The Department for Works and Pensions has announced that it will be recruiting a fashion industry disability champion to address the challenges disabled people encounter as consumers. Coinciding with International Day of Persons with Disabilities last Monday, the Government revealed that there will be six new disability champions across fashion, technology, countryside and heritage, website accessibility, food and drink and product design. These new recruits are set join the existing 14 champions who are currently driving improvements to the accessibility of services in a range of sectors, including banking, music, tourism, leisure and media. 

A baseline survey on EU consumer attitudes to sustainability and supply chain transparency in the fashion industry

Fashion Revolution commissioned a survey of 5,000 people aged 16-75 in the five largest European markets, including Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, to find out how supply chain transparency and sustainability impacts EU consumers’ purchasing decisions when shopping for clothing, accessories and shoes.

So what should the British fashion business be doing to ensure that the industry retains both its economic clout and "soft power" in the wake of Brexit? Firstly, if you haven't started preparing for Brexit, this issue needs to move to the top of your agenda right now.

On Friday I attended the breakfast launch to Disrupting Patterns at Chelsea College of Art, to celebrate a two year project by designer Filippa K in collaboration with Mistra Future Fashion as well as Professor Rebecca Earley & Dr. Kate Goldsworthy from the Centre for Circular Design at  UAL. "Circular Design Speeds" is a collection using the latest methods in innovation for production, the highlight of which is a dress which is 100%  bio-based and biodegradable, after wearing it several times, you can compost it and it will fully decompose.The "Throw Away Dress" is created with non-woven Tencel material that avoids the costly processes of spinning and weaving, before being naturally dyed using food by Heart and Earth Production. Another highlight was "The Eternal Trench Coat" that is 100% recycled using polyester from plastic bottles. The dyeing process used also reduces water usage by 75 % and chemical usage by 90%. The coat is available at Filippa K stores and online.

We are in the final stretches of the Brexit negotiations.  On 14th of November, the UK and the European Commission jointly published the draft Withdrawal Agreement (WA), the infamous 585 page document spelling out the terms of disengagement.  The European Council, composed of the premiers of the 27 remaining EU member states, endorsed the agreement on Sunday. 

Some of the withdrawal terms have been well known for almost a year, including the lump sum payment the UK will be making to honor its obligations towards the EU budget and other specific projects as well as citizen rights, which both parties will maintain according to existing EU regulations. On other issues such as customs, trade or the Northern Ireland (NI) border discussions were going back and forth as there were no adequate solutions.  As it stands now NI will have a closer regulatory alignment with the EU and products coming from and going to NI will use the EU`s customs code, be subject to other single market rules including product certification and phytosanitary measures.

Within an article for Man Repeller last week, fashion journalist Pandora Sykes spoke about bringing a newfound eco-consciousness into her sartorial choices. Whilst admitting she is still not immune to the “new in” sections, her latest rule is ‘if I see something new that I like, I have to see if I can find the vintage version of it first.’ Now surely this is something all consumers could introduce into their mind-set? This weekend Fashion Roundtable hosted an event at The Festival of Sustainable Fashion to discuss fashion waste and the viable options to counteract its polluting impact. While Rafaella de Freitas covered the local, national and international governmental policies to combat waste, Jodi Muter-Hamilton offered tech solutions which could aid transparency and thereby reducing the cost and excess of overconsumption. Also speaking during the event, JJ Hudson aka Noki said: ‘the fast fashion brand is creating weapons of mass production, Brandalism is a solution. My practice as a solo customiser selling a custom built collection could be classed as a micro footprint in sustainability to create for a consumer.’

INSTITUTIONS - ARE WE INHERENTLY SELFISH AND THEREFORE IS POLITICS INHERENTLY SELFISH?

We might leave with a trade deal in place, we might not. There might be a transition period, there might not. But one thing is certain, now is the time to start preparing yourself for B-Day and what better way to do this than by attending a talk about how your intellectual property rights might be affected by the biggest political event of a generation?

Intellectual Property (IP) protects a brand, but the panel quickly understood that it is not fully grasped by those who would benefit the most from it - sole traders, micro and SMEs. CEO and Founder of Fashion Roundtable, Tamara Cincik, said: “we have not yet grasped that IP is a brands reputation”. In fashion as well as in any other creative industry, IP is central to the success of the company or brand, which by its very nature is dependent on its unique image. The originality of a design is what makes it stand out as exceptional and desirable from other collections, and ultimately, what defines the brand. As part of the EU, brands showcasing their collections in the UK for the first time are protected under the unregistered design right. However, in the midst of Brexit, designers wanting to launch their collections in the UK will have to find other ways to protect their creations.

