This report analyses the positioning of the UK fashion and textiles sector within national, devolved and local policy frameworks to assess its capacity to operate as a stable, place-based economic system that supports skills retention, inclusive growth and regional resilience.
Using fashion and textiles as a case study for the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub, the research draws on policy analysis, stakeholder mapping and 19 in-depth interviews to demonstrate that the sector’s fragility stems not from a lack of capability or demand, but from structural instability created by fragmented governance, short-term interventions and weak coordination across policy domains. It finds that the sector’s ambiguous location between creative industries and manufacturing has limited its visibility within industrial strategy and investment policy, while identifying public procurement as the most underutilised and potentially transformative lever for stabilising demand, strengthening local value chains and improving job quality.
The report shows that where procurement and place-based approaches are aligned, fashion and textiles manufacturing functions as anchor infrastructure within wider local economies, supporting skills ecosystems, innovation and social mobility, and concludes that coordinated action across governance levels is essential if the UK is to avoid the long-term economic and social costs of continued underinvestment.
It is clear to me that public procurement is an opportunity to invest in British manufacturing, and a missed opportunity for the government to source from domestic rather than overseas suppliers. Added to that, the narrow definitions of what determines creative industries or even defence spending, means that all too often our talented local suppliers whether that is for onshoring fashion production, or onshoring manufacturing for defence clothing, translates as repeated missed opportunities to support economic growth across the UK. I hope this report challenges those missed opportunities with solutions which could boost local and national economies at scale.
Tamara Cincik, LPIP Hub Fellow and CEO of Fashion Roundtable
This report calls on policymakers to move beyond ambition and commit to action by using public procurement to stabilise and strengthen UK fashion and textiles manufacturing. Clear sector recognition and coordinated policy across national and local levels are essential to secure skills, support place-based growth and build resilient regional economies.
Meet the author
Tamara Cincik, Founder & CEO of Fashion Roundtable, LPIP Hub Fellow
Tamara is a UCL graduate and has 20 years experience working in the fashion industry, as a fashion editor and brand consultant, as well as uniquely working in Parliament. She is the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, acting as the bridge between fashion and policy. Tamara is a Fellow of The King’s Foundation advising on their work on regenerative fashion and craft and also an LPIP Fellow with the University of Birmingham. She is also a Commissioner for the UK Trade and Business Commission, and she was the Professor of Fashion and Sustainability at Bath Spa University. She launched The Great British Wool Revival in partnership with The King’s Foundation in 2024 to revitalise the UK wool and textile industry. She is a frequent public speaker with an annual 4.4bn media reach.
Alix Coombs, Research Consultant
Alix Coombs is an international development and policy professional whose work sits at the intersection of sustainability, human rights, and the creative industries. Having spent much of her career working in Cambodia in food security and nutrition, Alix’s exposure to global supply chains, particularly the impacts of fast fashion, informs her current focus on building more equitable and sustainable systems. Alix now works as a Consultant across research, policy, and partnerships to advance the wellbeing of both people and the planet.