Combatting the 'Glass Runway': An Assessment of Female Leadership and Creative Control in the Fashion Industry

Discussions of gender in the context of fashion have a long history, with plenty of discourse surrounding women, their sexuality and femininity, as well as gender inequality. As an industry, fashion is marketed to women, yet dominated by men. This MRP analyzes who the women leaders are or are not in fashion and examines what that imbalance means in relation to the industry at large. This paper takes the form of a comprehensive literature review, employing Allyson Stokes' 'glass runway' metaphor and Pierre Bourdieu's field theory as theoretical frameworks. The research explores three themes: leadership, creativity, and fashion as independent enterprise. Overall, the literature reveals longstanding societal norms that have seemingly influenced the way men and women progress through the fashion industry. These gender norms and perceptions present invisible barriers to leadership for women, but also offer some explanation for the lack of women in high-level roles in the industry.