Editors' Top Reads: News from Burberry, Topshop, Amazon and more...

Here are some of this week’s news and features highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.fashion team.

Burberry CEO calls for return of VAT-free shopping to help UK reclaim luxury crown

Seriously, can the Government please just do this already? The withdrawal of the VAT-free shopping scheme in the UK was a mistake by the then Chancellor Rishi Sunak and his decision was based on flakey maths. I'm told those in high places know this really, but there's a reluctance to re-instate the scheme partly because of optics (who cares if wealthy tourists can't get a discount on their outrageously priced handbags?) and partly because of the admin burden.

On the point of optics, we should all care that wealthy tourists can't get their discounts, because they get them elsewhere and they'll go elsewhere and spend all their money elsewhere too. And they are not just spending their money on handbags, but in coffee shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and on taxis and other forms of transport too. And, on the second point of the admin burden, give me strength. God forbid the Government should have to put in some legwork to do something that would actually help our economy.

I'm told by someone in the know that if the Government does introduce the scheme, they want it to be streamlined and digitised for efficiency. Makes sense, so why don't we find a British tech business that can do that and get them going? They'd get a boost and the economy would get a boost, and CEOs like Burberry's Joshua Schulman can get on with the job of turning around one of our prized business assets.

Instead he's having to lobby, along with countless others, to get the Government to see sense. I'm hoping the new British Fashion Council CEO Laura Weir also has this on the top of her to-do list too. She seems to have got off to a strong start by offering more support to London Fashion Week designers (and bravo for that), but helping to get VAT-free shopping reintroduced would provide a far greater boost for fashion brands and retailers across the board.

Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.

In History: How Topshop defined a generation and why its return could shape fashion’s future

In the past week, we've broken not one, not two, but three pieces of news about Topshop's upcoming revival. From its collaboration with Cara Delevigne, to its plans to rejoin London Fashion Week and its third-party expansion. If I wasn't already on the edge of my seat for its revival (don't worry, I was), I certainly am now.

Once a rite of passage for every British teen (myself included) and the crown jewel of the high street, Topshop was more than just a store - it was a cultural institution. From Kate Moss campaigns to Oxford Street queues, the brand defined cool-girl fashion for decades.

If you're like me, you'll remember the pilgrimage into town to Topshop's Oxford Circus store, which could swallow you up for an entire day and spit you out around closing time. It was a mini city in itself, hosting own-brand lines on the ground and first floor, the latest footwear at Office, and of course EAT café - where I'd often have a tuna melt pit stop to refuel before tackling third-party brands on the lower ground floor. But all this came to an abrupt stop when Topshop met an untimely end in the early 2020s.

As the Millennial- and Gen Z-loved brand ramps up its revival and teases its return to the high street, what better way to pay homage to the brand that once ruled the high street an my wardrobe than by looking back at its Topshop’s key moments? Think Kate Moss, Ivy Park, and more.

Take a deep dive into nostalgia here.

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.

Amazon reveals Brits saved £5.6bn by buying second-hand last year

As someone who’s been buying a lot of second-hand furniture lately, I’m definitely riding the pre-loved wave - and it looks like plenty of others are too.

New research, carried out by Centre for Economics Business Research (CEBR) and commissioned by Amazon, this week revealed that two-thirds of Brits bought second-hand goods online in 2024, collectively saving £5.6 billion and keeping 199 million items in circulation.

The study shared that second-hand products now account for 34%-45% of UK spending. According to the report, pre-owned online shopping is also now worth £4.3 billion a year in the UK.

Sam Littlejohn, Amazon's Head of Returns and Repairs, said: "Britons are turning to second-hand shopping in large numbers, but to supercharge the sector's growth, customers need to trust buying a used product as much as buying new."

So, whether you’re hunting for a coffee table like me or joining the millions refreshing their wardrobes with pre-loved finds, this data offers encouraging insight into the growing popularity of second-hand shopping - which, for the planet’s sake, I sincerely hope continues to rise.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.

Largest-ever exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion to be held at Buckingham Palace

This week’s announcement of an exhibition of Queen’s Elizabeth II’s fashion - to be held at The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in spring 2026 - must have raised some excitement in fashion circles, as well as among her legion of forever loyal royal fans.

The exhibition, which is in celebration of the centenary of the late monarch’s birth (21 April 1926), will chart the remarkable story of Britain’s longest reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life – "from birth to adulthood, from princess to Queen, and from off-duty style to diplomatic dressing for the global stage".

The archive is described as one of the largest and most important surviving collections of 20th Century British fashion, now forming part of the Royal Collection, with famous designs from leading British couturier, Norman Hartnell, among others, who was the Queen’s most influential designer over three decades. It was he who designed her wedding dress in 1947 and her Coronation dress in 1953, both of which will be on display.  There will also be an official publication to mark the centenary and accompany the exhibition called ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style’, written by the exhibition curator, Caroline de Guitaut.

Interestingly, the exhibition will also shed new light on the late Queen’s close involvement in the creation of her wardrobe, as de Guitaut mentions "her hands on role and understanding of the soft power behind her clothing and the exceptional craftsmanship behind each garment".

There will also be some eveningwear gems designed by Hardy Amies, and vibrantly printed dresses designed Ian Thomas "that capture the relaxed glamour of the 1970s", on show for the very first time.

Those into the Queen’s more day-to-day style will be treated to some fine British tailoring – including "impeccably cut riding jackets", tartan skirts and her trademark silk headscarves.

Anyone considering a career in fashion design should pay ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ a visit. Exact dates are yet to be confirmed, though the exhibition will run all the way through to autumn 2026, with tickets going on sale in November 2025.

Tom Bottomley, Contributing Editor. 

The Interview: Deryane Tadd of The Dressing Room on 20 years of successful independent retail

It is possible, you see. Running a successful independent fashion retailer, that is. In my youth in the 90s, independent retailers were my gateway to a world of dreams. They stocked the labels that I saw in the pages of fashion magazines, they knew you by name, they knew what you liked and they let you hang out for a chat even when you didn't have enough spare cash to buy anything. I used to like going to these places to just look at the clothes in the same way people would go to look at paintings in galleries.

Sadly in recent years so many indies have fallen by the wayside as e-commerce took hold and brands pulled back their support (and shame on them for that). Frasers also came in and snapped up a swathe of indues and sucked them into the Flannels empire (though to be fair, who knows if those businesses would have been able to survive anyway).

So it is always a joy to hear about indies doing well, like The Dressing Room, which this year is celebrating 20 years in business under its founder Deryane Tadd.

The Dressing Room has succeeded thanks to Tadd's vision, hard work ethic, brilliant eye and her laser focus on her customer. While her team is 20-strong, she personally controls the buying and I think this is crucial. So often founders get sucked into the machinations of their business as they grow and let go of the area that was their forte in the first place.

Tadd hasn't made that mistake and she's kept her business at the forefront of its market for 20 years. Here's hoping she's willing to stick around for many more!

Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief.