Resale and new rental platforms are not just a sign of the times, but strong viable future business model for fashion. What are the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in these retail formats and how does traditional retail fit in amongst them? asks Bev Malik
Read MoreSmall businesses have faced myriad issues since Brexit — from shipping delays, to a dramatic rise in shipping costs and mountainous paperwork. A key issue is that any goods now entering the EU must satisfy rules of origin requirements. This problem is pertinent to the fashion and textiles industry, as goods incorporate inputs from multiple origins. These issues and costs alike have meant that many small businesses are now considering setting up distributing centres in the EU, at the cost of UK jobs and loss of taxes to our economy, which is entirely averse to Brexit’s goal.
Read More“I couldn’t have picked a worse time to apply for citizenship. The global pandemic caused a huge setback in all bureaucratic procedures and the new measures made me feel that I would never progress to the next step. After applying for my settled status almost two years ago, I had to wait for another 12 months to start the process. Back then, the idea of Brexit seemed like a faint and distant prospect.” writes Desislava Todorova.
Read MoreThe Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) may have been signed off by both the UK and EU, but the aftershocks of Brexit are not over; especially when it comes to fashion. As the latest Brexit impact report from Fashion Roundtable has shown, there is still plenty to mull over on the economical and social implications of Brexit for the UK’s fashion retail and textiles industry.
Read MoreThere’s no denying that mind-bending social media filters and image editing apps can have a lasting, harmful impact on self-esteem — especially when deployed to radically edit a body to comply with unrealistic beauty standards. New research has revealed that a shocking 85% of girls have applied filters or used an app to change the way they look in their photos by the time they are 13. It’s clear that urgent action, whether through policy or education, is needed to change the way we post and consume images online.
Read MoreFiona Carter, Sales Consultant Stylist at Selfridges, describes the new state of play in retail. “What is unmistakable is that customers have missed the human experience of shopping and the unique emotional interactions — this is true for our local independent shops, as well as large retailers. In the first few days many customers came in just to say ‘Hello’. This proves no amount of digital photography can replace the face to face, in person experience of speaking to retailers and connecting with their product.”
Read MoreThis week the UK’s leading sustainability charity, WRAP, launched the ‘most ambitious ten-year programme for clothing and textiles in the world’, with established high-street brands such as M&S, Next, ASOS, Boohoo and Primark having signed up to this vital agreement.
Read MoreLast week, H&M came under fire after Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams was unveiled as their ‘Global Sustainability Ambassador’. And although this may sound like a step in the right direction for the fashion giant, many sustainability experts have called out the brand for greenwashing, believing their tactical use of celebrity clout will merely fuel consumption-driven culture.
Read MoreIn recent years, Depop has been praised for its contribution to sustainable and circular fashion. It has popularised the quick resale of used clothing, and promoted the act of shopping second-hand. Unfortunately, a rise in instances of hacking and harassment on the app has brought about new concerns over the safety of its users.
Read MoreWith non-essential retail set to re-open next month, Meg Pirie takes a look at the plethora of issues facing the charity shop sector. From the waning quality of donations and influx of loungewear, to an anticipated £10bn funding shortfall, shop closures and 60,0000 job losses due to Covid.
Read MoreAmy Nguyen, Founder and Editor of Sustainable & Social, explores the current fashion gaming landscape and weighs in on its power to encourage sustainable practices. Through recent brand case studies and a discussion with fashion innovation specialist Marta Waydel, she examines the nexus between gamification and sustainability commitments.
Read MoreLoungewear experienced a 322% increase in sales, after the first lockdown. But it’s occasionwear that is forecasted to rise exponentially. In fact, the State of Fashion 2021 Report suggests that categorically speaking, occasionwear will see the swiftest post-pandemic recovery.
Read MoreAs the Covid-19 pandemic took hold last year, click & collect services exploded in popularity, as people were less inclined to spend time inside shops. Retailers with such a service tend to find that it's the fastest growing delivery option, and for those with store networks, up to 85% of customers will buy additional items when they collect their online order.
Read MoreAccording to new data from Tyl by NatWest - where they explored purchasing habits during the pandemic – an estimated £7.2bn pounds was spent with local independent businesses in 2020. Clothing stores were ranked amongst the top 10 types of local business supported by UK consumers.
Read MoreThe Indian Farmers’ Protest has reached a critical point. People have gone missing, there are reports of extreme police brutality, and the number of known deaths caused by the violence is mounting. The Indian government released a statement accusing foreign commentators of joining a bandwagon without knowing all the facts. So here are those facts.
Read MoreThe Covid-19 outbreak has been a catalyst of a global economic downturn. Fashion has been one of the most affected sectors. Disruptions in the supply chain, fast-changing consumer behaviour, and declining sales have left businesses in the fashion industry in dire financial straits.
Read MoreThe online fashion retailer Boohoo has purchased the Debenhams brand and website for £55m. However, the agreed deal will still put up to 12,000 jobs at risk— with Boohoo stipulating that they only wanted the labels, not the Debenhams high street units. This poses yet another threat to the survival of traditional bricks-and-mortar retail in the UK. At Fashion Roundtable we are incredibly concerned to hear of the continued loss of fashion retail jobs—an unemployment situation that will disproportionately affect women due to the higher number female retail workers.
Read MoreSojo is on a mission to help make our relationship with fashion more sustainable by ensuring that getting our clothes altered or repaired is a hassle-free process. Deliveroo but make it fashion.
Read MoreLast season, we saw Fashion Week embrace a new normal— cutting down on jet setting emissions, nearly eliminating the front row, or using deadstock material. Many brands even pulled out of Fashion Week altogether. The circus that Fashion Week became is now a digital offering that is helping to nudge fashion toward a more sustainable and equitable future.
Read MoreAccording to the Centre for Retail Research an estimated 180,000 retail jobs were lost in the UK in 2020. As retailers continue to face rent-charges and a cash-flow crisis, 200,000 more jobs are also in jeopardy as we enter 2021. This has been accelerated by the Arcadia Group’s administration which put thousands of jobs at risk on-the-spot, highlighting the death of the traditional high-street as we know it. It’s now fundamental for the surviving stores to provide what consumers want and need, as we learn to live in this new era.
Read More
