Tapestry, a New York-based house of modern luxury accessories and lifestyle brands, has signed the Open to All pledge, to foster inclusivity and protect equality. Open to All pledge reflects the ethos that when “a business opens its doors to the public, it should be open to all.” Open to All is a nation-wide public engagement campaign against discrimination.
Tapestry was joined by over 50 fashion houses and brands, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and the Open to All campaign, to make a powerful statement about the industry’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and protecting equality.
This collective effort has been inspired by Tapestry’s work with the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.
Founding Open to All signatories and fellow CEO Action members Levi Strauss & Co Gap and Old Navy joined Tapestry as they signed the Open to All pledge alongside ascena retail group (Ann Taylor, Catherines, Justice, Lane Bryant, LOFT, Lou and Grey), Ban.do, Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace), Diane von Furstenberg, Fossil Group (Fossil, Michele, Misfit, Relic, Skagen, Watch Station, Zodiac), H&M Group (H&M, COS, & other Stories), Hudson’s Bay Company (Saks Fifth Avenue), Incipio, Inditex (Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Zara and Zara Home), Keds, Kering, Lifeguard Press, Lenox, Movado Group, PVH Corp. (Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger), Rag & Bone, Ralph Lauren Corporation (Ralph Lauren and Club Monaco), Richemont North America, Steve Madden, Tiffany & Co. and The Collected Group (Current Elliott, Equipment, Joie).
Jide Zeitlin, chairman and chief executive officer of Tapestry, said, “When we founded Tapestry almost two years ago, we asked employees around the world what they wanted our company to stand for. Overwhelmingly, they told us ‘inclusivity,’ to represent the diversity of our employees, our customers and the communities in which we operate. This is an important moment for us to reaffirm our commitment to inclusivity. By joining the CFDA, the Open to All campaign, and other fashion houses to collectively support and sign the Open to All pledge, we are sending a message that we will not tolerate discrimination. Together, we are taking a stand for the rights of our customers, our employees and our partners.”
Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the CFDA said, “The CFDA supports Open to All and thanks Tapestry for its effort in bringing our industry together behind diversity, inclusion, and equality.”
Ineke Mushovic, executive director of Open to All said, “In the two years since Open to All’s inception, we have had over 5,000 companies sign the pledge. We have been inspired and humbled by Tapestry’s leadership and vision. Tapestry has worked beyond the walls of their stores to bring the fashion industry together to join the Open to All campaign in building a thriving, inclusive, competitive America where customers and employees are valued, respected and welcomed regardless of who they are. This exemplifies the spirit of Open to All and creates true transformation—especially for everyone out there who is struggling and wants to know where they will be safe, welcomed and accepted.”
On Earth Day 2019, Tapestry launched bold 2025 corporate responsibility goals, including commitments to build diversity in 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 to reduce gender and ethnic differences in the Employee Inclusion Index scores from the Company’s Employee Engagement Survey.
In July 2019, Tapestry joined over 200 companies in signing the Amicus brief – a “friend of the court” brief – to support the protection of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination under existing federal civil rights laws. Tapestry achieved a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year in 2019, earning the designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. Additionally, Tapestry was listed on the Forbes 2019 “Best Employers for Diversity” list for the second consecutive year.
In 2017, Tapestry signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge to reaffirm the company’s commitment towards advancing inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Other highlights include the establishment of an Inclusion Council to ensure that people with diverse perspectives and backgrounds are included in business decisions, inclusion training for all Tapestry employees globally, as well as gender neutral uniform guidelines for store employees. (SV)
