Nearly 80 percent of creatives working in the UKâs fashion sector have felt pressure to work for free, while only 14 percent say they get paid on time for the work that they do, according to a new survey by the countryâs creative industriesâ union Bectu and its fashion branch, Fashion UK.
The survey highlighted long-standing issues in fashionâs creative sector, whose glamorous veneer rests on the graft of a host of overworked and underpaid stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers, fashion assistants, as well as many others.
âIâve had shoes thrown at me, been told certain expenses will be covered and then had the client refuse to pay them. [Iâve worked] 16-hour days during London Fashion Week for as little as £100,â one freelance fashion assistant said in their survey comments.
âThe issues uncovered in our survey should ring alarm bells for the industry, with many fashion creatives telling us they donât see themselves in the industry in five yearsâ time,â Bectu head Philippa Childs said in a statement.
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