In light of the shocking death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota last month, the British fashion designer has spoken out in support of the protests taking place across the U.S. and major cities around the world in which activists are demanding an end to racial injustice and police brutality.
Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Victoria noted that she has “taken a step back” in recent days to reflect on the tragic events, and in response, will be pledging her support to Black Lives Matter and other anti-racism organisations.
“Watching things unfold and learning more about the Black Lives Matter movement, I’ve been truly sickened by how deeply ingrained racism is in our society. It’s clear that it’s each of our responsibilities to speak out and I want to use my platform for education, conversation and change,” she wrote. “The fashion industry has a huge role to play, and for me, it starts with representation, both within my business and who we work with externally. I’ve always aimed for inclusivity, but we all need to look inwards and be better.”
Victoria went on to share that she and her team members will be setting up an internal working group to begin discussing issues and identifying “unconscious bias” within her companies. The executives will also be formulating a plan to target short and long-term actions to be undertaken.
“Whilst things won’t change or be solved in a day, we clearly can’t wait another day to start and I am absolutely committed to being better and doing more, both personally and professionally. I hope you all share my sentiment and are doing the same with your friends, family, brands and businesses so that we all play our part in this vital issue,” the 46-year-old added.
Floyd died on 25 May following an arrest during which a police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes.
The cop in question, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers at the scene – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao – have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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