Overlooked and Undervalued: Age Discrimination in Fashion

Overlooked and Undervalued: Age Discrimination in Hiring Older Professionals in the Apparel Industry

In an industry driven by trend cycles, innovation, and image, the apparel world is often seen as perpetually young. While fashion thrives on reinvention, it has long harbored an uncomfortable truth: a persistent and widespread form of age discrimination—especially when it comes to hiring seasoned professionals.

From design studios to corporate boardrooms, older professionals in fashion frequently find themselves sidelined, their decades of experience devalued in favor of younger, more “influential” talent. Ageism in hiring is a quiet but deeply entrenched bias in the apparel industry, and it’s costing companies more than they realize.

The Illusion of “Freshness”

Fashion has long equated innovation with youth. Creative directors under 30 are glorified as visionaries. Marketing teams are built around TikTok trends and Gen Z engagement. Job postings often include coded language like “fast-paced,” “culture fit,” or “digital native”—phrases that subtly signal a preference for younger candidates.

This emphasis on being “fresh” and “cutting-edge” has created a culture where age is mistaken for irrelevance. Older professionals, regardless of their skill level, are often perceived as out of touch, slow to adapt, or resistant to change. These stereotypes are rarely based on fact but are powerful enough to limit opportunities for capable individuals with proven track records.

Experience Ignored

Many seasoned professionals in the apparel industry have worked through retail transformations, global economic shifts, and multiple fashion eras. Their ability to navigate change and bring institutional knowledge should be considered an asset. Yet, employers often bypass them in favor of those who are perceived as more culturally relevant or digitally fluent.

This not only deprives businesses of critical insights but also perpetuates short-term thinking. Experienced professionals bring leadership, mentorship, and continuity—qualities that are crucial for sustainable business growth but hard to measure in a resume algorithm.

The Cost of Age Bias

Age discrimination doesn’t just harm individuals—it weakens companies. By excluding older professionals, businesses lose out on:

• Institutional knowledge: Long-time industry veterans have navigated crises, scaled brands, and managed diverse teams.
• Professional maturity: Older professionals often possess conflict-resolution skills, leadership abilities, and emotional intelligence.
• Customer insight: Consumers over 40 represent a huge portion of retail spending. Older employees are more likely to understand their preferences and buying behavior.

Despite these benefits, hiring managers often default to younger candidates, either consciously or through bias built into hiring algorithms and recruiting practices.

Subtle and Systemic

Age discrimination in the fashion workplace isn’t always overt. It shows up in vague rejections, exclusion from tech training, or sudden layoffs that disproportionately affect older staff. In creative spaces, it can be even more insidious, hidden under the guise of aesthetic preferences or brand alignment.

Even when older professionals are hired, they often find themselves pigeonholed into roles with little room for advancement or innovation, reinforcing the false notion that their best work is behind them.

A Call for Change

The future of fashion depends on diversity—not just in race, gender, and size, but in age as well. To combat age discrimination in hiring, companies should:

• Audit hiring practices for age bias and remove exclusionary language.
• Invest in mentorship models that pair younger and older professionals.
• Celebrate experience as much as energy in branding and internal culture.
• Include older professionals in leadership pipelines and creative roles.

Conclusion

Age should never be a barrier to employment, especially in an industry that thrives on storytelling, craftsmanship, and evolution. The apparel industry must stop viewing older professionals as relics of the past and start recognizing them as vital contributors to its future. Until then, fashion’s claim to inclusivity remains incomplete—and fundamentally flawed.

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