Leading businessmen including Simon Berwin of Berwin & Berwin, Nigel Lugg of Prominent Apparel (Europe) and Richard Craig of Margaret Howell, are among the board members of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), the new body that will represent the industry and which succeeds the British Clothing Industry Association (BCIA).           

        Since taking over as chairman of BCIA last year, Peter Lucas of Baird Group has made it his priority to develop an association that encompassed both the fashion and textile sectors to provide one voice for the industry.

        “We have made tremendous progress and have begun working with almost every trade association that covers the sector and the response has been extremely enthusiastic,” says Lucas. “I am delighted, too, that the new board comprises members who are passionate about their sector and want to help companies to trade more effectively both in the domestic market and overseas.”

         The new board will meet for the first time in June to develop UKFT‘s strategy, which will be announed in the autumn.

         The Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry (ASBCI) and The Savile Row Bespoke Association, are the first two organisations to have committed to join UKFT. According to Malcolm Ball, chairman and technical director of the ASBCI, there is “great potential and synergy in working closely with other like-minded organisations to deliver a focused and unified service to our respective members and the wider clothing industry.”

        “The British clothing industry has a strong history, in which Savile Row has played a major role, and together with UKFT and other bodies, we need to be doing all we can to continue to strengthen the industry both on a local and international stage,” says Mark Henderson of Gieves & Hawkes, also chairman of The Savile Row Bespoke Association.