Nia Allen, a graduate student in the Kent State University School of Fashion’s Master of Fashion Industry Studies (M.F.I.S) program, recently received the People’s Choice Award during the Kent State Graduate Studies Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
Three Minute Thesis gives graduate students three minutes and one powerpoint slide to effectively present their research in a concise and engaging manner. This year, the contest was held virtually and presenters from a variety of disciplines across the university competed for the top prize. Allen received the People's Choice Award which is presented to the student who receives the most votes from the general public.
Her thesis focuses on Black and African American women’s history of being racially profiled and discriminated against while shopping, specifically in high-end, luxury retail establishments. Allen pulled from her own experiences with racism and discrimination while shopping, and according to her research, 48% of African Americans have been racially profiled or discriminated against while shopping in luxury retail environments.
“When retail companies are found using racially discriminatory practices, they often pair it with an apology and pledge to be more diverse and inclusive. But here’s the issue – diversity and inclusion should be the norm, not apologies from the industry!” said Allen.
Her proposal on how to end racism in fashion retail focuses on Black entrepreneurship. In her thesis, she highlights innovative ways luxury fashion retailers can empower their consumers through a curated shopping experience, non-biased retail, and promoting inclusivity that starts at the corporate level. To address the issue, Allen is putting together a two-day, luxury retail pop-up shop in Northeast Ohio, catered to Black and African American women who are searching for a luxury shopping experience.
The success around the shop will be measured through social media engagement. Allen will study the engagement before, during and after the po-pup shop, tracking all likes, retweets, hashtags, and posts across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“My goal with this pop-up shop is to cultivate a luxury shopping experience for African American women and create a blueprint luxury retail business that African Americans want to own in the future and provide a catalyst for future research in this area,” said Allen. “Pop-up shops change the narrative. My goal is to not only let Black women into the luxury retail conversation, but to also change their narrative.”
To see Allen’s Three Minute Thesis video, please visit the Graduate Studies website.