Fashion Roundtable's Founder and CEO Reflects on A Month of Exits

It seems January is the peak month of the year for exits, with Richard Nelson LLP showing evidence of a staggering 230% spike in google searches for "I want a divorce" in the first week of January, as opposed to the last week of December! Meanwhile we have Brexit at the end of the month— when we finally push the button on the EU withdrawal at 11pm on 31 January, thereby officially entering into the 10 month period of trade negotiations to avoid a no deal Brexit. We also have "Megxit" happening this week as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce their plans to leave top tier royalty and live transatlantically, with all the ramifications this will entail— in terms of security, tax and status. In fact both "exits" have to consider these ramifications; for the UK no longer tied to the EU, what does this mean for security, freedom of movement and what we pay in custom duty taxes? What will this mean to the UK's global status and role on the international political stage?

We, in fashion, recognise this show status pecking order all too well! If you are used to being on the all important FROW, how easily do you accept being seated on the 3rd row, or the perceived ignominy of being offered a standing ticket?

I will be attending a meeting in Whitehall on Wednesday to discuss Brexit and business. If you have any points you would like raised on customs tariffs, or what freedom of movement within the EU means for your company please email admin@fashionroundtable.co.uk. We are also able to offer your business bespoke Brexit workshops and have already had some interest in these, if you would like to know more, please email and we can discuss this with you.

Whatever else all these exits denote, it is clear that the UK and EU are heading into a period of change and for many this will involve analysis— ranging from, where will my business will thrive post Brexit? Do I have the right to remain? How can I travel for work? Is the UK where I want to study? Right up to more esoteric questions of identity. Our Power of Influence Q&A and workshop on 25 January at the AllBright Mayfair, will be discussing these topics and more. Navjoyt Lehl, our Politics Expert is set to explore these very issues in more depth. Her Q&A for this week's newsletter, including a political book and podcast list, is a must-read. There are only a few tickets left if you are hoping to join us, please try to book soon as capacity is limited. I am really pleased with some of the gifting we have for our guests, ranging from a fantastic selection of books published by Virago, Little Brown and Bloomsbury, as well as uber-glam silk eye masks from La Perla.

The book I have been reading this week is Underland by Robert Macfarlane, which looks at the underbelly of our relationship with the earth and his journeys underground around the world. A latter day Orpheus weaving a labyrinthine landscape of memories, travels and travails— I can see how this took him 10 years to complete. It is epic in every sense of the word. Quoting experts, myths and scholars, it feels like the book for this time and place. In a world challenged by environmental discord and lacking connection, it goes the very roots of humanity's interconnected relationship with the earth we live on— particularly so in light of the weekly updates on climate change crises across the globe. It’s also timely in January when so many in the Northern Hemisphere traditionally think of the earth as dormant, when all too soon we will see the new blooms of optimism from the daffodils and snowdrops of early spring. Optimism is something I feel we need in this month filled with exits, tax returns and dull, dark days— so this book certainly makes for dazzling reading.