This week Fashion Roundtable’s Meg Pirie interviewed four graduates ahead of Loomshed’s Textile Graduate Talk Day. The interview covers traditional folk art, sustainable dyes, hand weaving and the use of surplus British wool from mills.

With more and more crafts being added to the Endangered Crafts List, this is an important conversation in preserving skills as well as our heritage here in the UK. These graduates were particularly focused on localism and small-scale production and it was particularly refreshing to discuss textiles from an earth-first perspective and away from the tired growth model.

OP-ED: Fashion Is Broken, Is Policy The Answer?

Amelia Twine, founded Sustainable Fashion Week in the UK and also chairs Fashion Roundtable's Sustainability and Justice Committee. Here she shares more about the issues with the fast-fashion model and the traction that the partnership between Shein and the Or Foundation received last week, as well as the waste and human rights issues prevalent in the sector. Amelia calls on policy decisions that level the playing field to prompt the action required for accountability needed now.

Prickly Thistle’s Journey Championing British Wool

This week, we hear from owner Clare Campbell, the founder of Prickly Thistle, the only B Corp mill in the UK. Over the last few years Clare has been collaborating with academics and students in Scotland undertaking fundamental research into effectively taking coarse dense British wool fibres and making them suitable for apparel. Clare shares Prickly Thistle’s goal for social equity and offers insight into why as a country with over 30 million sheep, we imported 36.13 million kilograms and exported 20.5 million kilograms of wool in 2021 alone. A staggering fact as we move yet further into a state of climate emergency.

The Textile Garden Rethinking the Links Between What We Grow and What We Wear

Amelia Twine, Co-chair of Sustainability & Social Justice Committee,
Founder of Sustainable Fashion Week UK reviews Fashion Revolution’s Textile Garden as part of Chelsea Flower Show.

OP-ED: The Campaign Investing in Endangered Crafts within Heritage Textile Communities

In this OPed by Fashion Roundtable’s Committee member, Fran Sheldon shares more on the “Give (Back) Credit to the Heritage Communities” project which seeks to reposition the value of cultural craft within the fashion system, and proposes a new collaborative and considered approach to the creative process when working with heritage communities.

The culture and heritage woven through the Welsh woollen industry

A story of the heritage and culture woven through the Welsh woollen industry with insights from the real people working to keep it alive.

How to authentically support minority owned businesses, by Maïna Cissé, founder of the underargument

I am a black woman, and the founder of the lingerie brand, the underargument. I'm one of the many designers whose identity makes them hot property for larger retail businesses right now. These retailers are aiming to show the world they are not only woke, but committed to creating more equality for minority groups. But my recent experience with a large American retailer has forced me to question the authenticity of these so-called positive actions…

Feature, Op-Ed, 2021_6Tamara CincikNovember 30, 2021Inclusive Fashion

'If we are to find a global solution to the climate emergency, unity is vital': Fashion Roundtable's CEO Tamara Cincik shares her hopes for COP26

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikNovember 2, 2021COP26, Climate change, environment

ASOS Move to Northern Ireland: A Sign of Things to Come?

Yesterday, ASOS announced its chief executive is leaving the company - news that saw its share price tumble by 15% in early trading. But there is another story taking hold at the company, which has widespread implications for the post-Brexit retail climate: ASOS are creating 52 jobs in Northern Ireland by early 2022, and 184 jobs by 2024.

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikOctober 12, 2021Brexit, Retail, Northern Ireland

Handle with Care: The Rise in Laundry Care Products and Clothing Repair Services

A 2021 report by Deloitte, showed that 42% of those interviewed were looking for greater clarity on how to renew or repair items from brands, illustrating an increased trend in ownership and responsibility from consumers. Many companies have jumped on the chance to offer fashionable laundry and care products, which has been complemented by a surge in mending and repair services.

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikOctober 12, 2021Clothing Repair

Intellectual Property Rights: A Post-Brexit Refresher

Dids Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive of Anti Copying in Design (ACID), presents an overview of the key aspects of post-Brexit Intellectual Property law. These regulations affect those involved in the creating designs in the fashion sector, and those safeguarding their trade marks and/or creating new brands.

