Seani Armitage’s Post

New opportunity for DEI & Social Impact professionals! If you’re interested in driving a more inclusive fashion industry and supporting marginalised and underrepresented communities through social impact, check out the below opening in the CR Team at ASOS! https://lnkd.in/esh6fvWN

It’s impossible to wrap your head around such unfounded and unjustifiable unacceptance of, and hatred’s towards, a community of people just wanting to be themselves. Society already creates endless barriers for trans people to simply exist, and we should be striving for the removal of them so an authentic and celebrated life becomes an option for everyone. Instead, acheiving the basic human right of safety remains the most pressing priority. This shouldn’t be something the community and its allies are fighting for. We should already be in a society where LGBTQ+ people can thrive, NOT where they feel suppressed, unaccepted and under threat. Its unfathomable to me that anyone could want anything less than happiness for this community, and I hope the unacceptable hate speech coming from the current government lights a fire up every allies arse. All our love to the LGBTQ+ community right now.

Excited to start a new position as Senior Corporate Responsibility Manager at ASOS.com! 8 years and 4 promotions later, and I’m heading up ASOS’s external DEI remit and now taking on the management of the ASOS Foundation, working to have the best possible impact for underserved and marginalised young people. Already excited to build on the wonderful work of the ASOS Foundation, and to top it off, doing it with the support of the best CR team.

Thinking about mentoring? I recently finished the Fashion Minority Report Emerging Professionals Mentoring Programme that ASOS.com part funds. It's a 16-week programme which explores topics such as networking, interview skills, and CV writing, as well as providing industry insight. It's a great way for young people to access the industry, create connections, and navigate their career path options. My mentee Jessica Roye was a dream, extremely proactive in her progression and a keen learner. I'm confident that she will go on to do great things in the industry and I look forward to reading her new work. I encourage anyone debating whether to mentor to give it a go – you get to learn just as much along the way. #mentorship #networking #careerdevelopment #fashionindustry

Sorry, where did July go?! I'm going to wrap up with a few highlights before I jet off to Ibiza! I joined Daniel Peters and Tiffany Fraser at the Fashion Retail Academy to discuss the current state of DEI within the fashion industry. So many of the students are centring DEI conversations in their final major projects which demonstrates just how much DEI is starting to solidify itself within the core of the industry! It was interesting to get their perspective as both consumers and future industry professionals - best of luck for the final projects! I got my first double decker float experience at CSD Berlin Pride and let's just say they definitely know how to turn up for the community and celebrate individuality! Thanks to Jordan Ashton and the Berlin team for making it happen! Looking forward to coming back to a productive August, where we'll be onboarding ethnic minority-owned brands onto our incubator programme and working hard to deliver ASOS's first ever external DEI strategy.

Pride at ASOS this year! There's SO much joy at Pride and I think it's one of the best days of the year. I get to celebrate it with my best friends and see all the amazing communities and organisations who are centring the LGBTQ+ community! This year was my first year participating in the march with ASOS, and thanks to Jordan and all the THEYSOSers efforts planning the day, it wasn't a let down! One of my many highlights was seeing sooooo many young kids at Pride, and seeing all those parents making a conscious effort for their children to know that being LGBTQ+ is something to be celebrated, embraced and proud of, and that if they grow up to be part of the LGBTQ+ family, they'll be loved and encouraged to be themselves. EVERYONE should be, and deserves to be, accepted for who they are, and their gender identity or sexuality should never be a reason not to be accepted or loved. HOPE YOU ALL HAD AN AMAZING PRIDE <3

Could’ve chewed the audiences ear off talking about purpose driven partnerships yesterday. We sat down with L’Oréal and Ditch The Label to chat about what non-profit collabs look like, the importance of relevant and tangible impact on the community your spotlighting, of brands and NGOs collaborating as equals, and what success really looks like! With 8 years working on soooo many different partnerships and seeing what goes into making them a success, it was great fun to get to share my experience on it! I’m a firm believer in only attending a panel talk that you can bring substance to, so fingers crossed it was insightful for some! Vic Miller Anika Majithia Liam Hackett Olivia Newman