A Week in the Life of Fashion's Leading Think-Tank.
Policy is not glamorous. While Fashion Roundtable often has a glossy lens to our work, the nuts and bolts of policy are, well, far more nuanced, and a whole lot of teamwork! The team works exceedingly hard behind the scenes to create policy change at local, regional, and international levels. Over the last few years, we have seen the policies we have pushed come to fruition, from the UK rejoining Erasmus+, to the BECTU union for fashion stylists & assistants achieved – our work carries weight and supports others in the sector who are doing the same. This week was no exception.
So for this week’s Substack, we’re giving you a behind-the-scenes view of our week as fashion’s leading think-tank (spoiler – it’s fast-paced)! From meeting London mayor Sadiq Khan, to a briefing on Andy Burnham’s proposals, to Defra’s new farming roadmap, we’ve covered it all.
Our CEO Meets Sadiq Khan
Fashion Roundtable CEO Tamara Cincik with London Mayor Sadiq Khan
During his speech at the British Fashion Council summer party, Sadiq Khan focused on advocating for government investment in the fashion sector, while praising the industry's economic power. He highlighted that he and the Deputy Mayor for Culture have invested over £800 million into the creative sector over the past decade, an industry that is responsible for 1 in 5 jobs in London! Sadiq Khan thanked all the creatives at the event: “Thank you for putting London on the map!”
We Briefed Key Figures & Policymakers on Fashion Roundtable’s Alignment with Andy Burnham’s Current Proposal
Andy Burnham MP (Makerfield, Labour (Co-op) © House of Commons, via Flickr licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Talking of change, following Andy Burnham’s first speech, marking his potential transition from Greater Manchester mayor to the UK’s next Prime Minister, we briefed key figures and policymakers. The speech was given at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, a small nod to Burnham’s centrepiece proposal focused on ‘Manchesterism’, a place-first rather than party-first politics. Burnham’s ‘Number 10 North’ initiative intends to rebalance power, resources, and growth away from Whitehall and towards the regions.
In our Position Statement, we highlight Fashion Roundtable’s agenda, the areas which align with Burnham’s proposed policies, and where we’d like to push further for the fashion and textiles sector.
Creative UK’s Westminster Advocacy Toolkit Launch
Our textile researcher, Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys with Jo Platt MP
Our team attended Creative UK’s launch of their ‘The Case of the Creative Industries Advocacy Toolkit’, hosted by Jo Platt MP in Parliament. The event highlighted that many of the creative industries are facing the same underlying issues, having been missed from the Industrial Strategy.
The toolkit outlines priorities such as creative skills and education, investment and innovation, intellectual property (IP) and artificial intelligence (AI), growth of the creative economy across all nations and regions of the UK, and trade, exports and the UK's global creative advantage.
Before the General Election we launched our Manifesto which argues that the sector needs urgent government action across trade, sustainability, manufacturing, workers' rights, and education. Click through to read below.
Briefing on DEFRA's New Farming Roadmap & Environment Secretary's Speech
Secretary of State Defra, the Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP © House of Commons, via Flickr licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
We delivered a briefing on Defra’s (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) new Farming Roadmap for 2050: Growing England’s Future, which brings together the UK Government’s long-term strategies, reforms and commitments for farming together in one place. After the release of the farming roadmap, Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for Defra, announced her plans in the House of Commons where she hinted at alignment with the EU’s Farm-to-Fork strategy.
In our Briefing, we highlight Fashion Roundtable initiative, The Great British Wool Revival’s, stance on the roadmap, calling for regulation that stays up-to-date with modern day farming practices, supporting soil health and recognising biodegradability as a key metric for success when addressing EPR frameworks.