2020 signified a renewed acknowledgement of systemic injustices. As we react to heightening issues of widening inequality and institutionalised prejudices, our expectations evolve – and so too do our consumer considerations.

Alongside the climate crisis, concerns about equality, diversity and inclusion are increasingly high on our agenda. Recognising this, brands are beginning to readdress their exclusion of marginalised customers, and cater to a renewed consumer consciousness.

Globally, disabled people make up 10% of the population - that’s a whopping 650 million individuals. Approximately 18% of the UK’s population are disabled, equating to over fourteen million people. 

Britain’s disabled population alone are estimated to spend £80 billion per year. The total spending power of families with a disabled member? £274 billion a year. 

And yet? 

Disabled people are rarely (and we mean rarely) reflected in marketing campaigns, in the media, in advertising and in popular culture. Characters with disabilities make up just 4.7% of the main cast in films and tv series on Netflix, and one in three disabled people feel that there is substantial disability prejudice.

Far from disability being a minority issue - the real issue at hand is one is gross societal neglect. Each and every design decision has the potential to include or exclude customers - unfortunately, with the latter being commonplace. 

Collective action is needed to build societies that embrace diversity, nurture equal opportunity, and improve livelihoods, and this sentiment is echoed by necessary adjustments in shopping behaviours.

A 2021 study conducted by Quantilope found that 76% of Gen Z think that brands need to consistently address diversity & inclusion. Mirrored in our actions, Yelp saw searches for BIPOC owned businesses rise by 2,400%.

The good news is that some companies are listening, and are taking decisive action to manifest systemic change.

Illuminating a rarely discussed issue, gender-free fashion brand, The Phluid Project, partnered with an organic tampon and pad maker to launch the #Love Begins With campaign. Centred around what periods mean to individuals with different gender identities, the campaign encourages an inclusive discussion around menstruation. 

Further tackling gender stereotypes, Stella McCartney has launched Shared, a gender-fluid fashion collection tearing down the male-female fashion binary. While this mightn’t be the most affordable option for many of us, Shared celebrates open-mindedness, and our ability to harness non-conformity and individuality to affect social change. 

In a major move for luxury fashion hour, Shared subverts gender norms and highlights how easy it can be to dress without conforming to gender. 

Focussed on making products focussed on consumer experience, inclusive clothing brand Unlabelled Ltd recently launched in reaction to several studies in which female students reported a tendency to negatively compare their own appearance to their peers and celebrities – who can’t relate? 

Unlabelled developed to represent female diversity, and redefine beauty standards. Carrying sizes XS-3X, the company actively embraces all women, and hopes to increase its size range to 5X by this Spring.

Another company championing female representation is ThirdLove, which recently unveiled a new digital offering, The Fitting Room. This online tool uses 3D animation, educational content and a questionnaire to help women find the bra for them - an experience we all know can be gruelling, uncomfortable and challenging. 

The results? The creation of 78 half-cup sizes to meet the needs of a diverse female audience.  

Thirdlove’s online fitting room enabled women who might otherwise be deterred from changing rooms, to comfortably engage with lingerie. Their tool, enabled by technology, welcomed a new era for inclusive design, in which any user can create and adapt products - expanding limitations, challenging preconceptions, and centring diverse needs. 

Too many people are denied the right of being seen, acknowledged or heard, and the consequences of missing stories are as insidious as they are damaging. 

Committed to reclaiming missing voices, and spearheading inclusive design, Nike released FlyEase, a shoe without laces early this year. Accessible to all athletes, FlyEase can be stepped into without any help, addressing the needs of individuals living with conditions which can make tying laces an intractable exercise. 

Transforming themselves from the inside out, PepsiCo revelaved Dig In in February 2021. Aimed at helping communities in need, Dig In is a platform aimed at supporting Black-ownded restaurants by developing opportunities, providing community access and increasing visibility. 

In January 2021, Unilever announced an inclusivity plan which committed to the removal of advertising stereotypes from its marketing. They also pledged to spend $2.5bn annually by 2025 on companies owned and managed by diverse and under-represented groups across race, gender, and ability.

Making space for diverse talent and confronting an ugly truth, beauty retailer Sephora announced its Racial Bias in Retail study. Committed to uncovering and understanding racial bias in retail settings, the company aims to identify and implement actions to combat unconscious biases. 

The plan includes increased diversity in product offerings and workforce, a more inclusive marketing programme, and greater accountability through updated employee conduct policies. 

Inclusive design is also growing to encompass customer experiences, addressing how users with disabilities are affected in their interactions both in-person and offline. 

For example, in January, McDonald’s India launched EatQual, an initiative to serve people in its restaurants with limited hand mobility. 

It’s refreshing to say that that’s just the beginning; Crayola launched its Colors of the World Box in 2020 of last year, an American Girl doll sporting a surf-suit and hearing aid, became the company’s 2020 Girl of the Year, and in February 2021 Marvel Comics introduced Taegukgi, a South Korean hero. 

With a focus on the future, brands are doing the work to cultivate and contribute to a more inclusive world for us all. Of course, there is so much work still to do, changes to be made and conversations to be had. 

This is just the beginning of a necessary sociological adaptation. These brands have catalyzed social change, and begun to embrace human diversity in its full spectrum - it  feels great knowing that there’s more to come. 

Unlike the warped representations which have heretofore standardised “the norm,” brands are starting to offer us the real-life, real-impact representation we need. 

As our conversations around diversity, inclusion and equality evolve, let us continually challenge today, to create a better tomorrow. 

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Written by Polly Wyatt

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