UKFT news and archive

Marks & Spencer menswear director joins UKFT board

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) director of menswear, Mitch Hughes, has been appointed to the board of the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT). Hughes, who currently leads the M&S Man division, brings nearly 30 years of experience within the UK fashion retail sector to the industry body. Hughes rejoined the London-based retailer M&S...

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UKFT takes action to improve how fashion and textile graduate outcomes are measured

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has launched a cross-sector initiative to address challenges in how graduate employment outcomes are classified for fashion and textile courses in the UK. UKFT says current Graduate Outcomes data — a national survey run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency that records what graduates are doing 15...

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UKFT launches Reuse and Recycling membership

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has launched a new membership category for textile collectors, sorters, graders, mechanical recyclers, upcyclers and recycling innovators. The new Reuse and Recycling membership is dedicated to supporting circularity, growth and innovation within the UK fashion and textile industry by providing...

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University of Westminster offering new MA course to bridge the skills gap in manufacturing

The University of Westminster ranked in the top 20 universities in the UK, has announced a new Master of Arts (MA) course in collaboration with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) designed to boost the number of skilled fashion manufacturers. The Fashion Manufacturing MA course, launching in September, is being described as a “...

Fashion

Crisis partners with UKFT on recycling scheme

British homelessness charity Crisis is collaborating with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) to trial a new approach to recycling in a bid to reduce clothing waste. The recycling trial forms part of the ACT project led by UKFT and is currently taking place in the charity's Peckham and Elephant & Castle stores in London until...

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UKFT halts Rise initiative for start-ups

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has announced that it will be stopping its Rise initiative, closing the doors on the project’s start-up support following an evaluation into resources. The organisation made the announcement in an Instagram post, where it said: “As a small organisation, we remain committed to supporting the sustainable...

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BFC, UKFT and UKRI launch Circular Fashion Innovation Network

The British Fashion Council (BFC), the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) have joined forces to launch what they are calling a “groundbreaking partnership” called the Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN). The CFIN will sit under the BFC’s Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) to bring together...

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Marks & Spencer, New Look and Pangaia join recycling technology project

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has announced a series of new government-funded projects centred around textile recycling infrastructure, circular fashion and sustainable manufacturing. One of the first initiatives, the Autosort for Circular Textiles Demonstrator (ACT UK), is a four million pound project to develop and pilot an...

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Retailers New Look and Next to pilot new supply chain platform

The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) is working with technology companies IBM, Tech Data, and the Future Fashion Factory to design, prototype and pilot a new technology platform to help the fashion and textile industry drive sustainability and profitability through increased transparency within the supply chain. The Sustainable Supply...