Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery of British label ‘Sibling’ showing their support for the Remain campaign during London Fashion Week in June 2016. Getty
The British Fashion Council announced that 90% of British designers voted to stay in the EU, however since the leave campaign shocked the world by winning the referendum to leave the UK, Brexit has become a daily discussion. But what does it mean for the clothing and fashion industry in the UK? Of course, no one knows the true answer to this question but we can certainly begin to speculate:
Immigration: As many of you are aware, the UK is currently experiencing a skills gap shortage due to the vast majority of production moving off-shore back in the 1980s and 90s to countries such as Bangladesh, China and Vietnam. To get around this problem, many factories are employing immigrants from Eastern Europe: Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria etc. who have been trained in clothing manufacture, often during school and are able to fill the growing demand for skilled machinists whilst the UK experiences a rise in demand for Made in Britain products, brands reshoring and the publics conscience on sustainability and eco-friendliness increasing. It is still unclear what Brexit or a no-Brexit deal will mean for migration but would you want to come to this country if you felt unwelcome or thought you might be booted out?
Raw Materials: Although we have many fabric and trim suppliers in the UK, we have very few mills and knitters here. This means the majority of our materials are imported from Europe or the Far East. If a no-deal Brexit should happen, there is no guarantee on trading deals. Prices could increase beyond inflation, supply chains could be disrupted and production out-put affected. For Bridge & Stitch this could lead to a loss of clients, reduce profits and uncertainty for the future. At present, we are rebuilding are supply contacts outside of Europe to ensure that there are alternatives in preparation for a worst case scenario.
Exporting Goods: Made in UK products are well sought after throughout the world and Bridge & Stitch have several European customers. What will happen to goods being exported out of the country in to Europe? Will taxes and tariffs rise? The consequences of a no-deal Brexit are uncertain but we will do everything we can to continue to support our European customers.
This is an unnerving time for the industry and Bridge & Stitch is currently producing a no-deal Brexit strategy in the hope that any disruptions to our supply chain have as little impact on our customers and brands as possible, but we can’t deny that we are nervous to see what happens.
Will there be a no-deal Brexit?
The below article identifies the concerns for emerging British brands as well as more established fabric houses who have expressed concern that ‘ their ability to hire talent, travel and import high-quality textiles would be hampered.’ A Creative Industries Federation survey showed 74% of its members fear restricting immigration will damage business prospect. Click below to read more.
