Raising awareness around issues of inclusivity within the fashion industry, Prada has become the first luxury fashion house to join The Valuable 500, a global B2B initiative dedicated to putting disability on the business leadership agenda. The Valuable 500 aims to onboard 500 private-sector corporations to commit to bringing people with disability to their boards and making a firm commitment to action.Â
Prada Group Head of CSR, Lorenzo Bertelli, said in a statement, “The Valuable 500 community, which embraces a wide range of industries worldwide, is becoming stronger every day and I actively support the decision to join the coalition as I believe strongly in the value of diversity. The different backgrounds of the companies adhering to the alliance is a crucial starting point to build a comprehensive global action plan, which will enrich all of us.”
Prada is exploring a wide range of opportunities and programming in the long run. In the meantime, the company will begin by committing to hire individuals affected by trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome) in its shops in Italy.Â
Founder of The Valuable 500, Caroline Casey, said, “Prada’s commitment to The Valuable 500 as the first luxury fashion group is historic. Leaders such as Prada have the power to elevate and reframe the way that society thinks about disability. We cannot underestimate what a watershed moment this is.”
Other corporations that have committed to The Valuable 500 endeavour include Accenture, Airbnb, American Express, Bloomberg, Buzzfeed, Citi, HSBC, L’Oreal, Mastercard, Sony and Standard Chartered.
See also: Prada Pledges To Use Only Recycled Nylon By 2021
