The Week at Fashion Roundtable: From providing frontline workers with PPE to lobbying for financial support for fashion industry workers
By Jodi Muter-Hamilton, Communications Director of Fashion Roundtable
Currently we are working from home and around the clock to ensure support for the fashion industry and wider afield during the pandemic. While the lines between the days are becoming blurred, we are grateful for the strength amongst our community.
The call-out from frontline workers to be provided with PPE and the rallying together to ‘tool-up’ and produce the essential garments and masks have been felt up and down the country. From Wales to Yorkshire and London, Fashion Roundtable alongside Kate Hills from Make It British (uniting UK manufacturers to produce PPE for frontline staff) and Phoebe English (who is is leading a team of independent UK designers - including Bethany Williams and Holly Fulton - to produce non-front line protective clothing with the Emergency Designer Network) have seen a fashion industry unite with the desire to support those most at risk during this pandemic. We have also linked in with PPE manufacturing efforts in Italy as we aim to make our approach as coordinated as possible.
What we need now is either the Government to act swiftly, sign off and support production or to seek private donations to finance making fabrics, manufacturing items, make sure the items are sterile and meet safety checks. If the latter approach is taken manufacturers can work now to ensure we have stock of PPE for when it is needed. Now, more than ever, we need a clear, timely action.
This week we have reached out the Treasury to ask to discuss the issues of freelancers and small businesses; whilst overseeing that the Chairs of both of our APPGs have written to the Chancellor. Many members of the Fashion Roundtable community have used our ‘cut and paste’ letter to their MPs—which you can view here and we urge you to do the same.
In the days ahead we will continue to lobby for financial support for self-employed, freelancers and company owners, alongside hosting our weekly Zoom webinars to share updates and knowledge from industry experts.
If you would like to get in touch with Phoebe or Kate: