Policy fragmentation and place-based opportunity in UK fashion and textiles
Think tank: City-REDI
Author(s): Tamara Cincik; Alix Coombs
April 30, 2026
This report from UK think tank City-REDI uses fashion and textiles as a case study through which to interrogate the effectiveness of place-based industrial policy in practice.
A new report, by Tamara Cincik, Fashion Roundtable and Alix Coombs, examines how the UK fashion and textiles sector is positioned within national, devolved and local policy frameworks, and what this positioning means for its ability to function as a stable, place-based economic system that supports skills retention, inclusive growth and regional resilience.
Conducted as part of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub, the research uses fashion and textiles as a case study through which to interrogate the effectiveness of place-based industrial policy in practice. Drawing on desk-based policy analysis, stakeholder mapping and 19 in-depth interviews across the sector, the report identifies a persistent gap between policy ambition and delivery, and sets out actionable recommendations grounded in local realities while remaining scalable across the UK.
