The British Fashion Council, the U.K. Fashion & Textile Association, and U.K. Research & Innovation have joined forces to launch the CFIN with a two year ambition to create an Industrial Scale Change Programme for the UK Fashion and Textile Industry through a lens of Circularity and Innovation.

The network, which is co-chaired by BFC ceo, Caroline Rush and UKFT ceo, Adam Mansell, will sit under the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) and will bring together industry, innovators, investors, academia and broader stakeholders through an action led roadmap to accelerate the UK to a leading Circular Fashion Economy.

The network will receive £1.8m which is jointly allocated to the BFC and UKFT to run the network, build the community, accelerate knowledge share to members and industry and to activate required industry-led research. The CFIN will play an essential central convening role in UKRI’s £15m Circular Fashion programme to accelerate positive change within the fashion industry.

“We look forward to The Circular Fashion Innovation Network being the catalyst for essential transformation within the fashion industry. Collaboration has always been our guiding principle in effecting change," Rush, chief executive of the BFC, said in a statement. "The new Circular Fashion Innovation Network rests on this very spirit - our cross-sector advisory board will combine and advance novel technologies and approaches, which we hope will create a world-class blueprint here in the UK. It builds on the BFC’s Circular Fashion Ecosystem work, established in 2020 as a multi-year endeavour to establish not just what needs to be done to achieve circularity in our fashion industry, but who needs to do it.

"BFC and UKFT have a proven track record of working together on Government Relations and International Trade, it now makes sense that we bring together our two networks which covers fashion and textile designers, retailers, manufacturers, tech businesses, government, media, professional services, investors and consumer audiences, to tackle our biggest challenge, our impact on the planet and with that the future of the UK fashion industry.”

The network will include an Advisory Board represented, among others, by Chanel, Jules Lennon, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Richard Price, Marks & Spencer. The board will aim to focus on several goals such as reducing waste and over-production by embedding circular business practices, recycling infrastructure, novel technology, and green growth.

Adam Mansell, ceo UKFT, commented “It has never been more important to combine knowledge and networks to tackle the challenges of sustainability. We’re excited to work with the BFC and other partners via the Circular Fashion Innovation Network to establish both direct interventions and long term plans to help the transition towards a new circular economy in the UK. Our particular area of focus will be sustainable manufacturing and recycling infrastructure, which we believe will be key drivers in helping to build the most resilient, sustainable and competitive sector for future generations.”