Is fashion retail ageist?

This month a former Superdry knitwear designer won a case against the clothing retailer for unfair dismissal and direct discrimination on the grounds of age.

Rachel Sunderland, aged 56, was deemed a low “flight risk” from the company compared to younger members of staff and would stay “no matter how she was treated”, an employment tribunal heard. As a result, she was repeatedly passed over for promotion in favour of other colleagues with less experience until she felt forced to resign, the court found.

The hearing highlighted that ageism in the fashion industry worryingly still exists and stressed the need to combat the stereotyping and/or discrimination against people because of their age.

We want to use the Drapers platform to give a voice to those who have directly or indirectly experienced or witnessed instances of age discrimination within the fashion retail industry.

We are asking our audience to share their experiences in this confidential survey, and we will investigate how ageism manifests itself within fashion retail in the UK and Ireland, and hope to make headway in answering how ageist fashion retail is, and what can be done to eradicate this.

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* 1. Select organisation type:

Independent retailer

Multiple retailer

Pureplay retailer (no physical stores)

Direct-to-consumer brand

Wholesale brand

Agency/Distributor

Manufacturer

Other (please specify)

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* 2. Company name. This is optional and will remain confidential.

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* 3. Where is your company/place of work based?

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* 4. Which job level:

Founder/owner/proprietor

CEO/C-Suite/Chairman

Director

Head of

Non-manager

Other (please specify)

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* 5. Please state your job title

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* 6. How long have you been in your current role?

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* 7. Which age category do you fall into:

Under 18

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

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* 8. How would you describe your gender?

Male (including transgender men)

Female (including transgender women)

Prefer not to say

Prefer to self-describe as __________

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* 9. Have you personally experienced ageism/ageist discrimination in the workplace, past or present?

Yes

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* 10. If yes, please describe your experiences:

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* 11. Have you witnessed ageism/ageist discrimination against a colleague/(s)in the workplace, past or present?

Yes

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* 12. If yes, please explain your experiences

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* 13. Did you report the incidents you experienced/witnessed?

Yes

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* 14. If not, please explain why:

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* 15. If yes, do you feel like it was handled correctly? Please explain how it was handled.

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* 16. Do you feel like you could speak to management or HR if you or a colleague were being treated unfairly on the basis of age?

Yes

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* 17. Please explain your answer above:

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* 18. In your organisation, do you believe there are equal opportunities for people of all ages? Please explain your answer.

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* 19. Do you believe that your organisation discriminates against employees who are above or below a certain age?

Yes

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* 20. If you answered yes, how does this manifest itself?

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* 21. Do you believe that fashion retail is more ageist than other industries?

Yes

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* 22. If you said yes, please rank the job roles you believe are most impacted by age discrimination:

	Not at all impacted	Somewhat impacted	Very impacted
Accounts	Accounts Not at all impacted	Accounts Somewhat impacted	Accounts Very impacted
Buyers	Buyers Not at all impacted	Buyers Somewhat impacted	Buyers Very impacted
Designers	Designers Not at all impacted	Designers Somewhat impacted	Designers Very impacted
Marketing	Marketing Not at all impacted	Marketing Somewhat impacted	Marketing Very impacted
Communications	Communications Not at all impacted	Communications Somewhat impacted	Communications Very impacted
HR	HR Not at all impacted	HR Somewhat impacted	HR Very impacted
Stylists	Stylists Not at all impacted	Stylists Somewhat impacted	Stylists Very impacted
Pattern makers	Pattern makers Not at all impacted	Pattern makers Somewhat impacted	Pattern makers Very impacted
Store workers	Store workers Not at all impacted	Store workers Somewhat impacted	Store workers Very impacted
Merchandisers	Merchandisers Not at all impacted	Merchandisers Somewhat impacted	Merchandisers Very impacted
C-Suite	C-Suite Not at all impacted	C-Suite Somewhat impacted	C-Suite Very impacted
Customer service	Customer service Not at all impacted	Customer service Somewhat impacted	Customer service Very impacted
Other	Other Not at all impacted	Other Somewhat impacted	Other Very impacted

Other (please specify)

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* 23. Please explain your answer

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* 24. Ageism has the greatest impact on which age group in your opinion:

18-29

30-39

40-50

50-65

65+

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* 25. Please explain your answer

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* 26. Do you think companies should be required to publish age diversity data?

Yes

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* 27. What steps do you think your company can take to encourage and support age diversity, both internally and externally?

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* 28. Do you think age factors into decision making around internal promotions?

Yes

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* 29. Please explain your answer above

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* 30. Within the wider fashion and retail industry, do you believe there are equal opportunities for people of all ages?

Yes

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* 31. Please explain your answer.

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* 32. In the wider fashion and retail industry, what changes would you like to see happen around age diversity and equal opportunities?

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* 33. Please provide your email address (your answer will remain confidential).

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* 34. Please indicate if you:

Are happy to be contacted by a member of the Drapers team in the future, to discuss your experiences.

Would like to find out more about a subscription to Drapers or receive our newsletter.