As 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.

According 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.

“Autumn / Winter 2021, entitled Ascension, marks a new dawn for ART SCHOOL, and indeed for myself as its creative director, my first full season alone. Ascension is a dystopian new view of the ART SCHOOL community, our place in the world and the relationships we form in trying times.”

Please see the latest Government updates including ongoing consultations and goods movement flowcharts. Email Fashion Roundtable at admin@fashionroundtable.co.uk is you have any questions or concerns.

This briefing note includes updates on the combined impact of Covid-19 and Brexit on the UK’s £35bn GDP fashion sector.

Tamara Cincik, CEO Fashion Roundtable: “What is taking the Government so long to answer our urgent request for a meeting? We understand there is a pandemic, but the Government has met with our colleagues in the music industry since signing the Brexit deal and we urge them to meet with us as well. Delays and silence are not a way forward for business certainty. This silence from the Government is deeply concerning and I hope that they commit to meeting with our stakeholders in the coming days, as they already have with our colleagues in the music industry. We urge them to show the same levels of concern and support for all aspects of business, creative industries and export brands.”

The 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.

The 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.

A key concern for the industry is the limits placed upon freedom of movement for fashion creatives, which is antithetical to a sector that relies heavily on last-minute bookings and an ability to move freely for work. Read our position and briefing on this issue below.

Please see below the most recent updates for your business/members and supply chains.

Following Fashion Roundtable’s open letter to Government, that garnered the support of more than 450 industry-wide signatories including Vivienne Westwood, Twiggy and Katherine Hamnett, we invite you to support our campaign to save the fashion industry.

Fashion Roundtable have highlighted the key issues, impacts and unforeseen consequences of Brexit in our ​open letter​ to UK government. Read our concise roundup of the key areas threatening the UK fashion industry.

A template letter to your MP highlighting Fashion Roundtable’s plea to Government, which urges action that will protect the future of the UK fashion industry.

Please see the latest Government updates, with some reminders of links to available guidance on Northern Ireland below.

News to Reuse, a youth-led anti-fast-fashion campaign that sits within the social enterprise “I Have a Voice”, is advocating for Government policy to be introduced that would encourage fashion companies to create product labels that inform customers about their clothes’ environmental footprint and the human rights conditions of workers in their supply chains.

On Wednesday 20th January, Fashion Roundtable CEO Tamara Cincik hosted a meeting via Zoom to bring together key voices from the sector. The aim of the meeting was to work on a coherent strategy that will advocate for the sector post-Brexit, whilst navigating the pandemic and beyond. We heard from a selection of representatives from the fashion and textiles industry.

The 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.

We are currently collating names of signatories for our open letter to the Government regarding Brexit and the UK fashion industry. Please sign by emailing Sarah at Fashion Roundtable with confirmation of your name and job title.