If freelancers and the self employed received 80% of their earnings based on last year's tax return and a stop on their rent and mortgage payments, plus utility bills, there would be a huge surge in confidence and a massive sense of relief. All of the sector are worried.
Read MoreMarc Jacobs on Karen Binns: "I've known Karen both personally and professionally for over two decades. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm for fashion is always a great and welcome inspiration to me. Her soaring, distinct vision and her insightful unique interpretation of 'what is ' and 'what will be' makes her a truly rare and exceptional voice in the fashion universe."
Read MoreWe are working with BECTU to find a way to create a sector for creatives just like you and me. The assistants and freelancers in fashion, make up, hair, PR, the works! If this goes ahead (we need your support and there’s been quite the case of people showing support but not actually turning up) it would cost £10 p/month (same as Netflix and Spotify) and once you’re a member you can pay £38 for the year (April to April) to get full public liability insurance. If we started a space or means of contact which would allow us to share our expected day rates, warn anyone we needed to or advise each other where necessary then the constant problems we find ourselves facing could hopefully decrease and, who knows, maybe one day disappear.
Read MoreThe EAC report is also wrong on the point that "Short lead times means that wash tests and wearer trials are often not feasible, with implications for garment quality". This is nonsense. Every single fabric has to be tested and approved. We make up to 10,000 garments a week and we have had to test every single fabric and if it fails the tests then quite simply we can’t use them.
Read MoreLast Friday afternoon, the press was abuzz with news that Boohoo had plans to implement a ‘wool ban’.
In a statement that seems to use the word ‘knowingly’ to suspicious effect, the brand announced that “as of AW19/20, we will not knowingly source any wool products”. PETA’s Director of Corporate Projects, Yvonne Taylor stated “PETA is toasting boohoo group's compassionate, business-savvy decision to scrap wool. Kind shoppers agree that no jumper or scarf is worth kicking, punching, and killing gentle sheep on the shearing floor, and we're urging other retailers to follow boohoo's forward-thinking example.”
From a brand that was declared as “failing to commit” by the Environmental Audit Committee in its recent investigation of British fashion brands, this move would be considered a real step in the right direction, yes?
Read MoreLast month Marks & Spencer was hailed as ground-breaking following the launch of its new adaptive clothing range for children with disabilities. The “Adapted for Easy Dressing” line includes everything from trousers and shorts with poppers (instead of zips), T-shirts with soft velcro fastenings at the back of the neck and dresses with discreet pockets for a feeding tube.
Read MoreLast week, Fashion Roundtable began our series, demystifying the at times, bewildering world of politics with A Fashionista’s Guide To Politics. Politics determines not just the big stuff: whether a country is or isn’t inside the EU, goes to war, or has the death sentence as part of its penal code. It also determines the things we take for granted: whether you have to pay for school lunches, or child’s nursery school, when you can collect your pension (and whether they will even exist when you reach pension age. There isn’t a single issue which doesn’t get raised by campaigners and activists, by lobbyists and policy makers, which doesn’t get debated and then decided upon across local and national government. If there is something you feel strongly about, there is a real chance that others do too. Fashion Roundtable believe strongly that by breaking down the echo chambers of fashion and politics, our hopes and dreams, as well as concerns and worries, will be heard by those whose votes decide so much of our lives.
Read MoreBrexit and LFW never fail to surprise - last week the fuss was all about the new developments of fashion and in politics. Not so surprisingly, the week also brought more evidence of the troubling landscape in the retail sector, with John Lewis experiencing a drop in weekly fashion sales and Orla Kiely closing down stores in London and Ireland. On the other hand, online retailers are experiencing a boost of confidence, with Farfetch completing its IPO in the New York Stock Exchange and Boohoo experiencing a change in management with a new CEO.
Read MoreTomorrow marks 2 years since the referendum. Are we now seeing a movement on May’s initial defiant stance on Britain’s withdrawal from the single market?
Read More“The truth of emotions is that they are all fleeting, the good and the bad come and go. Of course, trapped in that moment we may be unable to see that for ourselves. Generating a discussion about mental health is the most effective way to help sufferers manage their problems. We need education and support systems in place, talking openly about mental health is the best way to ensure that we know how to help ourselves, and our friends and family, when we are up against the tide of emotions that feel so overwhelming we don’t want to continue living.”
Read More4x faster job creation than other industries.
Conditions put into place to allow industry to grow
Survey across CIs and what vote trends were
96 % in favour of Remain
Read MoreWelcome and general introduction by Tamara Cincik
- Around the table short introductions by all attendees
- Introduction to first speak by Tamara
Read MoreFashion Roundtable is the brainchild of Tamara Cincik, who has brought together a panel team of experts from the fashion, academia, business, politics and economics sectors, to create a new and exciting opportunity for the work of fashion, consumer needs and policy makers, to be better integrated and supported. Her unique experience working in both the UK and international fashion industry for almost 20 years, as well as in Westminster as a Parliamentary Researcher gave her access and insight all areas, to frontline politics. She organised two parliamentary roundtables where the fashion industry could meet with politicians in the House of Commons, to discuss their business and Brexit concerns with policy makers.
Read MoreConcerned for the fashion industry - not only in the UK, but on a global scale - SHOWstudio questions the vote for the United Kingdom to leave the political and economic union of 28 member states, as well as providing a space for debate and discussion about the future.
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