BRITISH CEO PENS AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
The CEO of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush has penned an open letter to Boris Johnson, as she asks the government to start paying attention to and working hand in hand with the fashion industry.
Read it below:
Dear PM,
I’m writing to you both in my role as the CEO of the British Fashion Council and as a proud citizen, who is equally proud of the industry of which I am custodian. But I must tell you that the prospect of Brexit fills me with dread for our sector, which has also been so brutally ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
To give you context, the Fashion Industry has been preparing for a No Deal Brexit for the past three years. We haven’t planned for anything else due to the fact that there seems to have been zero traction in discussions on the key challenges concerning the Fashion Industry. Namely free and easy movement of goods and samples; protection of intellectual property; and access to talent, both to universities with lower EU fee banding and for talent into businesses, from seamstresses to multilingual retail executives.
There have been multiple seminars, briefings, roundtables and webinars to ensure businesses are as prepared as they can possibly be. And even for those that have planned as best they can, the reality of putting that planning into practice is going to be an enormous challenge as officials on both sides interpret the new legislation, potentially in a damaging way.
As an industry we have spelt out how catastrophic we believe this will be, in the same way we have provided multiple points of evidence why also removing tax-free shopping will have a detrimental effect on both businesses operating in the UK and further investment and capital expenditure in this country. We keep hearing that you are listening, but we aren’t seeing much evidence of having been listened to.
As I have stated, I am very proud of the country we live in and the Fashion Industry – which in 2019 contributed £35bn to the UK economy and employed 890k people. I very much want the UK to continue to be the best place to do business. However, with the aforementioned challenges in mind, we need Government to work with the fashion industry to put in place measures to ensure that this remains the case. I am usually a glass half-full person, so despite this, let’s work together, let’s find the opportunities.
For example, the numerous trade deals that are now being done in readiness for a post-Brexit world need to create a strong and robust global intellectual property framework that makes the UK a true competitor. Designers need to feel secure that their creativity is properly protected and nurtured on the world stage. There needs to be confidence in the UK that it has a vision for the future, not all consumed by the detail of negotiation, that the bigger picture of what you as a key advocate for Brexit promised would be possible.
We need to make sure that the UK is attracting global tourism, global investment and that our own home-grown businesses from all over the UK are supported in exporting products, services and cultural programmes.
As we come to the end of 2020, and it has been a long hard slog of a year, I believe more strongly than ever that the British Fashion Industry is one that we should be proud of. The vast majority of brands have hustled to remodel their businesses to save jobs. Indeed, many have even used their limited resources to source, create and distribute PPE. It has been an almighty effort that the whole of the UK should have great pride in.
Our own London Fashion Week was the first of the four global fashion weeks to go digital. The Fashion Awards – which featured your own cameo role – also went digital and took a look at this year through the eyes of fashion. We also celebrated global leaders of change who have raised the bar of how to do things differently, leaders in innovation, sustainable practices and collaboration.
I ask that your Government starts listening to and working hand in hand with the fashion industry – one that straddles big businesses and creativity, that reaches all ages, genders, races and countries and will have to change significantly as we address our impact on environment, people and communities. If as one country of four nations we are to truly trailblaze for our businesses globally, the fashion industry needs to be front and centre for both its soft power to win hearts, and its business welly to create global partnerships and prosperity in the UK.
Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council.