The 2010 Equality Act comes in to effect in October 2010. The Act brings together a range of different regulations as well as introducing some new provisions on discrimination.
Skillset, the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media which includes fashion and textiles, have launched new guidelines to help clarify employers responsibilities when dealing with volunteers, work experience placements, internships etc.
The guidelines suggest a limit on hours, reimbursing expenses and paying the National Minimum Wage on graduate internships.
We have been approached by an established and rapidly growing fashion retail group, based in Estonia but with stores also in Lithuania and Poland.
They are looking for suppliers of young, fashionable, casual menswear for their own brand “Monton”. Monton is one of four labels within the group. There are 50 Monton shops. The website is in Estonian but there are plenty of product visuals to give you an idea of their market: www.montonfashion.com
They have their own design team but would prefer to deal with suppliers who can offer their own designs which they could buy if the styles are not already available in their markets and to which they could make minor changes if necessary.
The buyers plan to visit London at the beginning of August and are looking for Spring/Summer 2011 merchandise. They are already dealing with UK based suppliers on the womenswear side. Everything will be sold under the Monton label.
See below for the items they are looking for. Styles are young and fashionable for a younger age group, mostly casual but some smart casual. They are not interested in very basic, classic items. Price points will need to be very keen. Quantities in the region of 300-800 per style.
Knitwear (Cotton/wool blends?) Looking for chunky Nordic styles and patterns – 3 & 5gg. Some shawl colloars. Shirts (Cotton and cotton blends) – casual and more formal
Shorts (Cotton & cotton blends, some linen blends)
Trousers (Cotton & cotton blends, some linen blends)
At The Textile Institute’s 100th Birthday AGM on Monday the 10th May Mr John R Wilson OBE deputy chairman of UKFT was unanimously voted in to the position of Chair of Council of The Textile Institute. At the same time Mr Andreas Weber, senior vice president sales and a member of the Executive Board of SwissTex was unanimously voted in by the membership of The Textile Institute as its new World President.
On becoming President Andreas stated ‘I am extremely pleased to have received the trust of the Council and members of The Textile Institute on being elected the 54th World President and being the third Swiss coming in to this role.’ He went on to say ‘I was told that my role as a World President is rather an ambassadorial one which I will aim to fulfil alongside my duties at SwissTex. However, I also trust The Textile Institute has in Mr John Wilson the most capable and experienced person to lead the operative tasks and duties required within our organisation together with the experienced staff at the International Headquarters in Manchester. This year is a very special and important year for The Textile Institute, one in which we aim to portray the industry as youthful, sustainable and long lasting.’
Celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2010 The Textile Institute, its Sections and Special Interest Groups worldwide will be organising special events, culminating in the Institute’s World Conference taking place in Manchester in November, immediately followed by the Parliamentary Lunch at the Houses of Parliament in London.
In a bid to lower domestic cotton prices and boost domestic supply India has banned exports of raw cotton. Commentators don't expect the ban to last as India's cotton crop normally outpaces domestic demand.
Following the Election, UKFT has written to all 650 MPs highlighting the importance of the fashion and textile industry to the UK economy and noting some of the key concerns of the industry.
After 16 years at 5 Portland Place, UKFT and the industry will have a new head office from the autumn.
By September this year, UKFT aims to have relocated to an impressive new home at 3 Queen Square, London WC1N 2AU in the heart of Bloomsbury.
Having secured a handsome price for its 9-storey building opposite the BBC, UKFT has reinvested some of the money in three floors of a totally refurbished building that was previously the base of the publisher Faber & Faber. UKFT will occupy the ground and lower ground floors of 3 Queen Square, with the first floor being rented out to a tenant, ideally a fashion or textile company. The four upper floors of the building have been converted into luxury flats, which is what the new owners are planning to do with 5 Portland Place.
“Last year the decision was taken to sell 5 Portland Place and to find a smaller, more modern base for UKFT. We achieved far more for the building than was expected and have now made what we believe is an excellent investment in a splendid new home,” says Eric Musgrave, director general designate. “I’m confident 3 Queen Square will quickly become established as the centre of the UK fashion and textile industry. It will give us a lot more scope to hold events at our HQ, while still offering members even better meeting rooms, showroom facilities and a place to call home in central London.”
