Tapestry joins 50-plus fashion firms with diversity pledge

Fashion conglomerate Tapestry, Inc. is honing in on the issue of diversity.

The New York-based house, whose brands include Coach, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman, has signed an ‘Open to All' pledge that aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting people from discrimination.

More than 50 fashion houses and brands have signed the pledge since its launch two years ago, including the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Levi Strauss & Co., Gap Inc., Old Navy and the Ascena retail group (which includes Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant). Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace), Diane von Furstenberg, H&M Group and Inditex were among the others to sign.

Altogether, the coalition counts more than 5,000 businesses and 200 civil rights and racial justice organizations and groups.

"This is an important moment for us to reaffirm our commitment to inclusivity," said Jide Zeitlin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tapestry Inc., in a statement. "Together, we are taking a stand for the rights of our customers, our employees and our partners."

"The CFDA supports Open to All and thanks Tapestry for its effort in bringing our industry together behind diversity, inclusion, and equality," added Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA.

This is not the first time Tapestry has tackled the question of diversity -- earlier this year, the group committed to increasing diversity in its North America Tapestry and brand leadership teams by increasing the number of North America-based ethnic minority leaders to better reflect the company's general corporate population.

And back in 2017, it signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge to reaffirm its commitment towards advancing inclusion and diversity in the workplace.