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikOctober 12, 2021Intellectual Property Rights, Post-Brexit

Inside The Conscious Festival at La Caserne, Paris

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikOctober 5, 2021La Caserne, Paris, The Conscious Festival, Paris Fashion Week

Fashion Month: Gender, Inclusion and Sustainability

The fashion show is back! The return to the IRL catwalk feels like a step towards some form of normality. However, with the prominent environmental and social issues within the fashion industry now under increased scrutiny, the tone this year felt markedly more authentic, as some brands looked to showcase gender-fluidity, inclusion and sustainability.

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikSeptember 21, 2021London Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week

"It’s been a long time coming": Disability Representation at New York Fashion Week and Beyond

Last week, Aaron Rose Philip made her trailblazing debut on the New York Fashion Week catwalk for Jeremy Scott’s Moschino SS22 presentation. Taking place in Manhattan’s iconic Bryant Park, the American model joined the likes of Gigi Hadid, Winnie Harlow and Precious Lee for the kitschy, tea-party-themed spectacle.

Feature, 2021_5Tamara CincikSeptember 14, 2021Disability representation

Rental Fashion In Review: 2020’s success story or climate change contributor?

A study by Environmental Research Letters, a Finnish Scientific Journal, has been causing quite a stir in the industry after The Guardian reported on hidden environmental costs of rental fashion, suggesting in its headline that even landfill may be greener. But renting fashion is still seen as a positive move by sustainable advocates as we make a collective effort to move away from the traditional and wasteful linear model towards alternative systems like the sharing economy. We take a closer look at both sides of the debate…

Feature, 2021_4Tamara CincikSeptember 7, 2021Rental Fashion, Sustainability

"Code red for humanity": Cleaning Up Fashion, one of the most potent polluters on the plane

Yesterday's publication of a landmark UN report arguing that global warming could make parts of the world uninhabitable, has rightly thrust the climate crisis into the spotlight. World leaders, including Boris Johnson, have called the report a "wake-up call to the world", as the findings showed that human activity is ‘unequivocally’ responsible for raising global temperatures by around 1.1 degrees since the late 19th century.

Feature, Cleaning Up Fashion, 2021_4Tamara CincikAugust 10, 2021Cleaning up fashion

APPG for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion: Cleaning Up Fashion Report

Cleaning Up Fashion examines how the Government and other supportive actors can help amplify sustainability in action, recognising and supporting the work of pioneers and putting an end to exploitation and environmental harm. The report offers clear, evidence-based recommendations that deal with the causes and symptoms of a sector with massive market responsibility, that clothes us all and is global in its economic, environmental and social significance. The ESF APPG hosted a number of parliamentary evidence sessions exploring the issues, as well as conducting a survey with over 110 respondents ranging from business leaders to consumers.

Feature, Press Release, 2021_4Tamara CincikJuly 12, 2021Filter, Press Release, press release

#NoFilter: Norway paves the way with ban on retouched images

Norway has made it illegal for influencers and advertisers to share promotional photos online without disclosing whether the images have been retouched. With countries like France and Israel already under similar laws for commercial images, there is a call amongst MPs that the UK should follow suit. Notably, Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans, brought this in front of parliament in September last year. It is thought that 1.25 million people in the UK suffer with an eating disorder and a ban like this would be a welcome move in the UK.

Feature, 2021_4Tamara CincikJuly 6, 2021Social media, Beauty, Filter, Law

The Welsh Wool Sector in Crisis: Why Urgent Government Support is Needed

In less than a century, the bustling network of 217 mills spread across Wales has drastically diminished to just 8 mills. The closure of the global markets due to Covid restrictions has now resulted in a 50 per cent decline in wool auction prices. For many, the costs of shearing the sheep, packing and shipping the fleeces has far outweighed their financial return. Consequently, wool has either been composted, or burned. Here we explore how the Welsh woollen industry— with the right support— offers huge potential. As a sustainable, luxury product, it can be produced entirely in this country, creating much-needed jobs for local communities and financial return to the economy.

Feature, Wool, 2021_3Tamara CincikJune 29, 2021Welsh industry, Wool, Woollen industry, Brexit

Digital Fashion Trends and Digital Fashion Brands to Watch Out For

Digital fashion leverages technology to produce hyper-realistic, non-physically wearable apparel. Digital apparel is ideal for the growing one-time wearing trend. The target consumers for digital fashion are the Gen Zs and young millennials who spend most of their time in the virtual world. They are strongly fashion-conscious and do not wish to own widely available clothes.

Feature, 2021_3Tamara CincikJune 22, 2021Digital Fashion, Technology

Informer