Make it British and Fashion Roundtable host industry roundtable with Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter and the Liberal Democrat Creative Network on the impacts of Brexit on the fashion sector
On the 31st January 2024, Fashion Roundtable along with Make it British, hosted an industry-focused roundtable discussion with Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter – the Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture Media and Sport, as well as the Liberal Democrat Creative Network and the Liberal Democrat DCMS Parliamentary Group.
The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the main challenges that post-Brexit agreements were posing to the British fashion sector, providing an opportunity for the top-line issues of Brexit to be heard.
image of Kate Hills and Tamara Cincik in the House of Lords.
Topic: How Brexit has impacted the British fashion sector and what we can do about it
House of Lords, London, 31st January 2024 // PRESS RELEASE
On the 31st January 2024, Fashion Roundtable along with Make it British, hosted an industry-focused roundtable discussion with Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter – the Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture Media and Sport, as well as the Liberal Democrat Creative Network and the Liberal Democrat DCMS Parliamentary Group.
Chaired by Fashion Roundtable’s CEO, Tamara Cincik, as well as Charles Brand, the Chair of the Liberal Democrat Creative Network, those who gave evidence at the roundtable included Kate Hills – CEO of Make it British; John Horner – CEO of Models 1 and the Chair of the British Fashion Model Agents Association (BFMA); Sylvie Freund Pickavance – Global Strategy and Business Development Director, Value Retail; Alexander Wills – Founder of Maake; Zowie Broach – Head of Programme, MA Fashion at the Royal College of Art; Paul Alger – Director of International Affairs at UK Fashion & Textile Association; Rachel Walker – Founder of Luxury Lockstitch.
The purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the main challenges that post-Brexit agreements were posing to the British fashion sector, providing an opportunity for the top-line issues of Brexit to be heard.
With the majority of the UK manufacturing sector made up of SMEs, the roundtable heard that Brexit has compounded a skills shortage. Issues of freedom of movement in both goods as well as talent as well as a massive impact to the luxury sector, tourism and hospitality due to the removal of the UK VAT Retail Scheme.
Tamara Cincik, CEO, Fashion Roundtable said:
“The impacts of Brexit have always been well understood by the fashion industry, who since Fashion Roundtable’s inception, have consistently told us the issues they face and the impacts this is having on the sector, from the loss of reputation, to the severity of the delays and cost of red tape, as well as unilateral decisions by the UK Government to end the lucrative VAT Retail Export Scheme, which Sylvie Freund-Pickavance cited could generate £10bn in terms of sales, hospitality and tourism for the UK economy and rebuild the UK’s reputation, as Paris not London is now the number 1 tourist destination of choice within Europe, impacting sales, spend and jobs.”
Kate Hills – CEO of Make it British said:
“UK garment and textile manufacturing is made up of thousands of micro businesses, and these roundtables are essential to get the voices of those businesses heard."
Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter the Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture Media and Sport said:
“Yesterday’s presentation of the serious issues facing the Fashion Industry highlighted not only the self-inflicted damage caused by post Brexit regulations but also a serious growing skills shortage. The Liberal Democrats will redouble efforts to highlight ways that the Government could undo some of the damage done.”
Charles Brand, the Chair of the Liberal Democrat Creative Network said:
“Yesterday’s briefing meeting organised by the Fashion Roundtable and Make It British, laid out the shocking damage done by post Brexit regulations and the associated skills shortages to what was until recently a world beating expanding industry. We will work to publicise the need for Government to urgently focus on coming up with solutions.”
Notes to Editors:
Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter is the Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture Media and Sport.
The Liberal Democrat Creative Network is the forum for people who work in or support the creative industries.
Fashion Roundtable is the only think tank dedicated to reimagining a creative and responsible fashion industry.
Make it British is a membership organisation, supporting UK brands. Founded by UK manufacturing expert Kate Hills.
For more information please contact:
Meg Pirie, Fashion Roundtable’s Content Editor – meg.pirie@fashionroundtable.co.uk
Press Release: Fashion Roundtable release Brexit: The Impact on the Fashion Industry report
Eden Loweth, Creative Director Art School: “This important paper highlighting and dissecting the impact of Brexit to our industry is a vital next step in recommending and realising real and important change within government policy. The effects of Brexit to emerging and small businesses like myself has been huge; Fashion Roundtable’s dynamic and fast response in highlighting these issues once again shows how important their work is to our industry.”
