Fashion is an industry that’s notoriously hard to crack. For starters, there’s its pretty poor track record regarding nepotism, gatekeeping, and systemic discrimination, but it’s also an industry replete with career opportunities and pathways that many looking for a way in barely know exist. It was out of a desire to counter the industry’s myriad entry barriers, as well as to diversify what it looks like once you’re in it, that Rubric Initiative was born in 2020, spearheaded by a collective of industry-leading figures.
Previously, the innitiative launched a panel series – featuring the likes of Virgil Abloh, Andre Walker, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and Carlos Nazario – addressing the industry’s troubled relationship with issues such as race and gender inequity and its glaring lack of transparency, as well as comprehensive mentorship schemes and outreach initiatives. This week, Rubric has launched a bold new chapter in its mission: a partnership with American luxury stalwart Marc Jacobs.
As part of the multi-part engagement with the brand, Marc Jacobs-endorsed industry leaders were drafted in as mentors, and paired with rising photographers, stylists, art directors, producers, set designers, casting, nail artists, hairstylists, and makeup artists sourced from the Rubric community to pass on their knowledge. The fruits of these intergenerational exchanges were captured by way of a shoot centred on an upcycled garment created by design mentee Marley Marc, supported by the brand and its internal design team. Further to that, a co-branded fundraiser tee was also designed, and Marc himself even got involved, featured in an ask-me-anything video where he shared the invaluable learnings amassed across his career in response to questions from the scheme’s mentees.
But how did this all come together? “It was Ava Nirui [Marc Jacobs’ Director of Special Projects] who approached us a while back now,” explains Nell Kalonji, one of Rubric’s founding members. “She was interested in working together on a special project to support the next generation and open doors,” with the group settling on producing the collaborative fundraising t-shirt as the partnership’s initial phase. Keen to extend the project’s remit, the full, four-part programme was developed by the Rubric and Marc Jacobs teams.
Indeed, it was a sense of spiritual kinship and common values that made the partnership such an intuitive fit. “Marc Jacobs – the man and the company – has always shared the values and ideologies that we at Rubric are promoting and trying to implement as standard practice in this industry,” Nell says. “I also loved the idea of working with Marc Jacobs on this because of the way he operates. He’s always been such a champion of other designers and celebrates the variety of creatives in the industry. Where others might see competition, he openly declares his love for other brands, and I think that’s incredibly powerful.”
For the mentorship component of the partnership, finding the most talented and deserving mentees was paramount, with the “application process happening in several stages. Once we narrowed the candidates down, we then looked at who we thought would be a great match as a mentor,” drawing upon the extensive community that Marc Jacobs’ and Rubric’s share, eventually bringing industry’s leading creatives – such as Alasdair McLellan, Sydney Rose Thomas and Virginie Moreira – on board to help make the final choices. “It was important to us that the mentors also feel a connection to the mentees and their creative approach, so the final choice of candidate was in each mentor’s hands.”
The culminating shoot offered an opportunity for the mentees to put the learnings they’d acquired from their decorated mentors into practice, allowing them to “not only gain experience, but also be able to take something tangible away from the project,” Nell says.
“Launched on a platform as big as Marc Jacobs’ will not only bring wide attention to each of the mentees but is also a massive bonus for each of their portfolios,” any creative’s bargaining chip for bigger and better jobs. More than that, though, a primary intention behind was to foster a sense of confidence and belonging among the mentees. “Often, when you start out, you find yourself dropped into the unknown without a support system – there’s no rule book for this industry, so it can all be very daunting,” Nell says. “We all know how real imposter syndrome can be, so we wanted the mentees to walk away from the experience feeling like they do belong here and deserve a seat at the table.”
That initiatives like these are well worth supporting is a given, and rounding out the partnership is a way for you to directly contribute to furthering Rubric’s mission, while also marking yourself as a part of its wider community: the charity t-shirt. “It was a no-brainer, really,” Nell says. “It makes sense for us as an initiative and for Marc Jacobs as a clothing brand. I also love merch – I see it as a way to declare yourself as being part of a community.” Designed by mentor-mentee duo art director Hassan Rahim – who oversees Rubric’s visual identity – and Cam Canty, it served as a way to fuse the necessity to raise funds that any charitable organisation has with Rubric’s mission to uplift young creatives.
From each sale, “50% of the proceeds will go towards helping Rubric to create more opportunities like this for young creatives,” Nell concludes, noting how vital such initiatives are in response to a general lull in the industry’s pledges to address systemic issues that were raised a couple of years ago. “Since 2020, we have definitely seen shifts in the industry, but there is still much work to be done. As people have settled back into their lives post-pandemic, many of the issues discussed then have now been put on the backburner. The funds raised will help Rubric to keep this conversation going and create more opportunities for the next generation.” A noble cause that you can further by buying a t-shirt here, now.
Credits
Photographer Bruce Bennett
Stylist Sahara Kalafchi
Art Director Yufei Liu
Production Good Things Tek Time
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck
Production Assistant Jesa Chiro
Photo Assistant Josue Hurst
Casting Director Aémoni Nelson
Set Design Vango Jones
Set Design Assistant Brian Suber
Make Up Ashlee Valle
Hair Tyla Thomas
Manicurist Linh Trinh
Garment Design Marley Marc
T-Shirt Design Cam Canty