Weekly News Round-Up: September 10th-16th
London Fashion Week: Leading the Model Diversity Movement
Sarah Leigh Bannerman for Culture Trip
London Fashion Week (LFW) breathes new life onto the runway each season through experimental design and boundary-pushing presentation. Designers at LFW 2018 are reinforcing this reputation as they prioritise diversity among models and take a pioneering approach to casting.
Business focus: Rising costs and a shortage of models could hit fashion brands
Visa woes could also make it more difficult for freelancers in the UK, warns Tamara Cincik at consultancy Fashion Roundtable. She says LFW is not enough of an income for stylists and photographers, and they also have to work on the Continent throughout the year. “All creatives travel continuously by necessity. If Brits in the industry suddenly can’t work freely in Europe, then they may look to try to leave Britain altogether.”
Federation Response to the European Parliament decision to Adopt Copyright Position
Article for Creative Industries Federation, partners to Fashion Roundtable
Big news from Brussels. MEPs have approved the landmark Copyright Directive. The Creative Industries Federation call this an important ‘close partnership’.
The European Parliament has today adopted its position on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. The European Parliament’s position includes the following: If rights holders request it, online content sharing platforms which host their copyright-protected works would need to agree “fair and appropriate” licensing agreements with right holders. Where rights holders do not wish to conclude a license, online platforms and rights holders would be required to “cooperate in good faith” to ensure infringing content is not made available on their services.
Everything You Need to Know About Daniel Zhang, Alibaba's New King
Jack Ma isn’t your ordinary chairman. The 54-year-old has also starred in a Kung Fu movie alongside Jet Li and once entertained staff with songs from The Lion King. Now he’s got just one more year to pull off exuberant stunts as a chairman. After that, on September 10, 2019, Ma will pass on the reins to the man he’s been long preparing for the job: the company’s chief executive, 46-year-old Daniel Zhang.
How Will Brexit Impact the UK Fashion Industry?
Stylist Tamara Cincik set up Fashion Roundtable to make sure the industry’s concerns were heard. ‘Fishing makes £1.4 billion (N.B. she actually said £1.9bn) for the UK economy, fashion almost £30 billion, but we only hear about cod,’ she says. ‘I know of two long-established London brands, one in accessories, one in women’s and menswear, moving to Portugal, and a large fash-tech business looking to relocate its logistics to Italy. With a Hard Brexit or no deal, swathes of fashion firms expect to leave,’ she adds.