How Brexit could ruin your wardrobe

Britain may have regained sovereignty with Brexit, but the country might end up looking like absolute trash. Why, you ask? Here are a few reasons you should maybe start hunting out the best charity shops in your area…

Fabric could cost a lot more

Since our decision to leave the European Union, the pound has severely weakened (hitting a seven year low), meaning that retailers could have to spend more of it to get the fabric needed. Many EU fabric businesses have already put orders on hold until they renegotiate their contracts, with some even asking to be paid in dollars instead of pounds for a better rate.

This effects small brands as well as luxury brands. For example, Gucci would have to pay even more for fine Italian leather. The only solution would be to charge more for the same product you love, or decrease the quality of the materials used.

It’s going to be harder for young designers to make a living

Things could be more difficult than ever for young, upcoming British designers to make a name for themselves, as funding may be cut to new generation initiatives. For example, the European Regional Development Fund has given millions to aid the creative talent behind modern menswear, with two big beneficiaries being the London College of Fashion as well as the British Fashion Council. But now thanks to Brexit, it looks quite uncertain.

London’s fashion weeks could change forever

The creativity of London’s fashion weeks inspires brands around the world, but Cozette McCreery of London based design trio Sibling says that could be about to change: “You need to be asking the likes of Burberry and McQueen as to why they didn’t show at LCM this season, those decisions felt more palpable in June pre-Brexit. However, if more designers go with the model we are going by and sell men’s and women’s collections at the same time and show at LCM, it will prosper. It’s September’s LFW that I personally feel might be at risk, at least potentially should this shift happen. Or perhaps it’s time we all rethought how we present collections, maybe just maybe the catwalk format has had its day.”

I guess that with everything in flux that perhaps the logical answer is that men will perhaps stop buying. Or maybe they’ll only buy garments easily and readily available in the UK.”

Buying trips could become outrageously expensive

As well as global fashion weeks, many designers go on inspiration trips around Europe to source fabric or simply get inspiration, and this already seems to becoming costly. “When doing the Paris showroom, the exchange rate was terrible. Almost 1:1, making my stay there more expensive than usual,” explains Cozette.

So there you have it. Fashion Armageddon could be upon us. Expect to see a number of guys stuck in clothing recycle bins pretty soon.