MILAN — Gucci is making good on its promise — and acting quickly.
The Italian luxury company revealed Friday the first four long-term initiatives to achieve cultural diversity and awareness throughout its organization and activities globally, following accusations last week that a Gucci balaclava-style sweater evoked blackface.
The first four initiatives are:
• Hiring global and regional directors for diversity and inclusion;
• Setting up a multicultural design scholarship program;
• Launching a diversity and inclusivity awareness program;
• Launching a global exchange program.
Gucci is pledging to hire diverse talent within key functions and leadership positions of the group, including the design office, and will invest in educating all of its 18,000 employees around the world “to achieve a much higher level of global cultural awareness.”
President and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri said Gucci accepted “full accountability for this incident, which has clearly exposed shortfalls in our ongoing strategic approach to embedding diversity and inclusion in both our organization and in our activities.”
In an interview with WWD earlier this week, Bizzarri pointed to “ignorance of this matter. Certainly, it was not intentional but this is not an excuse.”
A “thorough review of the circumstances that led to this” followed, said Bizzarri on Friday, explaining that he had
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