Fashion Industry calls for post-Brexit support
London, Thursday 6th May 2021
Fashion Roundtable release Brexit: The Impact on the Fashion Industry report with key recommendations to support the fashion industry to survive and thrive post Brexit
Following on from Fashion Roundtable’s 2018 Brexit and the Fashion Industry paper and #Don't Make Fashion History campaign, we have collated key data and insights to share the most recent impact assessment from the current state of the UK-EU trade deal on the fashion, textiles and fashion retail industry. These insights have been used to form key recommendations, which if the Government could implement would enable the fashion industry to support businesses to not only survive but thrive post-Brexit.
Industry Engagement and Survey
To inform the Brexit: The Impact on the Fashion Industry report, Fashion Roundtable engaged industry leaders and business owners with a snap survey on Brexit and the Impact on the Fashion Industry over 2 weeks in January - February 2021.
Principle Results
59% say Brexit has impacted their business since the end of the transition
77% said they expect to be affected post-lockdown
25% said they have considered relocating all or part of their businesses
15% said they might consider relocating all or part of their businesses
91% say they want a visa that allows creative access to EU countries cheaply and quickly
39% said if offered tax relief they would be more likely to localise manufacturing
39% saying they might consider onshoring
Recommendations
Below are 11 key recommendations to the Government that would enable the fashion industry to support businesses to not only survive but thrive post-Brexit.
Add garment workers to the Shortage Occupation List for Visas
Reinstate the VAT Retail Export Scheme and extend to EU visitors
Reconsider visa requirements for fashion creatives
Close the gap on problems surrounding the rules of origin
Subsidise or scrap ATA carnets for travelling creatives
Begin the Craft and Design T-Level course in September 2021
Establish clarity on the issue of unregistered design rights
Incentivise onshoring with tax relief for those brands who manufacture in the UK, as the UK film industry currently enjoys
Secure a cabotage exemption for the creative and cultural sector – similar to the one that enables the Formula 1 industry to move large amounts of equipment across borders easily
Equal support for the fashion industry for exports to the EU as enjoyed by the fishing industry with their £23m package for a 12,000 workforce generating £1.4bn GVA, versus £2,000 grants available for all of the UK’s 617,600 SMEs
Build a robust IP framework into all trade deals
Catherine West MP, Chair of the APPG for Ethics & Sustainability in Fashion: “The Government’s levelling up agenda post-Brexit must include an absolute commitment to safeguarding and expanding workers’ rights, particularly for workers at the bottom of the supply chain. Over several months, the APPG for Ethics & Sustainability in Fashion has learned of the exploitative working practices in the UK’s £35bn fashion industry, that primarily harms women from BAME backgrounds. I am pleased to hear of significant improvements being made by some UK brands to curb exploitation in factories and hope that this sends a signal to brands that fashion should not come at the cost of the workers that make our clothes.”
Eden Loweth, Creative Director Art School: “This important paper highlighting and dissecting the impact of Brexit to our industry is a vital next step in recommending and realising real and important change within government policy. The effects of Brexit to emerging and small businesses like myself has been huge; Fashion Roundtable’s dynamic and fast response in highlighting these issues once again shows how important their work is to our industry.”
Nick Knight OBE, Photographer and CEO of SHOWstudio: “It is my experience that this government have absolutely no understanding of the fashion industry, even though it supports so many people in Britain and is an industry that if properly supported could be crucial to help fuel the country’s recovery from this awful pandemic and the resulting lockdowns.”
Tamara Cincik, Founder and CEO at Fashion Roundtable: “The UK’s fashion and textiles industry deserves to be understood and valued at this critical time. Our brands lead in innovation, sustainability and creativity, while our fashion retailers outlets are frequently the successful entry point for global brands into Europe. But for us to build back better we need more support, more a redressing of the issues such as the Shortage Occupation List, where we call on the Government to add garment workers to the list to support the greater demand for on-shoring until the necessary T-Levels are rolled out and the ending of the VAT Retail Export Scheme, if we are to attract the tourist consumer to the UK post pandemic.”
Notes to Editors
Brexit and the Impact on the Fashion Industry 2018 report
Don't Make Fashion History Campaign
Following an industry-wide meeting held on Wednesday 20th January 2021, coordinated by Fashion Roundtable, the industry highlighted the key issues, impacts and unforeseen consequences of Brexit in an Open Letter to the Government. Throughout January and February we continued to raise awareness for the sector with our Don't Make Fashion History campaign. The aim of the campaign was to secure a ministerial meeting to discuss the impact of Brexit on the fashion industry and find solutions so we can enable the industry to survive and thrive. Yesterday we hosted an informal roundtable via the APPG for Textiles and Fashion with Paul Scully MP, Minister for Small Business where he answered 13 questions from stakeholders.
