Christopher Kane lends Instagram platform to BAME students launching digital zine

Contributor Hannah Karpel_@Mahalia & @Ellamai styled by Natalie Roar for Mahalia_s _What you did_ music video. (Picture: @georgejefff)

BAME students from Central Saint Martins' BA Fashion Journalism and Promotion have taken over the @ChristopherKane Instagram feed to launch PLATFORM, a monthly digital zine.

Aware of the importance of doing something more meaningful than posting a black square, Christopher Kane partnered with students from his alma mater to launch Platform, a digital zine curated by the team behind The F Word Magazine and designed to amplify BAME voices in the fashion industry.

“My entire team knew that we had to step up and take tangible actions that go beyond online sentiments,” Kane told British Vogue. And so, kicking off yesterday lunchtime, Kane gave his Instagram platform over to the students, to launch their zine to his 600k-strong following.

“By making space on our platform to amplify their voices we hope to help lift the barriers of entry to the fashion industry,” Kane said in a statement.

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The B.A.M.E. students from Central Saint Martins' BA Fashion Journalism and Promotion are taking over the #ChristopherKane Instagram feed tomorrow to launch PLATFORM, a monthly digital zine. PLATFORM, curated by the team behind The F Word Magazine, is part of our pledge to support young black creatives & ethnic minorities within the fashion community through actioned solidarity against racism and discrimination. By making space on our platform to amplify their voices we hope to help lift the barriers of entry to the fashion industry. Please show your support for the stylists, editors and photographers of tomorrow by liking and commenting on their work. #christopherkaneplatform

A post shared by Christopher Kane (@christopherkane) on Aug 19, 2020 at 4:15am PDT

The first post kicks off with an editors' letter, from join editors-in-chief of Platform, Hannah Karpel and Yelena Grelet, who are both on their placement year of the Fashion Journalism course. In it they call for “a level playing field for everyone living through these tumultuous times.” And state: “It is time that ‘cancel culture’ stopped overshadowing the voices of those actually doing some good; and that attention is placed on celebrating the BAME talents paving the way for future generations.”

The zine, which features the work of the next generation of fashion writers and image-makers, will feature across Christopher Kane social channels over the course of several days.

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EDITOR’S LETTER For as long as we can remember, inequality, discrimination and under-representation have been at the heart of the elitist fashion industry. Sadly, too many young, talented people have gone unnoticed because of lack of opportunities and systemic racism. Following the recent BLM movement and protests, a multitude of people are finally waking up to the prejudice and inequalities that many are still facing on a daily basis and forcing those at the top to actually look, really look, at their structures. Yes, this sudden interest is completely overdue. But what it lacks in many senses is authenticity. As BAME BA Fashion Journalism and Communication students at Central Saint Martins, we call for a level playing field for everyone living through these tumultuous times. Two things: It is time that ‘cancel culture’ stopped overshadowing the voices of those actually doing some good; and that attention is placed on celebrating the BAME talents paving the way for future generations. So, here we present you with PLATFORM, our monthly digital zine run by BAME BA Fashion Journalism and Fashion Communication students and graduates, which celebrates creative individuals and advocates striving for a sincere change. Across our first issue you can find an honest open letter by Ore Ajala titled, ‘My Black Hair,’ expressing how integral hair is to her identity. An exclusive conversation with Natalie Roar, the Nigerian-Irish stylist representing culture and celebrating body image for artists on the main stage. And a fantastical shoot exploring Black baby dolls with ‘white face’ masks in costumes made from repurposed materials by image-maker Joe Bates. It’s through giving a Platform to the younger generation that the story can truly move along. Edited by Hannah Karpel and Yelena Grelet - @Hannah.karpel @yelsss With a special thanks to all at Christopher Kane, to Tammy Kane and to our Pathway Leader and tutor, Judith Watt - @fashion.bibliophile #ChristopherKanePlatform #bafjcsm

A post shared by Christopher Kane (@christopherkane) on Aug 20, 2020 at 4:05am PDT

Fashion students graduating or trying to find work placements in these uncertain times need support from brands and institutions more than ever, and with any luck the efforts of Christopher Kane to support and promote young black talent will inspire other brands to follow suit.

As the Platform editors told Vogue, “This was an opportunity to celebrate BAME talents – whether it be our friends, people we admire or strangers we just discovered – and come together as a collective to produce something beautiful.”