We Are Made in Italy (WAMI)

Our multidisciplinary team of BIPOC fashion professionals works to fight racism and discrimination from within the industry, building a more inclusive and innovative future of fashion.

WAMI (WE ARE MADE IN ITALY) was created with a precise goal: to fight for concrete, not just theoretical, inclusion, contrasting all types of racism and working towards real recognition of the contribution that BIPOC creativity can give to fashion.

After a 2020 call for reform led by Stella Jean, Edward Buchanan, and Michelle Francine Ngonmo, this initiative earned the support of Carlo Capasa, President of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), who initially also served on the WAMI committee. Although CNMI is no longer directly involved in the project, their early support included engaging in consultation with the WAMI team, providing mentoring to POC fashion students, and providing seed support for the Unseen Profiles database, overseen by the Afro Fashion Association, through which BIPOC fashion professionals can be scouted and commissioned for hire.

WAMI is the answer to the lack of the presence of BIPOC designers in Italian fashion, but its work has extended the conversation on diversity and inclusion in the Italian fashion system to the whole society.