreover, the Group is working closely with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to develop an educational fashion module to affect social change and promote gender equality in Africa, initially launching in Ghana and Kenya. The Company will also collaborate with its Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council Co-Chair, artist, social innovator, and Founder of Rebuild Foundation, Theaster Gates, to create a design lab for diverse designers and artists in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
The new programmes include:
- Generation Prada Internship for diverse talent, providing hands-on opportunities across Prada Group’s corporate and retail teams.
- Prada Group FIT Scholarships to a top-performing, diverse American student and one to a top-performing female student from Ghana or Kenya.
- Prada Group UNFPA Education Module for young women in Kenya and Ghana, using fashion and design as a tool to affect social change and promote gender equality.
- Prada + Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab to recruit and award talented designers of colour in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.