Our open letter received cross-party parliamentary support, with signatories including: Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, John McNally MP, Martyn Docherty-Hughes MP, Lord Cashman CBE, Lord Foster of Bath, Earl of Clancarty, Baroness Bonham-Carter and Lord Taylor of Warwick. The letter also gained industry leaders’ support across manufacturing, retail, modelling, creative business, education, brands and journalism. Signatories including John Horner CEO of Models 1, Jenny Holloway CEO of Fashion Enter, Kate Hills CEO of Make It British, Patrick Grant CEO of E. Tautz, Helen Brocklebank CEO of Walpole, Alistair Knox Chair of ASBCI, Jess McGuire-Dudley Design Director of John Smedley, Caroline Issa CEO of Tank Media Group, Jefferson Hack CEO of Dazed Media Group, Sarah Mower MBE, Nick Knight OBE CEO of SHOWstudio, Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE, Dame Twiggy Lawson DBE, Yasmin Le Bon, and Katherine Hamnett CBE.
Fashion Roundtable is the only organisation that sits between the fashion industry and policy leaders; Front Row to Front Bench
We are secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion with members including Dr Lisa Cameron MP.
Fashion Roundtable are also the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, co-chaired by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey and Catherine West MP.
Fashion Roundtable’s Founder and CEO Tamara Cincik, has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and since launching Fashion Roundtable, has spoken publicly on Fashion and Politics with a range of high-profile business press including SKY TV, BBC, New York Times, Stern, Liberation, WWD, The Telegraph, FT, Sunday Times, Vogue Business and Business of Fashion.
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For more information:
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Press Release: The Government Asks Fashion To Use Its "Star Power" To Renegotiate the Brexit Deal
Alice Temperley, Designer: “For the government to come back with this, they are hiding, they are cowards. The government likes to entertain us during fashion week when we are all invited to 10 Downing Street to meet the prime minister. But now the government isn’t here to help, there is no voice, there is no guidance and there is no clarity on the situation. No one is talking about the fashion industry.”
23rd February 2021
As London Fashion Week closes today, as you are no doubt aware, the fashion industry united in signing our open letter to the Government urgently requesting a ministerial meeting. The letter, signed by over 455 industry leaders including Dame Twiggy Lawson DBE, Models 1, John Smedley, Liberty, Nick Knight OBE, Sarah Mower MBE, Roksanda Ilincic, Walpole, ASBCI, AIR, Patrick Grant, Jefferson Hack and Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE, expressed our concern that fashion was facing 'decimation' as a result of punitive Brexit regulations, while offering solutions to support business survival in a challenging market.
On behalf of the Government, Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport) and Paul Scully MP (Minister for Small Business, Consumers & Labour Markets) have now responded, asking us to use our “star power” to negotiate with the EU, rather than committing to our request for a parliamentary roundtable with stakeholders. Our request for a meeting to find solutions to the issues, which are impacting on our industry already, has not yet been granted. We have replied by reiterating the importance of holding a roundtable meeting with the Government, as a matter of urgency.
We include their full letter in this link here and our response here.
Fashion Roundtable’s Open Letter and #dontmakefashionhistory campaign represents the almost 900,000 creatives and business owners; the UK fashion industry has over 59,000 SMEs, plus many more thousands of freelancers. These small to medium enterprises and growing freelancer numbers are the backbone of the thriving economy across the UK. But without the right support they are the most vulnerable, as they do not have the safety net of wide margins to buffer against negative financial impacts.
The fashion industry is the largest of the creative industries, making more than the automobile, film, music and pharmaceutical industries combined, contributing £35bn to UK GDP and employs almost 1 million people, which was growing 11% year on year, at 4 times the growth of other sectors. We note the Government’s £20m commitment to help the UK’s 6m SMEs with up to £2000 to support businesses; but this is not in line with the £23m to support the fishing industries 12,000 workforce (the same number of people as Debenhams employed for reference) with their EU exports. We are concerned by a clear prioritisation of one industry above another for reasons other than economic factors. The UK fashion industry is largely composed of freelancers and SMEs. These creative innovators could be at the forefront of a post Brexit, post pandemic UK; but without Government reaction and support now, they simply won’t survive to help the UK build back better.
