Tiffany Launches ‘Atrium’ Platform to ‘Amplify’ Its DE&I Initiatives
Tiffany & Co. is announcing a new social impact platform that will host its varied diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Today, the jeweler lifts the curtain on Atrium — a new platform that aims to bring more women and marginalized communities into creative professions, with a bent on jewelry industry training programs.
More from WWD
Atrium is spearheaded by Tiffany chief human resources officer Mary Bellai with additional support and guidance provided by chief executive officer Anthony Ledru.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Tiffany Atrium platform, creating a centralized hub for our continued journey in the worlds of diversity, equity and inclusion. At Tiffany & Co., we have a responsibility to enact positive change in our world. Tiffany Atrium will allow us to streamline and scale the necessary processes in doing so,” Ledru said in a statement.
Speaking by phone, Bellai added: “It’s more than just writing a check. This work is not new to Tiffany, we have always been guided by the belief that our success as a company means that we have a responsibility to the greater community.”
Bellai specified that Atrium has been set out to address three pillars: creativity, education and community. As it introduces new initiatives, Atrium will look to address all three pillars in its work.
Some of Tiffany’s preexisting DEI programs have now been recategorized under the Atrium umbrella. This includes last summer’s announcement of the About Love Scholarship, which allocated $2 million to historically Black colleges and universities.
Now housed under Atrium, Tiffany will “amplify” this initiative with added tangible support.
“In addition to the scholarship itself, we know that HBCU’s host career readiness days and we will have our employee resource groups be mentors there. That’s the difference of taking something we have done already and amplifying it to make it more impactful,” Bellai said.
John Berens
Also part of Atrium is the first U.S.-based iteration of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s Métiers d’Excellence Institute, which the conglomerate outlined as a crucial recruitment tool in WWD last week. Tiffany will take in eight apprentices each year for a two-year course at its facilities, with the intent to place most apprentices in a full-time job at Tiffany following their training.
For Tiffany, this means bench jeweler training. As Bellai said: “LVMH launched the MEI to help advance crafts and individuals within artisan groups. How we translate that at Tiffany is with bench jewelers. It will be the first program in the U.S. What’s great is that there are very few requirements to apply — all you need is a high school degree and to be open to learning. The high school diploma is required because it involves a few college courses taken at FIT.”
Tiffany hopes to diversify its staff of bench jewelers, a profession that is overwhelmingly populated by white men. As part of Atrium, it has set a target for women to represent 50 percent of its MEI jewelers initiative, with an additional concerted focus on recruiting women from underrepresented communities.
Throughout the year, Tiffany will continue to work with nonprofits and organizations like Free Arts, the Ali Forney Center, the Lower Eastside Girls Club and Harlem’s Fashion Row — now as part of its larger Atrium platform.
To mark Atrium’s launch, Tiffany has collaborated with artist Derrick Adams to design the Atrium logo. The logo was pulled from Adams’ larger painting titled “I Shine, You Shine, We Shine” that was commissioned by Tiffany.
The painting will be up for auction on Artsy starting Wednesday through Aug. 10, with all proceeds benefiting Adams’ The Last Resort Artist Retreat, a residency space in Baltimore for Black artists and cultural workers.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
