Fashion Trade Union Report Reveals Low Pay and Job Insecurity
Fashion Trade Union Report Reveals Low Pay and Job Insecurity
Session stylists among those sharing experiences of unpaid overtime, late payments and toxic working environments
by AMANDA | INFORM
Just 14 per cent of fashion creatives are paid on time for the work they do and eight in 10 feel pressured to work for free. These are some of the damning findings in Fashion UK’s State of the Sector report, based on responses from more than 500 fashion creatives working in the UK, including hair stylists, make-up artists, nail technicians, fashion and accessories designers, photographers, fashion stylists, tailors and their assistants.
Fashion UK is the UK’s first trade union branch for fashion creatives – part of Bectu, the long-established union representing staff, contract and freelance workers in the media and entertainment industries – with vocal supporters including legendary session stylist Sam McKnight. While the British Fashion Council estimates that the fashion industry contributes £37 billion to the UK economy, the report illustrates the insecure working conditions of many fashion creatives, showcasing a story low – or no – pay and toxic working environments.
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. More than a third are forced to supplement their income with non-fashion work.
Responses from 525 fashion creatives spoke about the inherent insecurity in the industry, reporting frequent job cancellations and late payments. Nearly a third (31 per cent) of fashion creatives said they don’t see themselves in the industry in five years’ time.
The key findings included:
• Just one in 10 fashion creatives (10 per cent) say they feel secure in their job.
• Only 14 per cent are paid on time for the work they do.
• Half (51 per cent) of fashion creatives are earning under £30,000 a year before tax from their work in the industry.
• More than seven in 10 have struggled financially (72 per cent) in the past year
• Eight in 10 (79 per cent) have felt pressured to work for free.
• And 83 per cent say that behaviours that would be considered toxic and inappropriate in public life are often tolerated in the fashion industry.
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.
“It is very clear that fashion has a culture problem,” said head of Bectu, Philippa Childs. “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.”
This Is The 2025 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team
This Is The 2025 Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team
Six fresh faces revealed for year-long programme
by AMANDA | INFORM
The new Schwarzkopf Professional Young Artistic Team for 2025 is here, celebrating up-and-coming talent from across the UK and Ireland.
The latest recruits are:
Lucy Hulme (Billi Currie, Marylebone, London)
Joseph McCarthy (Hooker & Young, Ponteland)
Alex Trippier (Claxton Hair, Rawtenstall)
Kate Olivia (HEX, Manchester)
Becky Yardley (Base Hairdressing, Warrington)
Eilidh Ashlyn (Complete Salon, Glasgow)
During the year-long programme, the team will be mentored by UK ambassador, Suzie McGill, to develop skills, explore new creative possibilities and gain industry experience at shoots, events and more.
The selection process took place at Stā Studios, where finalists were asked to cut and style their chosen models hair using Schwarzkopf Professional products, with each model having a minimum of five inches cut from their hair. The finalists presented their models to a panel of judges, sharing their mood board, inspirations, techniques and vision.
BHC Report: Govt Must Halve VAT To Save Salons
BHC Report: Govt Must Halve VAT To Save Salons
Employment and apprenticeships will be decimated unless there’s action, warns explosive industry report
by AMANDA | INFORM
No new apprenticeships by 2027 and a 93 per cent fall in employment by 2030 – those are the stark findings from an incendiary British Hair Consortium (BHC) report on the future of UK salons unless the government halves VAT.
The report – by independent consultancy CBI Economics and based on responses from more than 2,000 salon owners and professionals – highlights how an unbalanced tax system is decimating the industry, largely because the sector is far more labour intensive than most other high street businesses, with limited chances to reclaim VAT costs. This is leaving VAT-registered businesses at a disadvantage, particularly with the rising levels of ‘disguised employment’. The latter described the practice of hiring contractors to avoid VAT and NI payments.
This unlevel playing field sees employers often contributing more than double the tax (12 per cent more) than the disguised model. The industry shift to self-employment has coincided with a decline in overall sectoral employment, which may have cost the Treasury £2.4bn in VAT receipts alone since 2009. The continuing drop in employment would create a sector “largely devoid of the employment rights that come with being an employee”.
The report also noted that cutting VAT on salon labour costs would be hugely cost-positive, potentially reversing the decline in VAT registrations.