Alice Temperley, Designer: “For the government to come back with this, they are hiding, they are cowards. The government likes to entertain us during fashion week when we are all invited to 10 Downing Street to meet the prime minister. But now the government isn’t here to help, there is no voice, there is no guidance and there is no clarity on the situation. No one is talking about the fashion industry.”
Katharine Hamnett CBE: “The government keeps fobbing us off. It is a catastrophe for Made In Britain and the British fashion industry. Made in Britain has a supreme market quality in Japan and across Asia while the Government renegotiates the terms of the Brexit deal with the EU, our largest trading partner. We have an amazing opportunity to build on that and the Government is not working with us to understand that, it is destroying it.”
Tamara Cincik, CEO Fashion Roundtable: “My ‘star power’ from the lockdown sofa, is somewhat limited compared to that of our elected government. If the Government would like to hire me as a fashion czar: a role which Biden is looking at for the US Government, I am all for it and would happily engage at that level, as it is clear that fashion needs an approach which maps across all of the Whitehall briefs as fashion sits across business, creative and innovation, with a clear sustainable agenda to mitigate against the climate crisis. However until then, surely it is best to work with us, so we can map out our solutions to support the Government and our stakeholders in this challenging time.”
Note to Editors
Background
Fashion Roundtable’s Open Letter, signed by over 455 signatories, was presented to the Government on Tuesday 2nd February. A follow-up letter was sent Tuesday 9th February and again on Tuesday 16th February. We received a reply from Oliver Dowden MP and Paul Scully MP on Thursday 18th February and we replied on Friday 19th February. All of our letters request that we can organise an urgent roundtable meeting with the relevant Ministers for the fashion industry in the coming days, to work together and create solutions which will help save our industry.
The Open Letter has received cross-party parliamentary support, with signatories including Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, John McNally MP, Martyn Docherty-Hughes MP, Lord Cashman CBE, Lord Foster of Bath, Earl of Clancarty, Baroness Bonham-Carter and Lord Taylor of Warwick. The letter has also gained the support of industry leaders across manufacturing, retail, modelling, creative business, education, brands and journalism.
Signatories include Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE (Vivienne Westwood), Jenny Holloway (Fashion Enter), Paul Barnes (Association of International Retail), Kate Hills (Make It British), Jane Shepherdson CBE (MyWardrobe HQ), Caroline Issa (Tank), John Horner (Models 1), Carole White (Premier), Nick Knight OBE (SHOWstudio), Zowie Broach (RCA), ASBCI, Patrick Grant (E.Tautz and BBC’s Sewing Bee), Camilla Lowther OBE (CLM), Bethany Williams, Phoebe English, Professor Dilys Williams (Centre of Sustainable Fashion UAL), Helen Brocklebank (Walpole), Fashion Revolution, Laura Bailey (Model and British Vogue), Dame Twiggy Lawson DBE (model), Katharine Hamnett CBE (Katharine Hamnett), Sarah Mower MBE (Vogue Runway and British Fashion Council), Julian Vogel (Modus BPCM), Ruth Chapman OBE (Matchesfashion), Isabel Ettedgui (Connolly), Yasmin Le Bon (Model), Roksanda Ilincic (Roksanda), Juergen Teller (Photographer), Jess Mcguire-Dudley (John Smedley), Sarah Coonan (Liberty), Justin Thornton (Preen), Andrea Thompson (Marie Claire), Jane Bruton (Telegraph) and Jefferson Hack (Dazed Media Group).
The Open Letter can be found here: https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/openletter
About Fashion Roundtable
Fashion Roundtable is the only fashion organisation that sits between the fashion industry and policy leaders: Front Row to Front Bench
We are secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion chaired by Dr Lisa Cameron MP, with members including Dame Eleanor Laing, Lord Taylor of Warwick, John McNally MP and Baron Vaizey of Didcot.
Fashion Roundtable are also the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, co-chaired by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey and Catherine West MP.
Tamara Cincik, Founder & CEO of Fashion Roundtable has over 20 years’ experience in the fashion industry and has also worked in parliament. Since launching Fashion Roundtable, Tamara has spoken publicly on fashion and politics with a range of high-profile business press including SKY TV, BBC, CGTN, Telegraph, Financial Times, Times, Guardian, New York Times, Liberation, Stern, Vogue Business and Business of Fashion.
