FASHION ROUNDTABLE DECEMBER 2019 ELECTION MANIFESTO

Fashion Roundtable Election Manifesto Forward

Fashion is not a political sector: we are a broad church with almost 1 million working within the industry across the UK. From design, to creative, from logistics to tech, from events to retail, fashion works across all these areas and more, contributing over £32bn to the UK economy and growing at four times the rate of others, as the largest component of the creative industries. 

All too often however, fashion has been left as an oversight by politicians, with other industries grabbing media attention and the political limelight. The Fashion Roundtable Election Manifesto outlines our key asks from all political parties, across they vital issues that matter. From workers’ rights, to sustainability, from freedom of movement, to education, we have raised the issues that go to the heart of what all within our sector need from their elected candidates. These topline manifesto requests form the roots from which the globally recognised fashion industry can thrive. To enable the fashion economy to grow we need the right support and political will in place. Without support the opportunity to support our world-leading creative talent and create a successful economy that serves us all will be lost. Fashion Roundtable encourage discourse and involvement of all levels and stakeholders within fashion to come together to create change.  Below we outline 5 key areas that we are working to implement for the benefit of all stakeholders within the fashion industry. 

SUSTAINABILITY

  • Implementing a Sustainable Fashion Framework, drawn from the Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion Report recommendations

  • Implement legislation that sets targets for the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, based on goals 4) Quality Education, 5) Gender Equality, 8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12) Responsible Consumption and Production and 13) Climate Action

  • Implement tax incentives for businesses investing in technology and infrastructure to transition to a more sustainable business model

  • Include targets referring to the use and recycling of polyester in the Environment Bill 2020


WORKERS RIGHTS

  • Financial support for local law enforcement in areas with a high concentration of manufacturers, so ensure factories are being checked appropriately

  • Extend the Modern Slavery Act requirements to public authorities and impose fines on organisations that fail to disclose their Modern Slavery reporting

  • Extend rights for workers on zero-hour contracts

  • Financial support for workers making claims to the employment tribunal

  • Commitment to end the Gender and BAME pay gaps within businesses by 2025


FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

  • Implement a 2-year window for international students to live and work in the UK after graduation

  • Revise the Visa system so that salary thresholds and skill levels industry-specific

  • Allow free short term movement between the UK and EU (stays for up to three months) for creative professionals, with an equivalent cooling off period between visits


SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT

  • Prolonging of the ‘business rates: retail’ discount beyond 2021, to be revised and amended according to feedback from businesses

  • Extend the Creative Industry Tax Relief to include businesses in the fashion industry

  • Support for local business hubs in empty shops with pop up stores

  • Local government initiative for a scheme that allows the use of empty shops across the country, for business activities including pop-up shops and micro-ateliers

  • Review of the Creative Industries Cluster mapping, to include new locations across the UK such as Margate

  • Initiative agenda from local governments encouraging the fashion industry to develop outside of London, by replicating the East London Fashion Cluster in other UK locations across the UK


EDUCATION

  • Replace the Ebacc system with a ranking system that includes creative subjects

  • Minimum weekly hours requirement for arts and crafts to be taught in schools

  • Making fashion education more accessible by lifting university fees across the UK, not just Scotland

  • Better support for the large percentage of women working in the fashion industry, such as free childcare from post parental leave to four years of age for 35 hours a week to allow for full time employment and fashion’s growing entrepreneurial scene

  • Mentoring systems and affinity networks to be implemented within fashion companies to support diverse access to corporate promotion

  • All design undergraduate programmes to have business skills and sustainability training implemented in the degree curriculums 

We encourage you to share and get involved with this manifesto using #FRElectionManifesto for fashion industry change. Also continue the conversation and importantly action based solutions by joining newly-launched Fashion Roundtable’s membership scheme.



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