Source Fashion unveils content line-up for July event
The 8 July (Tuesday) content programme opens with 'Beyond Transparency – Building a Culture of Accountability in Fashion'. A panel of industry leaders will examine how the sector can move 'from performative transparency to genuine, embedded responsibility'.
Headed by Blacklock, the discussion 'will delve into practical strategies for integrating accountability across every layer of a business'.
Attendees will gain insights into how progressive brands are shifting from box-ticking exercises to fostering cultures where sustainability and ethical practices are non-negotiable drivers of long-term success.
In a keynote address on Tuesday (8 July, 1.30pm) entitled 'Volatility is Nothing New – But Are the Rules Changing?' McRaith will explore the 'shifting dynamics shaping the fashion and retail industries… from relentless cost pressures and supply chain instability to technological disruption and mounting regulatory challenges'.
In the 'fireside chat' on 9 July (2pm), 'Leading and Collaborating Through Geopolitical and Economic Upheaval', Ladha will share his insights on navigating leadership in an era defined by uncertainty.
Launched last season, the Source Debates stage 'facilitates conversations on the industry's most pressing and provocative topics, inviting industry experts, brands, and attendees to engage in open dialogue together, challenging the status quo and exploring actionable solutions in an interactive forum'.
On 8 July at 3pm, Sumner 'challenges the fashion industry to rethink its fundamentals and recalculate cost, discussing: 'If We Started All Over Again, What Would It Look Like'?
Suzanne Ellingham, event director of Source Fashion, said: 'This season's content agenda is built around a theme that feels more relevant than ever. Responsible sourcing, sustainability, supply chain management, will always be core to what we do.
'We have been talking about the need to drive change, but let's recognise that for many businesses, these priorities are secondary when just staying afloat is a challenge. Over the past eight years, we've seen Brexit, a global pandemic, supply chain collapses, geopolitical unrest, and soaring commodity prices. We live in an uncertain time and let's face it, volatility is now business as usual. So we're taking a fresh, more pragmatic approach and exploring how businesses can not only navigate this environment but succeed within it.'
Source Fashion said its full programme of speakers and sessions 'will be announced soon'.
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Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Brexit sends Brits to Europe for Louboutins in a blow to UK luxury
Brits are swapping London's glittering storefronts for Paris' grands magasins and Milan's Quadrilatero della moda — and the numbers behind the luxury exodus are startling. Since tax-free shopping became possible for UK visitors in the EU after Brexit in January 2021, British consumers have increasingly directed their high-end spending towards brands and stores across the Channel. According to a recent report published by the Association of International Retail (AIR), Britons shelled out €854 million (£730mn) on VAT-free shopping in the EU in 2024, a five-fold leap from €169mn in 2021. "This is not the same people spending a bit more — it's a whole new shopping-led tourism market spending additionally on hotels, travel, restaurants, etc.," the AIR report stated. When the UK left the European Union, its shoppers became non-EU visitors or third-country travellers and instantly became entitled to VAT-free shopping. According to the EU's VAT directive, retailers in the bloc must provide shoppers with the option of reclaiming no less than 15%, with most countries applying an average rate of 20%, of the cost of the item. This can be particularly appealing when it comes to high-end or luxury items. Say you decide to buy the TikTok-viral Loewe Puzzle Bag during a trip to Paris or Spain. The small one retails at around €3,600 and the large one is currently priced at around €4,200, according to prices listed on Loewe's official website. With the VAT returns, you would get €700 back for the small bag and €840 for the big one. Suddenly, a weekend trip to the continent might seem more appealing. "So, they are spending hundreds of millions of additional euros on hotels, restaurants, transport, fun... at Britain's expense," the AIR report added, highlighting the blow to UK tourism. According to the Paris Tourism Office, there was a 44% spike in visitors from the UK visiting the French capital in 2023, the highest increase among European tourists in the ranking. No VAT-free benefits in the UK When the UK left the EU in January 2021, it proceeded to abolish its previous VAT scheme, citing cost and complexity. This made the UK the only major global shopping destination not offering VAT-free shopping to any international tourists. The only way you can currently buy VAT-free goods in the UK is if they are bought online and shipped directly to an address outside the UK. Northern Ireland has retained a VAT-free scheme, meaning that if you purchase goods there as an EU citizen and fly out within three months, you will get your VAT tax returned to you upon leaving. Even big-ticket items people buy at the airport — such as in the stores in the duty-free area — were stripped of the VAT-free status. So for UK travellers who would usually purchase laptops, smartphones or designer cosmetics at the airport, largely the same prices apply as the ones they pay in stores at home. Alcohol and tobacco purchases are exceptions, as these can be bought duty-free. Luxury retailers are furious Britain's luxury lobby is unhappy about the tax changes. Walpole — the official body representing Britain's luxury sector including Rolls-Royce, Burberry, and Harrods — published a study in May, claiming that luxury exports to the EU were "up to 43% lower than they may have been without Brexit". In the fashion and accessories sector alone, Brexit incurred a 64% loss. "This points to a substantial 'Brexit effect' on this industry which supports over 450,000 jobs and contributes £14.6 billion (€16.8bn) to the Exchequer" the report continues. Crucially, British luxury brands are not just losing sales to European rivals, they are also watching demand for UK-made goods slump across the EU and global markets. The luxury industry is uniquely dominant in Europe's history, having emerged from centuries of craftsmanship and artisanal work matched with the latest developments in artistry and design. 