Brexit and the UK textile and apparel value chain: a crisis foretold

The textile and apparel industry is facing a crisis of large proportions. Increased costs of imported raw materials have led to higher retail prices. Demand for domestic production has fallen, tariffs and delivery times have been unpredictable, and retail sales took a hit. Several brands are shutting down. Some of the largest retailers have switched from UK to other EU or international suppliers, or relocated plants and warehouses to the EU. Simona Iammarino and Patrizia Casadei investigate the perceptions of Brexit uncertainty among UK textile and apparel firms and argue that the industry must be urgently included in the UK industrial strategy

Global cities, creative industries and their representation on social media: a micro-data analysis of twitter data on the fashion industry

The creative and cultural industries form an important part of many urban economies, and the fashion industries are one of the exemplar creative industries. Because fashion is based on intangibles such as branding and reputation, it tends to have a two-way relationship with cities: urban areas market themselves through their fashion industry, while the fashion industry draws heavily on the representation of place. In this paper we investigate this interlinked relationship between the fashion industry and place in four of the major cities of global fashion – London, New York, Milan and Paris – using data from the social media platform Twitter. To do this, we draw upon a variety of computer-aided text analysis techniques – including cluster, correspondence and specificity analyses – to examine almost 100,000 tweets collected during the Spring–Summer fashion weeks of February and March 2018. We find considerable diversity in how these cities are represented. Milan and Paris are seen in terms of national fashion houses, artisanal production and traditional institutions such as galleries and exhibitions. New York is focused on media and entertainment, independent designers and a ‘buzzy’ social life. London is portrayed in the most diverse ways, with events, shopping, education, social movements, political issues and the royal family all prominent. In each case, the historical legacy and built environment form important parts of the city’s image. However, there is considerable diversity in representation. We argue that social media allow a more democratic view of the way cities are represented than other methodologies

Material and symbolic production of fashion in a global creative city. Industry’s perception of the 21st century London

In response to globalization of traditional manufacturing and the growing significance of a symbolic economy, fashion cities are now formed by different mixings of material, design/creative and symbolic forms of production. The intersection between these elements is particularly evident in the global fashion cities, which have experienced a profound process of deindustrialization and a shift between manufacturing and symbolic economies. This paper explores London’s relationship with fashion through the perspectives of key industry actors. We draw upon 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews undertaken between 2016 and 2018 to explore the interplay between material, creative and symbolic forms of fashion production in the city. Interview material is supported by the analysis of data collected from the Office for National Statistics and the Higher Education Statistics Agency. London’s fashion ecosystem is seen as having strong focus on creativity, artistic values and forms of symbolism, which are however regarded as in tension with a viable fashion design industry, an effective business culture and manufacturing system. The paper contributes to the literature on the fashion’s positioning in urban economies by shedding light on the interaction between production, creative and symbolic elements in a global creative city

Economic complexity and firm performance in the cultural and creative sector: evidence from Italian provinces

Several studies have detected a positive relationship between the spatial dynamics of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) and their social and economic outcomes. In this article, we draw upon the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) as a proxy to capture the social interactive nature that characterises CCIs and the way this affects firm performance. Our assumption is that more complex locations, endowed with different types of more sophisticated production capabilities, allow CCI firms to perform more strongly. This can depend on the higher opportunities of complex knowledge sharing and cross-fertilisation processes among different types of CCI firms or with non-CCI firms. The focus is on Italy, a country with a long-standing historical tradition in culture and creativity. We draw upon an original panel database at firm and province level (for the period 2010–2016) to compute two different ECIs, one for the CCIs and another one for the rest of the economy. Moreover, we analyse the effects these two types of complexity on the performance of firms within sectors with different levels of cultural and commercial value. We find that economic complexity of CCIs but not economic complexity of the rest of the economy matters for CCI firm performance. However, the effect is relatively weak. The same finding applies to all CCI firms, irrespective of their type of sector. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed

Experimental and modeling study of drug release from HPMC-based erodible oral thin films

In this work hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) fast-dissolving thin films for oral administration are investigated. Furosemide (Class IV of the Biopharmaceutical Classification System) has been used as a model drug for in vitro release tests using three different set-ups: the Franz cell, the millifluidic flow-through device, and the paddle type dissolution apparatus (USP II). In order to enable drug incorporation within HPMC films, a multifunctional excipient, hydroxypropyl- β -cyclodextrin (HP- β -CD) has been included in the formulation, and the influence of HP- β -CD on film swelling, erosion, and release properties has been investigated. Mathematical models capable of describing the swelling and release processes from HPMC erodible thin films in different apparatuses have been developed. In particular, we propose a new model for the description of drug transport and release in a Franz cell that accounts for the effect of the unavoidable imperfect mixing of the receptor chamber