• Fear that this will add cost where competition is already tough

• Trade mark will have big impact especially on small businesses

• Can be achieved but clock ticking

• Not good for London Fashion week show - because designs will be showing in EU

• Moving ahead we need to be as agile and proactive as possible

• We must identify and enforce our rights IP and our goodwill

• Monetarise brand through licensing

The midterms were marked by emotion and change, from the start of campaigning to the counting of the final ballots. The number of firsts was unprecedented – the first Muslim woman in Congress, the first openly gay elected governor, the two first Native American Women in Congress – a sign that the voices of minority groups in America are finally opening the door. Another big change – the House of Representatives is now dominated by a Democrat majority, a shift after two years of a Republican majority in Congress.

One in five people in the UK has a form of disability or impairment, and collectively these individuals are recognised as having a spending power of £249 billion. Now known as the ‘purple pound’, this staggering sum of money isn’t entering into the UK economy because of the many physical barriers which prevent those with disabilities from fulfilling their potential as consumers. Research carried out by the disability charity Purple revealed that nearly 50% of disabled shoppers have given up on making a purchase because of poor customer service. The aim of Purple Tuesday, which takes place on 13 November during the pre-Christmas shopping period, is to make retailers more conscious of this untapped consumer group.

For me fashion has always had a key opportunity to create a more sustainable future because it’s the closest thing we wear to our bodies without us realising, becoming our second skin. Personally, I believe that our bodies are our greatest technologies. I looked at how we could use secretion to form second skins as well as natural health indicators. Not only does the industry need to change, but we also need to transform the way the consumer shops and thinks about clothing. One of the biggest issues is over-consumption, so by trying to prolong garments that can grow and change with us I hope to expand their life-span. 

96% of you voted Remain and with that in mind, we wanted to bring your concerns to the centre of this anniversary event. Especially as by then we might finally have some clarity on the deal or whether we are looking at No Deal and therefore be able to decode what this means for you, your business, our fashion futures.

Of his design process, NOKI reveals “I see vintage garments as spare parts much like a car customiser sees their futuristic vehicle builds. My clients are also very similar, they know they are receiving something unique and are very willing to pay those luxury prices to get their hands on NOKI. They just trust me to create and it’s a privilege to be trusted like this.”

Continuing his long-held status as a pioneer, NOKI’s latest designs signal a new age of sustainability for the luxury fashion market- where the domains of haute couture artistry and sustainability may seamlessly intersect.

This is what we at Fashion Roundtable will be advocating for post-Brexit: a UK fashion industry which continues to lead in the exciting space where craft, artisan and ethical FashionTech coalesce into a transparent and truly sustainable fashion industry. We have to ensure that leaving the EU does not mean deregulation. We need a future vision where the UK is not an isolated island drowning in a pool of plastic and instead showcase one where any plastic we do create is reused to make something relevant and long-lasting, be that a shoe, a sock, or even a red carpet dress.

The Halloween outfit I might wear this year, but which I fully expect to be lost in translation on the mean streets of Muswell Hill, is that of “An Influencer” from Urban Outfitters. Photos of it have been DMed to me a few times by people who loved Fashion Roundtable’s  The Power of Influence event in July. Oh the irony.  My son might be in his 3rd year as Dracula. And it’s not just me recycling Halloween costumes. Mintel’s research cites that 75% of us will reuse the outfit: will November be the month we all decide that a skeleton suit is in fact the new millennial pink body con?  

With the mid-term US elections just around the corner, understanding what this means: who has the balance of power, what voices constitute each Chamber and what this means in terms of legislation is increasingly important wherever you live in the world, changes to US laws affect all of us in this increasingly globalised world. For instance when the US Senate voted to change tax laws at the end of 2017, it reduced Corporate Taxes by 14% from 35, to 21%. As a result of the reforms, US companies with offshore dealings could decide to keep their money at home, enticed by lower corporation taxes plus a desire to avoid new restrictions on shifting profits abroad. Companies operating overseas, such as big tech and pharma companies, would be taxed at a low rate - 15.5% - to return the cash to the US in a one-time move. However, Ireland, where Apple has a major base, still undercuts the US with a corporation tax rate of 12.5%.

#OOTD a single hashtag with a lot of baggage. Instagram’s “outfit of the day” phenomenon has fuelled a whole culture, resulting in the pressure to consume fashion in a way that is instant, performative and transient. At the same time documentaries such as The True Cost and Fashion's Dirty Secrets, revealing the human and environmental cost of the fashion industry, have left viewers feeling overwhelmed by the scale of damage wrought by clothing manufacturing. This has resulted in a disconnect between our growing awareness of how damaging our shopping habits have become and the desire to fill our wardrobes at any cost.

Brexit is the defining issue for this generation within the UK. Whether you voted Remain or Leave in the EU Referendum in 2016, for the fashion industry (which voted 96% Remain; is worth more than £29.7 billion to the UK economy; and depends upon a globally-interconnected international supply chain), it raises significant questions - from deregulation of labour markets, to trading and employment rights. Tamara Cincik, CEO and Founder of Fashion Roundtable, which launched last November to create a much-needed conversation between fashion, business, consumers and policy leaders, points out the main risk factors to consider - Deal or No Deal.