With 99.75% of plastic coffee cups not being recycled, reusable cups are clearly not the solution. At the University of Winchester, they have recently replaced the 25p reduction on reusable cups with a 25p penalty if you buy coffee with their cups. The prices haven't changed, but perception has: with penalty instead of reward reducing waste by 34,000 across the campus in one year.

“I am thrilled to be bringing a Fashion Roundtable event to the magical new The Shop at Bluebird in Floral Street. It’s a beautiful store, celebrating great fashion and style with a witty approach. Like many fashionistas, I worked hard to get a seat on the Front Row at catwalk shows; but what is also relevant is what we can do with that voice once we have achieved that influence. It’s one thing getting there, it’s another using it. That’s why I am so pleased to have these incredible speakers on board, all of whom have used their platforms to promote positive change. Am excited to share this event with you!”

The European Journalism Observatory (EJO) recently analysed the gender diversity in bylines across 11 different European countries. The result echoed the gender imbalances across all creative industries, with women continually falling second behind men. This issue filters through to all creative industries, and needs addressing at the source of the problem.

The grass roots victory story of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's campaign, winning her a New York district primary election. Our CEO, Tamara Cincik, praises and relates to Ocasio-Cortez.

Eszter Kantor, our EU Politics expert, comments on Theresa May’s recent efforts in Brussels and how her attitude towards the four freedoms may be relaxing.

The authentic Romanian fashion brand, Bihor Couture, is taking a stand against cultural appropriation. They are looking to preserve the beauty and importance of their traditional clothes which are so important to their culture, and call-out fashion powerhouses like Dior for taking inspiration without giving credit.

How is the fine line between appropriation and appreciation distinguished? Can it ever be distinguished? Sophie Dyer looks at this issue with commentary on the recent panel discussion that Tamara Cincik, Fashion Roundtable’s CEO, sat on to discuss this issue.

Yesterday the Commission published a new Brexit preparedness notice for those with professional qualifications. This is the latest in a serious of guidance notes preparing stakeholders for a no-deal scenario. It impacts skilled professionals who have obtained a official qualification and use this qualification when accessing jobs in the EU. Our EU expert, Eszter Kantor, comments on this development.

Kane set to become the second British designer to leave the stable of parent company Kering and buy back the 51% of shares they currently own. Tamara Cinick questions whether this is a Brexit metaphor.

Mary Creagh MP’s announcement on ‘fast fashion’ holds a crucial message for everyone. The #SlowSummerFashion movement highlights the need to buy less this summer.

Modern day slavery is a crucial issue within the UK, yet it is not something everyone is aware of. It generates $150bn worldwide and an estimated 40m across the world are living in slavery.

Tomorrow 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?

Tamara Cincik, CEO and Founder of Fashion Roundtable said: “I have worked in the fashion industry for most of my adult life. It can be amazing, creative and you can be around the more brilliant and lovely people. However reading this article, by Amy Odell for The Cut: books being thrown at assistants, interns being made to stand outside in the cold with no coat for hours, staff degraded and belittled, it’s just not and never should be acceptable. We have to join the dots and appreciate that however glam, exciting and well-paid the industry can be that doesn’t excuse in work abuse. And never should. That’s why I was happy to Chair the first ever Panel discussion for @fashionassistants and that’s why I am speaking to the film union Bectu; to work on a way to bring workers protections and support into fashion. Watch this space.”

The ‘Crime Against Businesses: Findings from the 2017 Commercial Victimisation Survey’ report published by the Home Office in May this year reflects how wholesale and retail premises consistently experience the highest levels of crime compared with other surveyed sectors.

“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.”

“This information highlights the problems with the UK government`s customs options. It shows that currently the UK is struggling to maintain an effective border control with this fairly simple border arrangement that we have today. The UK border ideas include a highly technological alternative which does not exist today and an option for Northern Ireland border control to distinguish and apply different procedures for goods arriving to the UK from those that arrive and go through to the EU.  As we can see there are problems today with a high amount of fraudulent clothing and footwear entering through the UK border, these undervalued goods are not stopped and checked, meaning we don`t know if they are genuine Chinese brands that are dumped on the market below market value or counterfeits. More people and a more effective procedure is needed today on the borders to screen containers.  The threat of continuous duping of Chinese goods particularly textile and footwear is very real.”

Jennifer Rosenbaum, US director of Global Labour Justice, said: "We must understand gender-based violence as an outcome of the global supply chain structure. H&M and Gap's fast fashion supply chain model creates unreasonable production targets and underbid contracts, resulting in women working unpaid overtime and working very fast under extreme pressure."