Fashion UK launches state of the sector film and report

Fashion UK, the UK’s first trade union branch for fashion creatives, screened its first roundtable discussion over the weekend as part of London Fashion Week.

• The roundtable film, released publicly today, includes insights from industry heavyweights British Fashion Council CEO Caroline Rush, Anita Chhiba of Diet Paratha, and hairstylist Sam McKnight.
• Fashion UK has today also released its State of the Sector report – based on responses from over 500 fashion creatives working in the UK

The working conditions of fashion creatives in roles such as Fashion and Accessories Designers, Hair Stylists, Makeup Artists and Nail Technicians, Photographers, Fashion Stylists, Tailors, and their Assistants have rarely been captured, especially for the many freelancers supporting the UK’s fashion industry. Now, a new report from Fashion UK, a branch of Bectu, lays bare the often grim reality for those who work in the £37 billion industry*.

Despite its monumental contribution to the UK economy, for those working in creative roles in the fashion industry, it is a story of insecurity, low – or no – pay, and toxic working environments.

Working for free

Bectu’s survey found that nearly 8 in 10 fashion creatives have felt under pressure to work for free (and more than a third have to supplement their income with non-fashion work).

A quarter (24 per cent) of respondents said that they work 11+ hours as a regular working day, and almost 7 in 10 (69%) say they are not paid for working overtime.

One nail technician said: “There is often no fee for editorial shoots and now not even travel expenses covered… also no overtime or limit on how long they shoot. I have done a 12-hour day for free previously.”

A photographer/director said: “As a photographer working in fashion, you are expected to spend a lot of money every season on unpaid editorial work that often doesn’t bring new commercial work. It’s like a Ponzi scheme, bankrolling and supporting these powerful magazines.”

Only a third of survey respondents have a pension, and 4 in 10 have no savings.

The responses also paint a bleak picture of poor work/life balance, with more than seven in 10 reporting mental health struggles in the past year, and most (59%) saying their work has negatively impacted their personal relationships.

Job insecurity

Respondents spoke about the inherent insecurity in the industry, and reported frequent job cancellations and late payments. Just 1 in 10 said that they feel secure in their job.

One hair and makeup artist said: “Feels like there’s no job security; clients will book and cancel days before. Trying to ask for better pay doesn’t work and often results in not getting booked again. Seems like there is always someone willing to work for next to nothing.”

Moreover, the length of time people had been in the industry seemed to have very little impact on their sense of security, as only 11% of those who had worked in the industry for 15 years or more said they felt secure in their job.

Just 5% of freelancers said that they felt secure in their job, while only 31% of full-time employees said that their employment felt secure.

Toxic behaviours

The reports highlights the ‘Devil Wears Prada’ attitudes and behaviours that continue to prevail in the sector. 83% of survey respondents said that behaviours that would be considered toxic and inappropriate in public life are often tolerated in the fashion industry.

Multiple survey respondents spoke about sexual harassment, having objects thrown at them, and being verbally abused by senior colleagues, managers or talent.

A photographer and creative director said: “Sexual harassment from older male photographers. Being grabbed and told ‘If you didn’t have a boyfriend, you could be my assistant.’”

A celebrity stylist reported: “When I was an assistant, my boss left me locked in an apartment for two days because the celebrity we had been shooting talked to me more than they did him.

“They would regularly psychologically abuse me, doing things like stealing accessories from a table during a shoot, insinuating they’d gone missing and making me feel like I was going to have to pay for them before producing them from their pocket – all while being paid £50 for a shoot.

“They would… [throw] shoes at me or [keep] me past 11pm at their house with nothing to do whilst they scrolled their laptop, just to exercise power over me. I didn’t know any better and felt like I had to go through this to make it.”

All of this is having a clear impact on industry diversity and retention, with nearly a third (31%) of fashion creatives saying they don’t see themselves in the industry in five years’ time.

And fashion creatives from Black and minoritised ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be in low-paid work and to have experienced workplace discrimination than their white counterparts.

One freelance producer said: “Abusive ways of…working are so normalised that it’s rarely questioned by the companies I freelance for, but it has really taken its toll. The wealth and power disparities within fashion are getting more extreme and the things that people are able to ‘get away with’ feels like it will get more and more. I strongly feel that this culture needs to change.”

What next?

There was unanimous support among survey respondents for more formal hiring practices: 94% would support a rate card issued by the union stating the suggested minimum rate for each type of freelance job, and 92% would support a standardised booking confirmation document for freelance fashion creatives to give to employers.

To that end, Fashion UK is now working on a two-part Guide to Good Practice, aimed at employers and creatives themselves, to help standardise hiring practices, terms and conditions in the industry. It will also help inform creatives about how to check their contract and terms, and advise on how to chase payments, among addressing other issues.

The initial guide is being prepared by fashion stylist members of the branch, and will be rolled out to other roles in future.

Commenting on the State of the Sector report, Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said:

“It is very clear that fashion has a culture problem. From workers facing psychological abuse and unreasonable demands, to excessive hours and no or little pay, no one should have to put up with these conditions to ‘make it’ in an industry.

“Bectu has a long history of fighting for better terms and conditions in other parts of the creative industries like film, TV and theatre. We’re really pleased that a growing number of fashion creatives are joining Bectu and want to help improve their industry.

“We hope both our report and roundtable film will serve as a wakeup call for those at the top, but also for the workers who are the heart and soul of this industry – things can improve and if you want to help drive change, please join and get involved in Bectu and Fashion UK.” *The British Fashion Council estimates that the fashion industry contributes £37 billion to the UK economy

About Fashion UK Formed in 2023, Fashion UK is the UK’s first trade union branch solely for UK-based non-performing fashion creatives – both freelancers and employed creatives. Fashion UK is part of Bectu.

Bectu and Fashion UK surveyed 525 fashion creatives in November 2024 working in roles such as assistants (fashion, makeup/hair, photographer etc), fashion and accessories designers, hair/makeup/nails, photographers, stylists and tailors. Fashion UK’s State of the Sector report documents these findings.

Fashion UK’s roundtable discussion was filmed in London in February 2025, and centred on the report’s fundings and what the industry needs to do to improve working conditions. Watch the short film above, chaired by fashion writer and editor Dominic Cadogan and featuring the below panellists:

• Philippa Childs: Head of Bectu, the UK’s media and entertainment trade union.
• Caroline Rush: Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council.
• Anita Chhiba: Founder of Diet Paratha, the leading network and full-service creative agency for the best in global South Asian culture
• Bisoye Babalola: Founder of Holiday Club, a creative producer and advocate for inclusive industry opportunities.
• Nicky Weir: A highly-regarded makeup artist and a passionate advocate for better accessibility within the industry.
• Sam McKnight: One of the most influential hairstylists in the industry.