Diversity and representation has now, more than ever, become a focal area to address within the creative industry! Why? Because diversity breeds innovation, diversity breeds originality and diversity breeds moments to remember.

Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed some of the immense achievements of women and people of colour in the film & television and fashion industries. Worthy mentions stretch from Ozwald Boateng and Virgil Abloh in the fashion hemisphere, to Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler in the film world. But such achievements are too few and far between, like finding a needle in a haystack.

Take the film and television industry for example. Even though 14% of the UK population consists of people from ethnic minority backgrounds, an average of just 2.22% of TV programmes were made by BAME directors. Amongst women, only 28% write TV episodes and make up 16% of film screenwriters, according to a report by WGGB.

Now within fashion, the appointment of Edward Enninful as Editor-in-Chief at British Vogue was a huge breakthrough for the BAME community; however, further down the pecking order, more change still needs to happen. How about fashion design? Try to think of more than 10 prominent ethnic designers currently in the industry – it’s tough right, we tried.

We’ve recognised that so often, people of colour and women go unnoticed within the industries mentioned for a multitude of reasons. They often pursue their goals with no guidance, resources, support or community to help them on their journey.

In order to get more ‘needles in the haystack’ – figuratively speaking, we need more opportunities for more diverse talent. This is where The Kusp comes in.

By providing more intimate experiences with ‘industry gatekeepers’ – those that make things happen in their industry – we develop creatives at the position that they are on their journeys. Hosting masterclasses, to digital communities, to one-on-ones with the best. Our sessions are curated by creatives, which allows us to give them personalised advice and support they need to thrive.

What The Kusp values most is a community. An intimate community that allows our creatives can learn, share, network and collaborate. Which is why our launch campaign, Join The Tribe, is so important. Not only only does it give you a feel for the type of creatives we welcome into our community, but it also sheds a spotlight on their successes despite their circumstances. Those that want to make a lasting impact in the industries they step in to. 

If you want to know more about us, check out our website. Or follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Words by Amos – The Kusp