UK Fashion & Textile Association sets agenda for 2011

To coincide with its move to new, modern headquarters at 3 Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London, the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has set out its agenda for 2011 which will concentrate on helping fashion and textile companies with business development, along with attention to jobs, training and skills and Government lobbying.

The UKFT's slogan of one industry; one voice is now resonating within Government circles as UKFT has put together an all-party group for fashion and textiles and engaged the services of a political lobbying firm at Westminster to build better links to ministers, MPs and senior civil servants.

Over the past year, the UKFT board and its new CEO Eric Musgrave have been talking to members and non members to find out just how best UKFT can serve their needs. The findings have helped shape the strategy for 2011, which will see UK continue with its involvement in areas such as export promotion through UKTI's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) scheme, the Climate Change Levy scheme and the running of HR and legal helplines.

However, new initiatives include the development of the Let's Make it Here database held on the UKFT website to make it as easy as possible to locate the many firms that are still producing in the UK. The companies included cover all stages of the supply chain, from yarns to cloth to trimmings to clothing manufacturing, plus all relevant ancillary finishing and processing services. An enhanced series of business seminars and networking events are also in the pipeline for next year.

Designed to reflect the creativeness within the textile and fashion industry, the new home of UKFT provides spacious showroom, meeting rooms and presentation areas for members and non members.

We hope the association's new home will invigorate existing members while attracting companies that may not have been interested in joining a trade association in the past,says Musgrave. "We will be utilising our new home to develop our role as a facilitator, a bringer-together of people and information."