Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
More than 400 leading figures in the fashion industry are calling on the government for help following post-Brexit red tape and travel restrictions.
The open letter to the Prime Minister comes from respected icons, including model Twiggy and Patrick Grant, judge on the Great British Sewing Bee.
Complex international supply chains and relationships have been ‘strangled’ under the new restrictions.
“Everyone working across the EU, our largest trading partner for imports and exports, will now need
costly work permits for each of the member states they visit and a mountain of paperwork for their
products and equipment. This is a step backwards and out of touch with the realities of how the sector
works,” they wrote in the letter fronted by Fashion Roundtable, an industry forum.
“From travelling to the EU for trade shows to large value shoots and shows happening here in
the UK, red tape delays and costs are impacting our industry already, with work relocating to the EU,
all impacting our opportunities to trade and travel.”
Fashion Roundtable wants the government to add garment workers to the list of ‘shortage occupations’ for UK visas to help fill thousands of vacancies in UK clothing factories. It’s also calling for UK tax