“A ‘one size fits all’ tax system doesn’t work and has created an unlevel playing field. This report shows how cutting VAT to 10 per cent won’t cost the government a penny. It would save salons across the country and ensure the future of our industry, which sits at the heart of the high street” – Toby Dicker, BFC co-founder
Rising costs that are due to hit in full force in April following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget, have exacerbated the crunch for many salon employers. With the Spring Forecast due in five weeks, the BHC – which represents 50,000 UK hairdressing professionals – says the government must act urgently on VAT.
To show your support, the BHC is urging salon owners to visit bhc.co.uk to download the report and personalise the templated letter, which can be emailed to local MPs.
The BHC is a working group representing all areas of the UK personal care sector, including the Salon Employers Association, Salon Owners United, the Hair & Barber Council, the Freelance Hairdressers Association, the Men’s Hairdressing Federation and the Fellowship for British Hairdressing.
Reaction From Salon Employers
“The changes from the last Budget have made it very hard for salons to continue to offer the benefits of employment and we will certainly not be able to take on as many apprentices going forward. This will kill the future of our industry.” – Laura Geary, director at Headmasters, one of the UK’s biggest salon groups and one of the largest providers of apprenticeships
“Last year’s change in NI contributions has forced us to close our salon in Ormskirk in West Lancashire after 57 years of trading. Nearly all our competitors in Ormskirk are self-employed and we cannot continue to be competitive.
“We’re also a specialist provider of hairdressing apprenticeships – the largest in Liverpool. Last year we had over 300 applications but were only able to find employment for 60 apprentices because fewer salons can afford to take them on. Apprenticeships are the main route for sustainable careers in hairdressing, but the model is under threat if there aren’t enough salons able to directly employ hairdressers.” – Charlie Collinge, director at Collinge & Co, Liverpool
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced over the years has been VAT. A growing number of salons now operate with chair renters who don’t have to pay VAT, which allows them to keep their prices low and creates an uneven playing field.
“I also worry about the future for the next generation of stylists. Who will train them? Recently I had to make the difficult decision to let my two newest apprentices go because I simply can’t afford them. My training provider has no salons on their books looking for apprentices this year, as chair rental salons don’t typically train apprentices. If salons like mine continue to be squeezed, they’ll become less and less viable, making it even harder for employers like me to secure a stable future.” – Denise Thomas, owner of Denise Thomas Hair Salons, in Liverpool
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Hometown
Hometown
Michael Young’s homage to his home city of Newcastle was liberating in more ways than one
by CATHERINE | PORTFOLIOS
Over a three-week period in early February 2025, photographer Michael Young took to the streets and bridges of Newcastle, shooting a series of images that captured his love for his home city. This was a personal project of Michael’s, undertaken purely for his own pleasure and without any of the commercial or time pressures he encounters in his usual photographic work. Instead, the shoot was scheduled around the availability of the models (all of them from Newcastle, all of them wearing their own clothes, with hair styled by Michael’s partner Gary Hooker) and, of course, the good old Northern weather.
The resulting images – free of any influence from industry trends or peers – reflect Michael’s authentic connection with what excites him and stirs him creatively. ‘Hometown’ is about what Michael loves and what comes from the heart.
“When you’re immersed in your professional photographic work it’s so hard not to be influenced by what the current buzz is about, how you feel your work ‘should’ look. It’s easy to forget what you personally find interesting when you’re producing work for other people’s consumption. This project allowed me to step away from these influences and develop my own creativity.
“Working without constraints, without any pressure, allows my creativity to flow in a truly organic way. It tends to happen best when I’m working alone. I let my thoughts start in quite a small space and then allow them to expand and unfold as the project evolves. Shooting the looks and seeing the ‘Hometown’ story start to build was exciting – it injected freshness into my art. The process is like an artist painting at an easel, stepping away and then returning time and again with fresh eyes to see what needs adding next.
“A personal project like this enables me to develop my creativity by providing new sources and channels of inspiration and opening up new and exciting approaches to explore. It forces me to think differently about how I approach my subjects and this, in turn, affects my professional work, making me see familiar scenarios through different eyes.”
HAIR Gary Hooker & Michael Young for Hooker & Young
MAKE-UP AND CLOTHES Models’ own
PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Young
Michael Young will be talking about reclaiming confidence and staying creatively relevant as a salon boss at Creative HEAD’s Salon Smart business networking event on Monday 7 April. More information here.
