Some people think fashion is superfluous — an ornament at the edges of the economy. But they’re wrong. The fashion and fashion-retail industries contribute more than £67 billion annually to the UK economy and support more than a million jobs. London Fashion Week is one of its most visible expressions. It is where the international press magnifies our creative voices. It’s where new talent is spotted, nurtured and catapulted into careers that reach across continents.
At the British Fashion Council it’s our role to champion British fashion — both in the UK and internationally. We are a not-for-profit organisation, which means we don’t exist to make money for ourselves, but for a social, common purpose. That purpose always will be to support, educate, invest and promote our peerless fashion industry on a global stage.
I took on the CEO position with pride — because I care deeply about the creative and commercial success of British fashion. I won’t stop until my tenure has had a positive impact on its global reputation.
But while I relish my task, it is not an easy one. The talent and tenacity of our designers is not in doubt. The world looks to the UK for design excellence and always finds it. London Fashion Week has always been the place where trends are born, names are made and the thrill of the new is always discovered.
In a fashion landscape that is increasingly homogenised, our designers don’t imitate. They innovate. They design from the heart. Their creativity quite literally makes this country look better, and goodness knows we need that more than ever. No other country in recent times has produced more world-class designers than the UK. It’s why so many of our designers head up luxury brands in New York, Milan and Paris.
Again, their talent isn’t in doubt. What is in doubt, though, is the strength of the infrastructure that is required for our designers to optimise their undeniably world-class skills. Other countries value our designers, yet they have been systemically undervalued by their own country. Brexit and the pandemic left them reeling. The removal of tax-free shopping was a further sting.
Where governmental support is generous in other countries, it is less so in the UK. Where other countries recognise that investment in culture leads to commercial and reputational success, it remains an unsolved mystery that our country continues to undervalue the fashion industry; an industry that directly employs over three-quarters of a million people, and is worth more than £28 billion to the UK economy.
That’s before we even consider the “overspill” — the ripple effect that boosts spending in hotels, restaurants, transport systems and retailers. Let us pause and think about what that means. When the lights go up on the catwalk, yes, we see the vision of a designer. We see craft, heritage, innovation and art. But just outside the camera frame, there is a small army at work. Seamstresses and pattern cutters, tailors and textile specialists, lighting technicians and sound engineers, drivers waiting in the rain, assistants carrying garment bags through London streets. Every hotel room booked, every black cab hailed, every Pret salad grabbed between shows, every late-night studio Deliveroo order — all of this is the overspill. It is the living economy of fashion week. It touches caterers, cleaners, printers, stage builders, make-up artists, film crews, florists and thousands more. These are not peripheral figures. They are the lifeblood of the industry.
Our fashion industry can quite literally make the nation look better — and we need that now more than ever
An industry with this much value deserves to be valued itself. It is my mission to ensure that this happens. Having spoken to our designers, I plan to address their urgent need for clearer funding pathways and real support that is ongoing, not just at launch, but through to sustained scale. I also plan to work more closely with retailers. Britain has some of the most well-loved in the world, however designers need them not solely as stockists, but as strategic partners. Their expertise and support have never been more in need. Finally, I plan to rally and harness support from our cultural and commercial leaders.
Fashion needs them, but they also need fashion. I hope we can work more closely together, building a legacy with mutual benefit, real meaning and a lasting impact that will endure in 10 or 20 years time.
Without a thriving fashion industry, we are culturally mute. Our fashion industry can quite literally make the nation look better — and we need that now more than ever. Plus, we have the law on our side — after all, it’s illegal to be naked. Fashion is a unifying force in an increasingly divided world. Yes, it can be political, but at its heart it is non-partisan. It exists to make our lives more joyful. And in challenging times, when we need joy more than ever, we need fashion more than ever, too.
We know it has cultural power. Let’s ensure it also has economic power. Let’s ensure it is not only seen, but supported. In this, I’m calling on Londoners this week to join me in celebrating the cultural asset unfolding in the heart of your great city. PS… I like your outfit.
Laura Weir is CEO at the British Fashion Council