All existing tenants in 5 Portland Place are planning to move to 3 Queen Square. Only a few minutes’ walk from Russell Square and Holborn Tube stations, the location is very close to the West End and it will be particularly convenient for visitors from the north and the Midlands due to its proximity to Euston, Kings Cross and St Pancras stations.
From 1st April the skills agenda for the fashion and textile sector will be championed by Skillset. Skillset's footprint already includes TV, film, radio, interactive media, animation, computer games, facilities, photo imaging and publishing. It will now have a combined portfolio worth more than £45 billion to the economy each year and the move is expected to give employers a stronger lobbying voice on skills issues for the future.
This transition from Skillfast-UK has been seamless and Skillset has a dedicated staff team specialising in fashion and textiles work, many of which have transferred from Skillfast–UK.
This team will continue to implement the UK fashion and textiles industry–endorsed work programme and Skillset will be able to bid for new funds for training for the sector.
The fashion and textile sector will also have its own Council which is to be chaired by John Wilson, Director General of UKFT. The Council will meet for the first time in May. The 16 strong Council has representatives from all sectors of the industry.
Showroom/Office space available for rental in modern Central London building, corner of Gt.Marlborough Street and Poland Street, W1 comprising 2 separate rooms, 30m2 and 26m2. Annual rental approx £20,000.
Should you be interested, please contact Marcel Ulrich on either 0207 440 1822 or 07818035528
UKFT has added its support to TICT, The Textile Industry Children’s Trust, the specialist trade charity that helps children at risk. Founded in 1853 to “clothe, maintain and educate the children of warehousemen, clerks and agents of the textile industry”, the charity has expanded its good work to include children (from birth to 18 years) of parents who work in UK fashion retailing and manufacturing as well as textiles.
TICT is looking to award grants to the value of £310,000 this year and increase this amount by 10 per cent every year so it would like to hear from UKFT members who have, or know of, children who could benefit from financial support.
According to TICT’s new director, Anna Pangbourne, the children it helps could be at risk through bereavement, domestic conflict, disability, physical or emotional needs, or a parent who is drug or alcohol dependent.
“TICT can act as a safety net to ensure that a child can complete its education successfully during a critical phase. We may also support gifted and talented children with a specialist education or award hardship grants to cover the cost of uniforms, specialist equipment, such as a home computer, or provide funding towards transport to a school.”
Run by a team of just three people so administrative costs are low, 70 per cent of TICT’s income goes directly to the young people it supports.
TICT is embarking on a revitalisation programme and the charity is launching its first significant fund-raising campaign for many years – a mobile phone recycling campaign. Aimed primarily at retail head office staff, the initiative is already being supported by Arcadia and John Lewis. Manufacturers, suppliers and brands can participate too.
TICT is chaired by fashion industry veteran David Carter-Johnson and other voluntary trustees include: Chairman of the Development Committee David Shepherd from Top Man; Nikki Zamblera of Debenhams; Jill Little, John Lewis and Nayna McIntosh from Marks & Spencer.
They join an illustrious roll call of people involved in TICT: one of the founding trustees, whose aim was to establish a school, was the then Prince of Wales and Charles Dickens was the Chairman of Appeal in 1856 and 1857.
“We are extremely pleased to lend our support to spreading the word about the work of TICT,” says Eric Musgrave, director general designate, UKFT. “Given the pressure on many families working in the sector in these tough times, it is important for us to let our members know of any financial help that is available. “I hope that some companies will also want to get involved in fund raising too.”
For more information about TICT, visit www.tict.org.uk or call Anna Pangbourne on 020 7170 4117 or 07753 605367.
The Additional Paternity Leave Regulations and the Additional Statutory Paternity Pay Regulations both come into force in 2010. The new rights will apply to parents of babies born on or after 3 April 2011.
The PR and marketing functions of a fashion business are just as important as having the right fabrics, shapes and sales teams. But keeping up to date with all the media changes, or knowing the best time to hold a launch, or where, are issues that many members face. For more than 40 years, DIARY has been addressing these and many more by providing an information and communication service for fashion and lifestyle PRs and marketing professionals and the media. Now DIARY has put together a special subscription offer for UKFT members.
