A Mary J. Blige concert in Brooklyn changed the trajectory of Sandrine Charles‘s life. “The way I looked at my career [at the time]—you know, being Caribbean—the options are doctor, lawyer or engineer,” she says. The owner of Sandrine Charles Consulting, a New York-based communications agency, and founder of the Black In Fashion Council, was on a pre-determined path, but being her godmother’s plus one unlocked something that night.
“It wasn’t even the show. It was the experience of her knowing everyone, what that meant to kind of glide through a situation,” Charles said. She took particular interest in who seemed to be calling the shots. “I thought the girls outside were in charge because they had the clipboards. They just knew everyone and didn’t have to check everyone’s names.” Intrigued, in a time where work being fun wasn’t widely a priority—this seemed exactly that to Charles.
Years later, as I’m interviewing her at WSA—dubbed the “it” modern office building in Manhattan, and sister to the members-only club SAA in Brooklyn—everyone that walks by greets Charles with a warm smile and quick introductions to their respective groups. We’re on the owners’ floor, where founders, members, and lease-holders can mingle, attend the routine “aperitivo hour,” or have meetings (sans laptop). In a quick intro to someone relocating their office into the building from Copenhagen, Charles is candidly referred to as “the mayor of WSA.”
During college, Charles had four internships—at a business on Park Ave, two PR agencies, and VH1. “At work, I’m an extrovert. Generally, unless I know you personally, I’m an introvert,” she said. In these internships (and before social media,) Charles consistently took opportunities to be more outgoing by talking to the execs as much as possible. “I went and really provided myself with an experience that would change the trajectory of my work ethic,” Charles reflects, attributing her career’s foundation to embracing humility in those moments. She was very conscious of the dynamics at play, identifying and pursuing her track based on who was afforded which roles, perks, and jobs.
Charles has a magic about her. She’s capable of being liked by most (if not all) without being a people-pleaser, and while really standing on what she believes in. It’s what brought her and friend Lindsay Peoples, editor-in-chief at The Cut, to co-found the Black In Fashion Council, an organization dedicated to representing and securing the advancement of Black individuals in the fashion and beauty industry, through which they’ve established and fostered diverse, inclusive, and safe spaces.
In 2018, Peoples spoke to Charles and 99 Black fashion professionals about their experience in the industry. To the surprise of no one, many testimonies were damning. Fast forward two years to the polycrisis of 2020 where we watched company after company get called out for racist and biased practices. “We were just paying attention to the social landscape. People were tweeting their experiences and were sharing them on Instagram,” Charles said. It felt like being on loop. She remembers thinking about Peoples’s article, “Didn’t you write this story two years ago? Why is the same stuff happening?”
As solution-oriented leaders, Charles and Peoples pulled together over 400 people and 200 brands on Zoom. “We immediately created a deck and our board. We gathered the right people that we felt knew what they were talking about and could also be a catalyst for change,” Charles recalls.
Courtesy of Sandrine Charles
By September 2021, they released the first “Black in Fashion” Index with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The report measured the “company policies and practices related to the inclusivity of Black employees.” The mission was to establish a universal standard of operating across all companies in and adjacent to fashion. “If Company A hires in this form, then Company B should also, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Black, yellow, brown—whatever. We should all have the same standard,” she explains.
Five years and ten fashion week seasons in, the Black in Fashion Council is comprised of both advisory and executive boards, which are split up into smaller sections of expertise, such as media, creative direction, influencer and talent, community engagement, corporate brand, beauty and model representation, among others. Bringing together a broad, dynamic range of perspectives and experiences has been essential to their success.
Every New York Fashion Week, BFC’s discovery showroom highlights Black designers for retailers and editors alike. “Seeing brands like Diotima flourish and win awards after being in the showroom has been great,” Charles glows. “But, it’s also watching [the designers] build their own friendships and relationships with each other, where it could be perceived as competitive. We’re here creating friendships and mentorship, and championing people across the table from one another.”
Twice a year they host a networking event with a panel, and they’re currently putting together a similar event for more junior-level professionals. “We have great people like Jamillah Davis Hernandez, who is one of our board members. She will show up and volunteer her time.” It’s incredible to give junior fashion industry employees access to someone like Davis Hernandez, who is the Vice President and DMM of Men’s Footwear and Accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Finally, the most visible of their platforms is the Council dinner, in which Charles and Peoples host a glammed-out and exclusive fête with everyone from Chanel Iman, Jordyn Woods, and Sergio Hudson to Black senior fashion and beauty editors from the likes of Vogue, allure, and Business of Fashion. “The dinner is very centered around thanking people on the board and people who have supported us from different brands. Because no one’s being paid, it’s our way to pay it forward to them. Like, ‘Thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for acquiring the help, for where you volunteered.’ And, it’s traditionally more senior people,” she notes.
Charles remains committed to building out the Black in Fashion Council, even as the current presidential administration does all in its power to nuke DEI initiatives across the country. Whether it’s through resources like the “Color of Change” database—where people can search for and hire Black creatives directly—or a job fair at ENVSN Fest, there are plenty of places the Council can, and will, lend their expertise.
“What we’re doing is an extension of trial and error from others, and perhaps, someone else afterwards can trial and error where we’ve fallen short.” And, it is precisely this awareness of her connection to the past, present, and future of representation and inclusion in fashion that keeps Charles pushing forward.
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