What would the fashion industry look like if women were in charge?

Of the top 30 luxury brands in the #VogueBusiness Index, only seven of the creative director roles are currently held by women. Why aren’t more women at the top?

This conversation is as old as some of the biggest fashion houses but with a few creative director positions yet to be filled, it's more relevant than ever. Here, #VogueBusiness is assessing the obstacles as well as presenting the solutions for women working in the industry.

Here's everything to know.

Does fashion hate women in power?

Women can and should be criticised, even fired, if they’ve missed the mark and no one has to like a collection just because it was designed by a female.

It's a broad pattern that warrants calling out and asking why do we judge female designers more harshly than their male peers?

Fashion is failing working mothers

Having a child still affects a woman’s career disproportionately, with many feeling left behind after taking maternity leave and feeling exceptional pressure to prove themselves back at work.

Others aren't able to take meaningful maternity leave at all, particularly those working as freelancers and business owners. #VogueBusiness spoke to 15 mothers working in fashion to understand how fashion can fix its lack of support for working mothers.

Fashion still misunderstands menopause

In the UK, some 17% of women experiencing menopause consider leaving work due to the lack of support, and around 6% actually do.

Yet while campaign groups and influencers are increasingly tackling the taboos around menopause, in fashion and beauty — industries that are dominated by women (in the lower ranks at least) — it is still a subject that is largely avoided, or discussed only behind closed doors.

#VogueBusiness explores how the youth-obsessed fashion industry has a lot of catching up to do.

What would our clothes look like if more women designed them?

With so much focus on why it has taken so long to get more women into these positions — and why there are still so few — a different question has gone under-explored: if more women were to design more collections, what would that actually look like?

So, if more women from varied backgrounds were designing more collections, what would improve, visually and practically?

So, just how hard is the fashion industry on women?

Maternity, menopause, misogyny… all undeniable obstacles to a woman’s career advancement. But is the fashion industry as hard on women as we think?

#VogueBusiness felt the people who could really answer that question were fashion executives at the top of their game. Here's what they said.

Want to know more? Join us as we discuss our findings

Join us at London’s 180 House on Thursday 25 July, for a morning event, during which executive European editor Kirsty McGregor will discuss the findings from?Vogue Business’s exploration into what fashion would look like if women were in charge.

The session will be followed by a Q&A and time to network and connect with fellow members.

Elsewhere in the industry this week:

• With an investment in the future Saks Global, Amazon gets access to luxury fashion and US multibrand retail gets power in consolidation and tech.
• The end of Matches, visitors are being directed to Flannels, the luxury fashion retailer owned by Frasers Group.
• Designed to be worn once, the swirling mass of black nylon seen on Demna’s most recent Balenciaga runway raises questions about what defines couture.
• Under the previous Conservative government, the fashion and luxury industries have been squeezed by?Brexit and emerging designers are struggling to survive amid the cost of living crisis. Will a Labour government be any better?