May 7, 2026 |
Few areas of our lives are as deeply entangled with the idea of change as fashion. With every passing season, silhouettes shift, trends dissolve and new systems of expression emerge. To participate in fashion is to embrace a state of perpetual transformation. It follows, then, that the industry’s internal frameworks are often shifting, with roles, hierarchies and power dynamics constantly being renegotiated.
Yet in today’s turbulent climate, that typically generative force risks tipping into chaos. Hard-won progress around inclusivity, representation and creative freedom is increasingly met with backlash, as rigid and oppressive ideologies are making a comeback. The question, then, is not whether fashion will evolve, but how? How do we continue to amplify the right voices? How do we safeguard the openness, experimentation and plurality that so positively define what we do? Ultimately, how do we ensure that we change for the best? To map the challenges and possibilities of the present moment, we spoke to figures at the forefront of this shift who are shaping both our taste and the wider structures and responsibilities of the fashion industry today.
Tamara Cincik
Tamara Cincik, founder of Fashion Roundtable
Before Tamara Cincik founded Fashion Roundtable in 2017, the industry had not been mentioned in the House of Commons for more than seven years. “It was very clear that our industry is thought of by policymakers in the lightest of terms. They might dream of attending a show one day, but they don’t understand its value, both economically and culturally, or the myriad roles involved beyond designers,” she says.
After two decades working as a high-profile stylist for titles like Vogue and i-D, Cincik joined the Fabian Women’s Network’s mentoring scheme and was eventually offered a role under a Member of Parliament. Far removed from the traditional Westminster pedigree, she nonetheless discovered that “political and fashion campaigns are surprisingly similar, as they share many of the same processes”. Immersed in Parliament, at the heart of the law-making class and operating at an exhilarating pace reminiscent of back-to-back shows, she observed the idiosyncrasies and mechanisms that make meaningful change possible.
These lessons paved the way for Fashion Roundtable, the think-tank agency Cincik founded to act as a strategic advisor to brands and policymakers alike. There, she pushes for systemic change by addressing some of the industry’s most pressing issues, from identifying and nurturing underprivileged talent to shaping better trade frameworks. “Imagine for a second if Alexander McQueen had been forced to become a taxi driver [like his father],” she muses. “Imagine the loss of talent, the taxable income, the jobs and the joy his work created.” Her work also tackles the fallout of Brexit, advocating for initiatives such as youth schemes that allow UK graduates to access entry-level roles in European fashion houses.
All of this is underpinned by a consistent push for policies that place “the planet, its people and profit in a more harmonious relationship”, a priority made all the more urgent in the wake of recent scandals surrounding exploitation and unsustainable labour practices at major labels.
Photography by Anna Stokland. Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 76 – CREATIVITY, CHANGE, FREEDOM – out NOW. Order your copy here.