For more information please contact:
Press Release: 14 Days Since Our Open Letter To The Government Calling For An Urgent Meeting About Brexit Impacts
Sarah Reygate, Make-Up Artist for the Fashion and Music Industry: “As with many of my colleagues, my work has been deeply impacted by the pandemic. A lot of work comes from Paris. If I now have to organise work contracts and visas for each trip I am likely to lose that work to local based talent in Paris. The Government needs to commit to frictionless work travel for all creatives for the UK based fashion and music industry to continue to be a world leading industry.”
16th February 2021
As London Fashion Week begins this week, the Fashion Industry still waits for a response from the Government to our open letter sent 14 days ago, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss Brexit impacts and the very real threat of business decimation.
The fashion industry united in signing our open letter with over 455 industry leader signatories urgently requesting a ministerial meeting 14 days ago. The Government is yet to respond. Media attention is turned to the fashion industry for the fashion week calendar, the silence from the Government is ever more worrying.
Our sector is at real risk of decimation by the Brexit trade deal and current Government policy. To reduce the negative impact to the industry, we are asking the Government to urgently meet so we can share solutions which will help save our industry before it is too late.
The fashion industry is the largest of the creative industries, making more than the automobile, film, music and pharmaceutical industries combined, contributing £35bn to UK GDP and employs almost 1 million people, which was growing 11% year on year, at 4 times the growth of other sectors. The DCMS Select Committee this week met with creatives from music and dance to discuss freedom of movement, but not from the fashion industry. We did send the DCMS Select Committee a briefing and request to give evidence. We urge that all creatives are treated and valued equally across all levels of government and parliament. To not hear from the largest of the creative industries is surely an omission? We note the Government’s £20m commitment to help the UK’s 6m SMEs with up to £2000 to support businesses; but this is not in line with the £23m to support the fishing industries 12,000 workforce (the same number of people as Debenhams employed for reference) with their EU exports. We are concerned by a clear prioritisation of one industry above another for reasons other than economic factors.
The UK fashion industry is largely composed of freelancers and SMEs. These creative innovators could be at the forefront of a post Brexit, post pandemic UK; but without Government reaction and support now, they simply won’t survive to help the UK build back better. This is why we call on the UK Government to respond to our open letter and work with us on solutions which will achieve this. We do not have 10 years to wait it out, we should not really have had 14 days. With London Fashion Week fast approaching and media attention upon us, we are still left waiting. This is not the time for inertia, or delays. A £35bn industry is waiting to hear from its government.
We asked some of the signatories to Fashion Roundtable’s Open Letter and #dontmakefashionhistory campaign who work as creatives and small business owners to share their concerns here. The UK fashion industry has over 59,000 SMEs, plus many more thousands of freelancers; these small to medium enterprises and growing freelancer numbers are the backbone of the thriving economy across the UK. But without the right support they are the most vulnerable, as they do not have the safety net of wide margins to buffer against negative financial impacts.
Sarah Reygate, Make-Up Artist for the Fashion and Music Industry: “As with many of my colleagues, my work has been deeply impacted by the pandemic. A lot of work comes from Paris. If I now have to organise work contracts and visas for each trip I am likely to lose that work to local based talent in Paris. The Government needs to commit to frictionless work travel for all creatives for the UK based fashion and music industry to continue to be a world leading industry.”
Deborah Latouche, CEO Sabirah: “I was asked recently if SABIRAH will survive Brexit and after thinking about it I realised that we didn’t just want to just survive we want to Thrive! The past year we have all been in survival mode due to the Covid crisis - All of the unnecessary red tape and costs need to be reconsidered as a matter or urgency to help the UK Fashion Industry thrive.”
Nadja Romain, CEO Everything I Want LTD: “As a small business it’s very hard if not impossible to deal on a daily basis, with the level of bureaucracy now involved in UK/EU trade. Not to mention angry customers who end up paying outrageous import taxes that we can’t even anticipate. Large businesses can absorb extra costs and paperwork a small company with less than 10 employees simply cannot. As a French citizen I came to the UK 15 years ago for the creativity combined with a flexibility that allows anyone with a good idea to create a thriving business. This is gone. As if politics has become more important than business. I am opening a branch of my business in Italy to access the EU market which remains the number one destination for luxury goods.”
Karen Binns, Fashion Director and Brand Consultant: “There is a huge fear for independent designers and brands about the high rise in cost to get their shipments coming in and going out abroad. This is the biggest threat to young and independently owned brands, as this is the sort of escalating costs and delays to market that can shut their businesses down completely.”
