PVH Corp. launched this week the new initiative Be BRAAVE, a global call-to-action campaign to support the Black community to advance the company’s ongoing efforts to achieve equality and racial justice.
Developed in partnership with PVH’s Building Resources for African American Voices and Empowerment (BRAAVE) business resource group, the immediate focus of Be BRAAVE is a three-pronged commitment focused on listening, learning and action. The program complements PVH’s long-term Inclusion & Diversity strategy and will include measurable goals.
PVH also recognizes its opportunity to increase representation of Black associates across all levels of the organization, with a pledge to be transparent about its progress as it evolves.
“I know words or dollars mean nothing without action, so I am holding myself and PVH accountable. The time for change is now because Black lives matter. We’re counting on our collective PVH community to help guide us, and keep the conversation open and honest,” said Manny Chirico, CEO and Chairman, PVH Corp. “I am moved to see all our associates stand hand-in-hand with one another and collectively say we oppose racism and discrimination. Some of the work in front of us will take time, but it will have aggressive actions – and measurable results.”
The company, including a new, dedicated task force, is working to address equality in the same way PVH approaches its long-term financial objectives and its sustainability goals – with the right partnerships, dialogue and infrastructure to support foundational stability. The next few months will be dedicated to the listening and learning components of Be BRAAVE from all stakeholders to emerge with an action plan that includes talent practices, development initiatives and an unconscious-bias learning curriculum.
“At PVH, we recognize we don’t have all the answers right now. And for those of us who haven’t walked in the shoes of our Black community members, we will never fully understand the pain they are experiencing right now. What we can do, though, is to fully commit and lean in to the long-term journey of creating racial equality,” Stefan Larsson, President, PVH Corp., said. “We are creating forums for listening and learning, we will also update our talent practices and create new opportunities for growth so that we can increase representation and support our Black associates for success in leadership and across the company.”
To kick off the Be BRAAVE campaign, The PVH Foundation - the company’s philanthropic fund specifically dedicated to nonprofit donations and volunteer programs – launched its first-ever global giving campaign to support nonprofit organizations. Associates can choose organizations with missions that are important and meaningful to them – and the company will match their donation 100% through the month of June. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Urban League, The National Black Justice Coalition, The Color of Change Education Fund, the ACLU, Gathering for Justice and Human Rights Watch are among the featured organizations.
This is in addition to the previously announced contribution of $200,000 by The PVH Foundation, to be split evenly between the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the National Urban League.
“As an African-American father, I am tired and heartbroken that I still have to have conversations with my children about how to survive in America, particularly my 12-year-old son, who's over six feet tall. Our PVH family has made strong statements supporting social change and racial justice, and we are ready to take action aligned with our values to drive fashion forward for good,” said Guy Vickers, President, The PVH Foundation.
The Be BRAAVE campaign complements efforts that are in further stages of maturity, including a talent-pipeline partnership with Howard University and a briefing report with the Council of Fashion Designers of America: Insider/Outsider: Inclusion & Diversity in the American Fashion Industry to identify issues and address needs across the apparel industry to convert awareness into action. Be BRAAVE and its components will become an integrated part of PVH’s corporate culture, starting with:
Listen: Check In
Check in with friends and colleagues, especially those in the Black community. PVH is committed to amplifying Black voices in the company and in the community at large.
Learn: Take a Class
PVH’s learning platform, PVH U, has an online version of its course Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences, focused on how to counter bias in words and actions.
Act: Make a Donation
Support 501(c)(3) (US) organizations that highlight racial justice and equality. The PVH Foundation is fully matching donations between $10-$5,000 per associate through the end of June.
“Recent examples of racism have put attention on the reality that we are nowhere near where we need to be as a country or a global community to reach racial equality. We are at a critical moment in our history,” concluded Chirico. “Our associates – in coming together to Be BRAAVE – are contributing to the positive change required of the world.”