Small businesses have faced myriad issues since Brexit — from shipping delays, to a dramatic rise in shipping costs and mountainous paperwork. A key issue is that any goods now entering the EU must satisfy rules of origin requirements. This problem is pertinent to the fashion and textiles industry, as goods incorporate inputs from multiple origins. These issues and costs alike have meant that many small businesses are now considering setting up distributing centres in the EU, at the cost of UK jobs and loss of taxes to our economy, which is entirely averse to Brexit’s goal.

“I couldn’t have picked a worse time to apply for citizenship. The global pandemic caused a huge setback in all bureaucratic procedures and the new measures made me feel that I would never progress to the next step. After applying for my settled status almost two years ago, I had to wait for another 12 months to start the process. Back then, the idea of Brexit seemed like a faint and distant prospect.” writes Desislava Todorova.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) may have been signed off by both the UK and EU, but the aftershocks of Brexit are not over; especially when it comes to fashion. As the latest Brexit impact report from Fashion Roundtable has shown, there is still plenty to mull over on the economical and social implications of Brexit for the UK’s fashion retail and textiles industry.

There’s no denying that mind-bending social media filters and image editing apps can have a lasting, harmful impact on self-esteem — especially when deployed to radically edit a body to comply with unrealistic beauty standards. New research has revealed that a shocking 85% of girls have applied filters or used an app to change the way they look in their photos by the time they are 13. It’s clear that urgent action, whether through policy or education, is needed to change the way we post and consume images online.

Fiona Carter, Sales Consultant Stylist at Selfridges, describes the new state of play in retail. “What is unmistakable is that customers have missed the human experience of shopping and the unique emotional interactions — this is true for our local independent shops, as well as large retailers. In the first few days many customers came in just to say ‘Hello’. This proves no amount of digital photography can replace the face to face, in person experience of speaking to retailers and connecting with their product.”

Early last month, news broke that Boohoo and the East Leicester garment industry are the subject of two petitions filed earlier this year by Liberty Shared, a Hong Kong-based anti-modern slavery NGO. Liberty Shared has a successful track record of pursuing import bans on goods tainted by forced labour into U.S. markets. Here’s how Section 307 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 (Act) could prove to be an effective tool in the global fight against modern slavery.

This week the UK’s leading sustainability charity, WRAP, launched the ‘most ambitious ten-year programme for clothing and textiles in the world’, with established high-street brands such as M&S, Next, ASOS, Boohoo and Primark having signed up to this vital agreement.

On 20 April, we hosted a roundtable with the Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, Emily Thornberry MP and her team member Bill Esterson MP.

Last week, H&M came under fire after Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams was unveiled as their ‘Global Sustainability Ambassador’. And although this may sound like a step in the right direction for the fashion giant, many sustainability experts have called out the brand for greenwashing, believing their tactical use of celebrity clout will merely fuel consumption-driven culture.

In recent years, Depop has been praised for its contribution to sustainable and circular fashion. It has popularised the quick resale of used clothing, and promoted the act of shopping second-hand. Unfortunately, a rise in instances of hacking and harassment on the app has brought about new concerns over the safety of its users.

As China retaliates against transatlantic sanctions over the Xinjiang region, Western fashion brands are torn between Chinese boycott threats and the human rights concerns raised by governments and investors.