Caribbean Immigrant Designer Uses Fashion To Spotlight On Income Inequality

By NAN Staff Writer

NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 13, 2022: A Caribbean immigrant fashion designer used her Spring 2023 Fashion Week collection to send a serious message on income inequality.

Brooklyn-based, Grenada-born designer Fe Noel teamed up with retirement agency services provider TIAA, and its initiative #RetireInequality, to highlight the glaring wage gaps between men and women with the debut of Noel’s “Dre$$” at her Spring 2023 show.

On average, women earn 83 cents on the dollar to every man. This number, compounded, means that by the end of her career, a full-time, working woman will have lost an average of $417,400 of income. To determine the symbolic number of 1.6 million to make the dress, Noel referenced The Center for American Progress’s calculations according to PAPER.

The group found that with median return rates and investing 20% of earnings, the total money invested would accumulate to an additional $1.6 million in retirement funds.

“As a woman in the fashion industry, this initiative felt especially important to me,” Noel was quoted as saying. “More than 85% of majors from top fashion schools are female, but only around 14% of the top 50 major fashion brands are run by women.”

“The Dre$$ is a structured gown with a solid foundation; the direction of the dollar bills is purposeful; the finishings and corset are all designed to convey strength and structure – something women exhibit,” she added according to PAPER.

This Dre$$, however, is only the beginning of the brand’s fight to #RetireInequality. Noel is excited to continue using the runway as her platform. “Women’s clothing will always be our foundation – we are continuing to build on that business with our classic silhouettes while introducing new creations,” PAPER quoted her as saying.

See other designs from the 2023 collection HERE

A model walks the runway at the Fe Noel fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week: The Shows on September 09, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows )

Another model walks the runway at the Fe Noel fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week: The Shows on September 09, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)

More models at the Fe Noel fashion show during September 2022 New York Fashion Week. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows)

Part of the Fe Noel fashion collection on September 09, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows )