The Weekly Briefing - 21 December

Our policy researcher Hilary Marsh presents a roundup of the week’s fashion headlines…

The Guardian
‘Worst fashion wage theft’: workers go hungry as Indian suppliers to top UK brands refuse to pay minimum wage
The Worker Rights Consortium has estimated a total of £41 million worth of wages have gone unpaid since April 2020, as workers in Karnataka, India have not been paid minimum wage. Despite the power global brands have over suppliers, numerous have stated that they make it clear they require minimum wage to be paid. Read. 

Complex
Kering and LVMH Release Statements Following PETA Allegations of Animal Cruelty
Last week, PETA published findings alleging the “inarguably cruel manner” in which lizards are being killed in Kering and LVMH supply chains, to which Kering has now responded disputing the findings, and LVMH released a statement that did not directly address the reports. Read.

Fibre2Fashion
FIT launches Social Justice Centre for change in fashion industry
‘A first-of-its-kind’ education initiative has been launched by the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to increase opportunity and equity for Black, Indigenous and people of colour within the creative industries. Read.

Financial Times
Hermes clashes with artist who created MetaBirkins NFT
A new example of the copyright infringement issues sparked by the nature of NFTs has emerged from the creation of ‘MetaBirkins’ buy artist Mason Rothschild, now being accused of intellectual property and trademark infringement by Hermes. Read.

The Guardian
One in three UK small firms plan major staff cuts, survey reveals
A new survey from accountancy firm Moore UK, surveying owner-managed businesses’ has revealed that 33% are planning to make redundancies in the next 6 months due to the removal of furlough, and among other pressures, including the stresses put on businesses by Omicron. Read.