Infant milk formulas: effect of storage conditions on the stability of powdered products towards autoxidation

Thirty samples of powdered infant milk formulas containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been stored at four different temperatures (20, 28, 40 and 55 °C) and periodically monitored for their malondialdehyde (MDA) content up to one year. MDA levels ranged between 250 and 350 ng/kg in sealed samples with a maximum of 566 ng/kg in samples stored at 28 °C for three weeks after opening of their original packages, previously maintained for ten months at 20 °C. Sample stored at 40° and 55 °C were also submitted to CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage) colorimetric analysis, since color is the first sensorial property that consumers may evaluate. Overall, the results demonstrated a good stability of PUFA-enriched infant milk formulas in terms of MDA content. However, some care has to be paid when these products are not promptly consumed and stored for a long time after first opening

Can pulsed electromagnetic fields trigger on-demand drug release from high-tm magnetoliposomes?

Recently, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used to trigger drug release from magnetoliposomes through a magneto-nanomechanical approach, where the mechanical actuation of the MNPs is used to enhance the membrane permeability. This result can be effectively achieved with low intensity non-thermal alternating magnetic field (AMF), which, however, found rare clinic application. Therefore, a different modality of generating non-thermal magnetic fields has now been investigated. Specifically, the ability of the intermittent signals generated by non-thermal pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFS) were used to verify if, once applied to high-transition temperature magnetoliposomes (high-Tm MLs), they could be able to efficiently trigger the release of a hydrophilic model drug. To this end, hydrophilic MNPs were combined with hydrogenated soybean phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol to design high-Tm MLs. The release of a dye was evaluated under the effect of PEMFs for different times. The MNPs motions produced by PEMF could effectively increase the bilayer permeability, without affecting the liposomes integrity and resulted in nearly 20% of release after 3 h exposure. Therefore, the current contribution provides an exciting proof-of-concept for the ability of PEMFS to trigger drug release, considering that PEMFS find already application in therapy due to their anti-inflammatory effects

Freeze-dried nanocomposite gel beads for oral drug delivery. In vitro simulation of gastro-intestinal drug release

We investigated entrapment efficiency, swelling and drug release from freeze-dried gel beads prepared with Gellan gum and a synthetic clay, Laponite. Polymeric beads loaded with two model molecules having different molecular weights were prepared and subjected to in vitro release studies in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. The experimental observations confirm that laponite may be an effective additive for fabricating sustained drug delivery systems from gellan gum by means of ionotropic gelation and freeze-drying

Identifying and analysing UK fashion micro-clusters: Building regional supply chains that foster sustainable approaches and circular economies

The UK Fashion and Textiles industry contributed almost £20 billion to the UK economy in 2020 and remains a major UK employer with 500,000 jobs supported across design, manufacturing and retail. The covid-19 pandemic and post Brexit landscape exposed the UK industries reliance on long, global supply chains as well as restricting access to skilled workers. In parallel to these events the sector faces further challenges to address sustainability and circular economy agendas and transition to net zero by 2050. The UK sector is dominated by fashion design and manufacture Micro and SME businesses, though more economically vulnerable than larger businesses, they have demonstrated the ability to be more agile in response to external factors causing supply chain disruptions (such as Brexit and Covid), as well as adapt to more sustainable practices. However, accessing UK supply chain networks, at an appropriate scale and quality to support the growth of these businesses is an increasing challenge. This paper outlines findings from qualitative research evaluating the benefits to UK based micro and SME fashion businesses from being co-located within regional micro-clusters. It looks at the regional activities being undertaken by fashion firms working within micro-clusters and the challenges they face in the post Brexit & Covid landscape, as well as specific sustainability challenges. It finds that regional fashion micro-clusters act as localised networks developing and providing access to skills and services for businesses based within them. Recommendations for programme and policy initiatives to support the development of cluster & cross cluster communities to enable wider access to these developing UK supply chain networks are suggested. These include, investment in fashion micro-clusters as innovation hubs as well as supporting the expansion of businesses operating within them into New Markets