Threads of Opportunity: Good Work for Refugees in the Fashion Industry

This policy paper is an output of the advocacy work package of the AHRC-funded two-yearlong participatory action research project ‘Decolonising Fashion and Textiles’ led by Dr Francesco Mazzarella (from Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UAL). The project team engaged London-based refugees and asylum seekers in a reciprocal process of making and learning with the aim of fostering cultural sustainability and community resilience, in and through fashion. The team engaged 41 participants with either refugee or asylum-seeking status and came from 19 different countries for different reasons (fleeing from war, gender-based violence or discrimination due to racial, religious or political issues) and with aspirations or an interest in Fashion. Besides desk research, the project team facilitated three roundtable discussions engaging 38 stakeholders from across the fashion industry, policy makers, and charities working with refugees, with the purpose of advocating for policy change, in and through fashion. It emerged that refugees and asylum seekers face systemic discrimination based on their origin and reasons for seeking refuge. Temporary accommodation further hinders their ability to secure employment. Efforts to address these issues are fragmented, occurring in silos through Local Councils and charities. Additionally, fashion and textile jobs are not listed on the UK’s Immigration Salary List. Moreover, the UK fashion industry is experiencing a skills shortage that could be alleviated by tapping into the talents of skilled refugees and asylum seekers. This would not only contribute to their wellbeing, financial independence, and social integration but also benefit the UK economy. This policy paper outlines recommendations for enabling access to good work for new refugees in the fashion industry, while addressing the skills shortage faced by fashion businesses by leveraging the skills owned by refugees.

The paper outlines the following policy asks:
- Grant asylum seekers the right to work within 6 months and connect them with relevant employment opportunities in the fashion industry;
- Add relevant ‘fashion and textiles jobs’ to the Immigration Salary List that includes jobs which are in short supply within the UK resident labour market;
- Build safe and welcoming spaces for asylum seekers and refugees to engage in fashion and creative activities;
- Develop and deliver ‘skills training while you wait’ programmes for asylum seekers and recent refugees;
- Develop traineeships for recent refugees paid at a real living wage.