MYFUTURE Education and Careers Guide 2021/22

Inspiring Diversity
in the Professional
Clothing Industry
Yvette Ashby is the Founder and CEO of PCIAW® and has been
an influential player in the professional clothing industry for
over 20 years. Yvette was directly approached to lead PCIAW®
because there was no association dedicated to representing
the professional clothing industry and it was her experience
which sought to fill the void.
Throughout Yvette’s career running
the Professional Clothing directore
magazine, her passion for textiles
and innovation knew no bounds and
it was this desire for progression,
which saw the creation of PCA
Vision Awards, which provided
opportunity to a diverse pool of
student talent to compete for a
globally-esteemed prize for the best
designs for professional clothing.
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Yvette and the rest of the PCIAW®
team were closely involved when
the COVID-19 pandemic hit in
March and April 2020 and were
instrumental in solving some of the
issues involved with trying to satisfy
the huge global spike in demand for
safe and appropriate quality PPE
equipment, all while dealing with a
lockdown and a media near-frenzy
on the topic.
The UK workwear and PPE markets
are valued at £8.66 billion and
employ over 44,000 local workers.
BAME Magazine interviewed Yvette
and asked her what a career in
professional clothing has to offer
young people.