My first interview with the recruiter was very pleasant. She reviewed my portfolio and experience, first on the phone, then in person. She immediately referred me to the design director next. He was terrific. He was enthusiastic and engaged. He was excited about my work.
The third interview was with the brand founder. She looked me up and down, barely looked at my portfolio and was quickly dismissive.
I was later told that she wanted to see more "European candidates". (Both my resume and portfolio demonstrated my work with European designers like Valentino, Balmain, Armani, but she did not bother to view these). However, I am visibly not Caucasian. What could "European" possibly refer to in this case?