'Luxury is a global phenomenon, but it calls the UK and Europe its home,' Walpole CEO Helen Brocklebank said in a statement. The EU currently produces 74% of global luxury goods, and 62% of those goods are exported outside the EU, according to the European Commission — a profit opportunity the UK luxury industry is missing out on. "The British luxury sector has incredible growth potential, with a projection to reach £125bn (€144bn) by 2028," Brocklebank continued. "However, to achieve this ambition, we cannot afford to have one arm tied behind our back. Strong links and favourable trading with Europe remain essential to reaching this forecast, alongside our success in other global markets and key to supporting craft-led and high value manufacturing in the UK." Brands report that delays, surprise courier fees and inconsistent border checks have pushed EU customers to rival European labels and left a trail of negative reviews for UK brands, leading to a confidence shock on the continent that brands are not able to quell on their own without policy changes. They claim that the EU market is not replaceable, namely that they cannot just pivot to another market that would match the demand. Continental Europe is both their biggest customer base and the linchpin of their supply chains, with brands sourcing many leathers in Tuscan tanneries and continental brands buying from Scottish cashmere mills for their own products. 'At a time of global uncertainty and trade challenges, the Government must seize the opportunity to smooth the trade barriers with our closest and largest trading partner," Brocklebank continued. Apart from the UK-EU relations, luxury sales have faced additional challenges from rising US tariffs and reduced consumer demand in China. Brits love their luxury A YouGov poll shows there is an appetite to spend more on luxury. According to a 2024 study, a quarter of Britons bought a luxury product in the previous year and 45% of those shoppers say they are happy to pay extra for premium brands. More than half spent up to £500, while 9% blew through £5,000. More than a third or 34% of luxury shoppers say they are likely to spend the same amount on luxury goods this year, compared to the previous year. So until Westminster considers relaunching some form of VAT-free equivalent benefits, every swipe of a British card in the EU may ring up another missed sale at home.
Local France
31-07-2025
- Local France
How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?
"This system will strengthen security... by helping us identify over-stayers, prevent irregular movements, and reduce document and identity fraud," Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner for migration, said on Wednesday as he confirmed the EES start date of October 12th, 2025. 90-day rule When travelling into the EU/Schengen zone, some travellers benefit from a visa-free travel allowance of 90 days in every 180. This doesn't apply to all travellers, some people need a visa even for short visits, but citizens of countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Japan are allowed to spend 90 days in the EU in every 180 without needing a visa. You can find the full list of 90-day countries here . This travel allowance is intended for business trips, holidays, family visits and other short stays - it's not for people moving to an EU country, or for those who are working (with the exception of short business trips, conferences and other professional visits). You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE . The rule has been in place for decades for non-EU citizens, but has only applied to Brits since Brexit. Advertisement For most tourists 90 days in every 180 is more than enough, but other visitors use their full allowance - especially second-home owners who often make multiple trips in a year. For these people keeping track of the 90 days is important, and various online calculators or calendars have sprung up to help people keep track. Over-staying the 90 day allowance is an immigration offence and can be punishable by fines or a ban on re-entering the EU or Schengen zone. So how does EES affect this? The Entry & Exit System is essentially an enhanced passport check that has two main purposes; making ID checks more secure by adding biometrics and tightening up on over-stayers. The 90-day rule itself remains unchanged, but EES is likely to make it significantly harder to 'slip through the cracks' and stay for longer than 90 days in every 180. The system does away with the current and rather haphazard manual stamping of passports, and instead introduces a digital system that automatically calculates how long the person has been in the EU, based on their previous entry and exit data. It then calculates whether the person has spent more than 90 days in the Bloc during the previous six months (180 days). Over-stayers will therefore automatically be flagged when they try and leave. The system should - if it works as intended - mean that it's basically impossible to over-stay without being detected. On the other hand it should also eliminate the confusion that is sometimes caused by the current system - for example if people have their passport stamped on arrival but not on exit, or those who end up with illegible stamps, or whose passports are stamped in error. In theory, this should be good news for the vast majority of 90-day visitors who play by the rules and carefully stay within the limits. It should also end the differences between countries that strictly enforce the 90 rule, and those who take a more laissez-faire attitude. What about residents of an EU country? Non-EU citizens who live in an EU or Schengen zone country with a residency permit are not required to use EES (since they are not bound by the 90-day rule and can stay for as long as their residency permit is valid). Likewise, anyone in an EU country on a long-stay visa - eg a visitor visa, student visa or working visa - is not required to use EES. Advertisement Residents and visa holders instead pass through the manned passport booth, showing their passport and visa/residency permit. However residents are still, in theory, bound by the 90-day rule when visiting another part of the EU. For example an American resident in France could only visit Italy for 90 days out of every 180. Likewise a Brit living in Sweden would be limited to 90 days in every 180 for holidays in other EU countries. Exactly how this will be enforced, however, is not clear, since residents are not required to use EES. Advertisement In truth, this rule has always been more theoretical anyway, since travel within the EU and Schengen zone is largely paperwork free with minimal formalities at internal borders. EES is used only at the EU's external borders - for example the UK-France border or a flight from Canada to Spain - so it would not affect travel within the Bloc. An EU resident arriving into the Schengen zone via a different country - for example a British resident of France travelling from the UK to Spain - would show their French residency permit at the Spanish border. Remember, this article is only about EES. The EU's other big travel change - ETIAS - also affects the 90-day rule. You can find a full explanation of both EES and ETIAS here , plus our Frequently Asked Questions section here .
Local France
30-07-2025
- Local France
Which UK phone companies offer free roaming in France?
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