Tamara Cincik, CEO of Fashion Roundtable: “Silence is not golden, 14 days is 13 days too long to wait for a government commitment to meet with us and our signatories. I have even offered to arrange this meeting for them, all they would need to do is commit to dialling in. A webinar which was not widely circulated or known about by our 890,00 fashion workforce is simply not enough support or mitigate against the tsunami of challenges this complex and vast sector faces. I have more than twice urged DCMS to allow us at Fashion Roundtable to also offer stakeholders a webinar, to ensure information in this challenging time is accessed by as many stakeholders as possible, as well as this urgently needed sector-facing roundtable meeting.
Surely a £35bn industry is worth an hour of their time? We have London Fashion Week around the corner, a time when the world’s media is shining a light on our brilliant talent, yet my inbox is filled with stories of brands relocating, or stopping their direct to EU consumer (B2C) sales, due to escalating Brexit costs. The music industry, the acting industry, the dance industry, the arts, creative and design industry are all in alignment and we all feel overlooked and undervalued. We echo the points made by other creatives and are in solidarity with those organisations who are sharing their concerns. We are committed to offering solutions so we can find a way out of this mess and implore the Government to commit to meeting with us very soon. What is a country without creativity and innovation at the heart of its DNA?”
Note to Editors
Background
Fashion Roundtable’s Open Letter, signed by over 455 signatories, was presented to the Government on Tuesday 2nd February. A follow-up letter was sent Tuesday 9th February and again on Tuesday 16th February. All three letters request that we can organise an urgent roundtable meeting with the relevant Ministers for the fashion industry in the coming days, to work together and create solutions which will help save our industry.
The Open Letter has received cross-party parliamentary support, with signatories including Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, John McNally MP, Martyn Docherty-Hughes MP, Lord Cashman CBE, Lord Foster of Bath, Earl of Clancarty, Baroness Bonham-Carter and Lord Taylor of Warwick.
The letter has also gained the support of industry leaders across manufacturing, retail, modelling, creative business, education, brands and journalism.
Signatories include Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE (Vivienne Westwood), Jenny Holloway (Fashion Enter), Paul Barnes (Association of International Retail), Kate Hills (Make It British), Jane Shepherdson CBE (MyWardrobe HQ), Caroline Issa (Tank), John Horner (Models 1), Carole White (Premier), Nick Knight OBE (SHOWstudio), Zowie Broach (RCA), ASBCI, Patrick Grant (E.Tautz and BBC’s Sewing Bee), Camilla Lowther OBE (CLM), Bethany Williams, Phoebe English, Professor Dilys Williams (Centre of Sustainable Fashion UAL), Helen Brocklebank (Walpole), Fashion Revolution, Laura Bailey (Model and British Vogue), Dame Twiggy Lawson DBE (model), Katharine Hamnett CBE (Katharine Hamnett), Sarah Mower MBE (Vogue Runway and British Fashion Council), Julian Vogel (Modus BPCM), Ruth Chapman OBE (Matchesfashion), Isabel Ettedgui (Connolly), Yasmin Le Bon (Model), Roksanda Ilincic (Roksanda), Juergen Teller (Photographer), Jess Mcguire-Dudley (John Smedley), Sarah Coonan (Liberty), Justin Thornton (Preen), Andrea Thompson (Marie Claire), Jane Bruton (Telegraph) and Jefferson Hack (Dazed Media Group).
The Open Letter can be found here: https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/openletter
The template letter to your MP can be found here.
About Fashion Roundtable
Fashion Roundtable is the only fashion think tank that sits between the fashion industry and policy leaders: Front Row to Front Bench
We are secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion chaired by Dr Lisa Cameron MP, with members including Dame Eleanor Laing, Lord Taylor of Warwick, John McNally MP and Baron Vaizey of Didcot.
Fashion Roundtable are also the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, co-chaired by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey and Catherine West MP.
Tamara Cincik, Founder & CEO of Fashion Roundtable has over 20 years’ experience in the fashion industry and has also worked in parliament. Since launching Fashion Roundtable, Tamara has spoken publicly on fashion and politics with a range of high-profile business press including SKY TV, BBC, CGTN, Telegraph, Financial Times, Times, Guardian, New York Times, Liberation, Stern, Vogue Business and Business of Fashion.
For more information please contact: