Further to our last update (see here), the ZIMMERMANN D&I Group continued its focus through recent months on strategies to maintain and further the company’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive work environment through training; recruitment; internal and external communications; and partnerships with industry appropriate organizations, most of which support and mentor people from diverse and underprivileged backgrounds. The D&I Group has been progressing relationships with mentoring programs that provide practical support and career guidance for students from diverse backgrounds pre, during and post studies. It is also partnering with organizations that will directly assist with widening ZIMMERMANN’s recruitment opportunities in all regions so that we have greater access to diverse candidates who represent the communities we operate in. In addition, ZIMMERMANN has continued a company wide Diversity and Inclusivity Training for all employees in every region in which the company has employees.

Partnerships in Australia

AIME is an Australian based global organisation that has worked for 16 years as an IMAGI-NATION{Factory} looking to eradicate educational inequality for marginalised kids ​and build bridges to a fairer world. The organization provides support and mentorship for marginalized students to complete secondary schooling and transition into tertiary education and employment; equiping them with the tools they need to be entrepreneurs and for companies to fast-track diverse leaders into senior management to level the organizational playing field. AIME specifically targets 13-17 year old school students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other marginalized backgrounds with the aim of mentoring them to “re-imagine” their future to access tertiary education and post school pathways. As part of an ongoing partnership, ZIMMERMANN is working with AIME to provide operational expertise and in-kind services to support the production and distribution of its 'most meaningful Hoodie in the world' program, a source of fundraising for the organization. Looking ahead, AIME and ZIMMERMANN are working towards promoting careers in Fashion Design in 2021, consisting of co-designed and co-produced online material delivered through a Learning Management System, which will be accessed globally by students and educators. We have also joined the AIME Fundraising Committee.

CareerTrackers is an Australian non-profit with a mission to build Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation across sectors of professional employment and nurture the emerging leaders for our future. They work with students from Year 12 through to university linking them to multi-year paid professional internships in relation to their dreams and aspirations. Partnering with employers, universities and a broader ecosystem of Indigenous services, CareerTrackers create a long-term sustainable pathway for students to enter professional employment. ZIMMERMANN will aim to support Fashion Textiles Design students with the goal to create a full-time role at the completion of their studies. This partnership will launch in November 2020 with the first design student commencing their placement.

Partnerships in the U.S.

BIFC (Black in Fashion Council) is an American organization established to represent and secure the advancement of Black individuals in the fashion and beauty industry in the U.S. The BIFC envisions workplaces where Black people are represented and amplified at every level, holding jobs in both C-suite and junior-level positions, and work alongside allies to create diverse spaces that directly reflect what the world actually looks like at large. ZIMMERMANN's partnership with the BIFC will allow us to continue to work towards building a foundation for inclusion and diversity in the US, utilizing the BIFC resources and guidance. The BIFC will also partner with us to provide feedback, counsel and amplification of ways in which we are delivering on our commitments. In addition, we will have access to the BIFC Jobs Board to list roles and search for diverse candidates to fill roles.

Employee Training

ZIMMERMANN continued to conduct its Global Diversity and Inclusivity Training to equip its employees with skills in this area, plus learning about Anti-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO). This has included compulsory compliance training for all current and new team members across a variety of diversity and workplace related topics on our new digital training platform, group unconscious bias training for managers and an immersive in person unconscious bias training for all hiring managers globally. All new employees of the company into the future will undertake our training program on the commencement of their employment, and all new managers and hiring managers will also participate in an annual in person training on unconscious bias as their career development progresses.