For an annual subscription of £550 – a saving of £150 – UKFT members can have full online access to DIARY, DIARY Directory and MediaBox services, plus receive hard copies of the regular directories, e-newsletters and also take advantage of the DIARY Helpline.
DIARY keeps PRs and marketers abreast of industry news, such as collaborations between brands, new labels and magazines and the latest influential blogs. A calendar of press day dates and launch events, fashion shows and exhibition previews, is also published online and in print.
DIARY Directory lists contact details for fashion editors, journalists, stylists and bloggers; PR companies and in-house press office contacts; photographers; studios and locations. The third branch of the service, MediaBox, is an online high resolution image and press release distribution tool that allows companies to make their brand information easily available to the thousands of media contacts within DIARY Directory.
The right to request training was included in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act. The right will be introduced over time and will apply to those companies with more than 250 employees from April 2010 and will apply to all employees from April 2011. Guidance is available from www.businesslink.gov.uk/timetotrain
The Agency Workers Regulations, which come into force next year, mean that agency workers must be given the same pay, holidays and basic conditions as directly employed staff provided they have been in their role for at least 12 months. The obligations do not extend to additional benefits such as occupational pensions.
From 4 April the Statutory Maternity Pay will rise to £124.88 a week as will the rate for Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay. The rate for Statutory Sick Pay remains unchanged at £79.15 a week. The earnings threshold for all the above will rise to £97.
Attendance at March’s Textile Forum matched the record figure of the October 2009 show to further underline the importance of this fashion fabric exhibition in the capital. As well as sampling, this edition more visitors placing good orders at the event too.
Regular exhibitor Basinghall took a large order from a buyer from Latvia, one of a sprinkling of overseas buyers who were attracted to the show’s focus on stock lines as well as forward-order fabrics. Other export orders went to the Netherlands, Russia and Irish Republic.
Designer Kerry Nixon of Vidler & Nixon had visited the exhibition last season to select fabrics for her couture range from, among others, Holland & Sherry. She was back last week to source cloths for her new diffusion line.
Elizabeth Reeds of fashion firm D S Dundee was impressed with the range of fabrics on offer. “The show has a real buzz about it; it has really come of age,” she commented.
MaryRose McGrath, bespoke bridal and occasionwear designer for House of Fraser in Ireland, was highly impressed with the show and its range of exhibitors. “I am definitely booking my flight for the October show,” she said as she left The Music Room, the exhibition’s venue close to Bond Street.
Exhibitor Michael Bristow of Michael’s Bridal Fabrics said it was probably the busiest Textile Forum the company had participated in. He had been inundated with buyers looking for both fabrics and accessories from his new collection.
Bill Wheelan of exhibitor The House of Edgar wasdelighted with the diversity of the customers visiting. Saffron Quinn of silk specialist James Hare remarked on the high percentage of new visitors: “We have had lots of interest from designers looking for stretch fabrics for lingerie as well as for bridalwear.”
According to Kristie Reeves of wool fabric mill Joshua Ellis: “The March show is perfect timing for buyers looking for stock and we received a lot of interest in our new Royal Cashmere collection, along with our other stock-supported products.”
The next Textile Forum will be held on 20-21 October 2010 at The Music Room, South Molton Lane, London W1. Register for your ticket now at www.textileforum.co.uk
Skillfast-UK has produced a 'Guide for Businesses Working With Schools and Colleges' which gives tips on how employers can create a stronger relationship with local schools and colleges and so increase students' interest in joining the industry. The guide is available from www.skillfast-uk.org/generationf
We have been made aware of a series of fraud attempts taking the form of an email notifying a company that they have won a contract to supply the UK Ministry of Defence with T-shirts. Companies are asked for money to cover 'administrative costs'. Attempts have been reported from Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, New Zealand, India, Hungary, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Please note that these companies are in no way connected to the Ministry of Defence, nor any other Government Department. These emails are not genuine and people should not pay any money to these companies.
There is no event taking place in the next 6 weeks
