Here’s why it's time for fashion workers to unionise

This week, BRICKS deputy editor Maddy Reid speaks to Michael Miller, co-founder of the Bectu trade union Fashion UK branch.

I’m sure many of you, upon first telling friends or family members of your intention to pursue a career in fashion, have been met with the same joking comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada. The 2003 cult classic, based on the book based on the real-life experiences of former Vogue assistant Lauren Weisberger (Si apre in una nuova finestra), is widely viewed as a snapshot of what working in fashion is really like, and is particularly beloved by those working in the industry for its depictions of the less-glamorous sides of the job, including having a deviously demanding boss, competitive colleagues, and round-the-clock working hours.

Here on The Learner Platform, we share our experiences and advice from other creatives with our community in order to support your start in the creative sector. Much of the content we share focuses on navigating the industry and its many confusing, unfair and straight up illegal working practices. We share our advice, not because we agree with the state of the sector for emerging creatives, but because we understand that this is the reality for those working in industry already. However, we also believe that just because this is the way things are – or the way things have always been – it doesn’t mean things should remain this way.

This sentiment is shared by celebrity stylist Michael Miller (Si apre in una nuova finestra), who co-founded the Fashion UK branch of Bectu (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union. Bectu is the UK's media and entertainment trade union – sectors covered include broadcasting, film, independent production, theatre and the arts, IT and telecoms, live events, leisure and digital media. 

Originally founded as the "Celebrity Stylist Union" in 2023, Fashion UK has since expanded to support anyone working in fashion behind-the-scenes, addressing the industry’s pervasive problems with low pay and poor working conditions. Miller was inspired to set up the branch to unite the many freelancers across the industry facing the same difficulties, and has created a Whatsapp group for members dedicated to offering advice, connecting disparate creatives, and building a community network.

To better understand the issues facing industry workers today, the union published its State of the Sector report (Si apre in una nuova finestra) in February, discussing unpaid and underpaid work, insecurity & late payments, toxicity & exclusion, and the impact of poor-quality work on creatives’ mental health. The report collates experiences from over 500 “non-performing creatives” including stylists, editors,  hair stylists, makeup artists, assistants, designers and photographers, and offers a snapshot of the systemic issues facing the fashion industry. Next, the union is working on creating guides for employers and creatives in each discipline to advocate for fair employment conditions. Bectu’s Fashion UK branch believes that by coming together, fashion creatives have the power to challenge the toxic status quo.

You can watch Bectu Fashion UK’s roundtable discussion here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Below, we speak with Michael Miller to hear more about Bectu Fashion UK, how it can support your creative employment, and its goals for the future of fashion.