A man from Peckham, who bridged his own path into fashion and got a job at Burberry aged 19, is opening doors for others after finding out the industry is ‘still built on pillars of nepotism.’
Daniel Peters, 35, was born and raised in Peckham in a single-parent, working-class family.
“My mum was born and raised in Peckham too and was a seamstress from home when I was growing up,” he said.
He explained that seeing the ‘joy’ his mother would bring to people when she made them a garment was what drove his love of fashion. That said, he didn’t go on to study it right away.
“I actually wanted to be a singer at first and got into the Brit School for performing arts – I was at school with Adele and Jessie J,” he said.
But after he ‘fell out of love’ with music – Daniel decided to go down the fashion route after all.
“I got a place at Fashion Retail Academy and studied whilst working various retail jobs.
“Because I was working four days a week, I was able to work for free one day a week to learn the craft.
“I put into practice what I was learning at college and spent three months working with someone on the window displays at Selfridges.
It was here that then he was recommended for a job at Burberry Head Office at 19 years old with ‘zero experience’ in that role. “I ended up working there for four years, and even worked on producing the runway shows in London and Milan.”
When he worked his way in, Daniel said he quickly realised the door wasn’t open for everyone.
“The fashion industry I was stepping into was a very white, privileged world,” he said, “and to keep it real, I’m not the expected accent or voice you would assume would come out of a black guy from Peckham.
“I think that put me further ahead than counterparts who look similar to me.”
And even then, he claimed this only got him so far – “I saw white candidates doing the same job as I was climbing the ladder a lot quicker, even though we were working at the same level.”
He explained that a lot of the individuals he was surrounded by came from privilege and many were offered positions because of a family friend or a connection. “Even though that was 16-17 years ago – it still happens now,” he added.
Daniel explained after seeing the barriers faced by many, he is keen to use his self-made connections to inspire and help people who may not have the chance otherwise. In 2020, Daniel set up the Fashion Minority Report (FMR) – an organisation which pushes for change in the industry.
One thing they do is run workshops and mentoring programmes, for 18–28-year-olds, where they get professionals from big brands to mentor them one to one. “We don’t make our programme just about ethnicity, it’s for anyone who comes from a disadvantaged community, which includes lower-socio economic backgrounds.
He explained they are now working with schools. Next month, they are taking students from Harris Academy in Peckham to meet with the organisers of London Fashion Week to introduce them to a career in fashion.
They also have a summer fashion school for ages 14-17. “It is free to attend and offers three days of hands-on learning experience led by ASOS.”
As well as providing opportunities, he is also ensuring changes are made from the top down: “we are primarily a consultancy aiming to increase diversity, so we work with big brands to help them to become more inclusive,” Daniel told the News.
Last month, FMR released a magazine detailing the research they had done.
Daniel said he hopes it will create a conversation around how the fashion industry has been built on the ‘pillars of nepotism’ for many years.
He said it is through these conversations, as well as their work with the wider community that they are ‘creating a shift to see some much-needed change.’ “It doesn’t happen overnight – but with our resources and greater understanding of the barriers, hopefully, things will begin to shift.”
To find out more go to www.fashionminorityreport.com/