The summer of 2020 has brought about a reckoning over racism around the world, fuelled by mass protests over police killings of black men, women and children in the United States. The push for change has also seeped into the world of business, as black, indigenous and people of colour take employers to task for abusive and exclusionary behaviour in the workplace. The drive for change has spread to the world of fashion. And a group of black fashion professionals have banded together to form the Black in Fashion Council, an organisation that seeks to push for inclusion and representation in their industry. Even as individual black designers, models, and fashion icons make strides, fashion has long been the target of criticism over racist and exclusionary practices. In the past two years, major labels like Prada and Gucci came under fire for blackface incidents. The CEO of trendy clothing brand Reformation just stepped down over allegations of racial discrimination in the workplace. Associated Press reported that fashion brands experienced major blowback over social media posts supporting Black Lives Matter that were deemed as hypocritical. Will Anna Wintour be forced out of US$2 million-a-year Vogue editor’s job? Amid the backlash against fashion brands, Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples Wagner and Sandrine Charles Consulting founder Sandrine Charles established the Black in Fashion Council. The group has posted a statement on its website saying that the organisation “was founded to represent and secure the advancement of black individuals in the fashion and beauty industry.” The Black in Fashion Council did not immediately respond to Business Insider’ s request for comment. “As a collective, we envision a world in which black people in fashion and beauty spaces can be open and honest, guaranteed equal rights, and be celebrated for our voices,” the statement said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Jun 25, 2020 at 12:05pm PDT Vogue reported that the group plans to publish annual reports and assign fashion brands an industry-wide equality index score with help from the Human Rights Campaign. Brands will be able to sign on to the campaign and pledge to work toward greater inclusivity over the next three years. Meghan Markle on facing racism: ‘someone called my mum the N-word’ “The Human Rights Campaign already has a Corporate Equality Index for people with disabilities and the LGBTQ community that companies like Kering are already a part of,” Peoples Wagner told Vogue . “This would be a way to continue to give companies a report card of accountability without them feeling like they’re being shamed into it, and giving them the actual resources of what people are saying they want to see changed.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Teen Vogue (@teenvogue) on Jun 19, 2020 at 8:20pm PDT The Human Rights Campaign currently runs a Corporate Equality Index that rates companies’ policies regarding LGBTQ employees. On its website, the campaign said its 2020 index featured 686 major businesses that were rated as the best places to work for LGBTQ equality.” Criteria for Human Rights Campaign’s 2021 index will include workforce protections, benefits, culture and corporate social responsibility, and outreach efforts. George Floyd race protests: which celebs marched and who donated only $50? “While we are working on our end, we encourage people in the industry to rise to the occasion to sustain long-term change,” the Black in Fashion Council said in its online statement. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter . This article originally appeared on Business Insider.