see the same exceptionally high level of talent coming out of Britain and we hope that our relationships with international brands remain strong.”


ACCOUNTABILITY, SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES AND ANTI-SLAVERY While fashion brands are grappling with the migration to online sales, they are also under pressure to make their products more sustainable. Among younger consumers in particular, there’s an increasing focus on how and where clothing is made. Analysis by Fashion Revolution – a movement that is campaigning for a more transparent fashion industry – found that out of 98 brands and retailers reviewed in 2017, there was a 5% average increase in their level of transparency in 2018. The campaign was started as a reaction


to Rana Plaza, the Bangladeshi clothing factory that collapsed in April 2013, which killed at least 1,132 people and injured more than 2,500. It provoked widespread shock at the conditions in which people were working who were supplying clothing to the UK and European markets. Elsewhere, questions are being asked


about the cost of producing textiles such as cotton and the impact of the dyeing industry. In many countries where there are poor or absent government controls, textile factories dump toxic waste water directly into rivers. There has been a recent focus on the desertification of the Aral Sea, where cotton production has drained away the water, creating a huge impact on the local population.


The International Labour Organization


estimates that 170 million children are forced to work, many of them in the textile and garment industry, which supplies consumers in Europe and the US. A report by the House of Commons environmental audit committee found that UK shoppers each buy an average of 26.7kg of new clothes every year – more than any other country in Europe.


FUTURE OF FASHION Survival in the fashion industry in 2019 will require a combination of business acumen and sensitivity to changing consumer demands. “For fashion players, 2019 will be a year of awakening,” says McKinsey in its report. “Regardless of size and segment, players now need to be nimble, think digital-first and achieve ever- faster speed to market. They need to take an active stance on social issues, satisfy consumer demands for ultra-transparency and sustainability, and, most importantly, have the courage to ‘self-disrupt’ their own identity and the sources of their old success in order to realise these changes and win new generations of customers.” Economic expansion is happening


across Asia, but 2019 could be the year in which India will take centre stage. The country is predicted to grow by 8% a year between 2018 and 2022. The Indian middle class is forecast to expand at 19.4% a year over the same period, outpacing China, Mexico and Brazil. As a result, India is set to move from being an increasingly important sourcing


hub to one of the most attractive consumer markets outside the Western world. India’s apparel market will be worth $59.3 billion in 2022, making it the sixth-largest in the world and comparable to the UK ($65 billion) and Germany ($63.1 billion), according to data


from McKinsey’s


FashionScope. However, while concern over trade


tensions is rising – for example between the US and China – there are also positive dynamics, with new agreements being put in place and new trade routes being developed. The EU has recently entered into new agreements, including clothing with Canada, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam and several countries from Eastern Europe. In September 2018, Canada agreed to join the US and Mexico in a trade deal that will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. As China’s exports have plateaued,


other developing nations with lower wages are stepping in. Apparel exports from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia have been growing by double digits annually since 2010. Turkey is also a major producer of clothing that is exported to Europe. Access to talent will be a major success factor, too. The biggest talent gap today is likely to be in digital or advanced manufacturing and managing intelligent sourcing decisions.


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