Why are all the support messages from fashion brands identical to each other? In these days of protests fashion has expressed its solidarity with the cause – and in the most generic and lazy way possible

For the past week, the most polarizing event in the cultural debate has been the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, a serious case of police brutality that, after going around the world via a viral video, has triggered a very strong anti-racist protest movement in the United States. The movement has gained support from all over the world, especially through social media and Instagram – support shown by fashion brands large and small through a series of anti-racist messages that have curiously adhered to the same template established by Nike with its message For once, don't do it, which consists of a white inscription on a black background or vice-versa. Within forty-eight hours, a repetition, imitation or simple remix of that template appeared everywhere, with the effect of creating a sequence of completely identical messages, often branded, and essentially indistinguishable from each other.

Ultimately, it's content that's aimed at getting a consumer response through the solemnity of the statement rather than with a shoe or the face of a celebrity. After all, one could say it's not the job of a company that makes luxury civil rights clothes – especially since activism isn't a hashtag, you can't doit while sitting in your living room or reduce it to a black photo on your Instagram feed. This avalanche of inspirational anti-racism messages all identical to each other is proof of how fashionable likes to assert itself as the voice of progressive culture even if its nature as an industry with strictly commercial logic remains essentially unchanged. University lecturer and former Gucci inclusive consultant Kim Jenkins recently explained to Vogue:

«A post acknowledging what is happening and making a thoughtful statement speaks volumes. It connects with existing customers. […] What is your promise and your commitment as a leader to support the community? What also are you promising us in terms of how you're going to make a radical change within your organisation? That’s what people are going to look for, and they don’t want to see shallow words».