UKFT member ACS, Europe’s largest Circular Fashion Hub, has been awarded its second King’s Award for Enterprise, this time for Promoting Opportunity (through Social Mobility).

This latest recognition celebrates ACS’s long-term commitment to creating meaningful career pathways for disadvantaged groups, including refugees, ex-offenders, people with disabilities, and individuals from low-income backgrounds. Through structured employment, training, and development programmes, ACS empowers individuals to build sustainable futures in the growing green economy.

Following a rigorous independent judging process, His Majesty The King personally approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that ACS should receive the King’s Award for Enterprise in Promoting Opportunity. This endorsement highlights the company’s exceptional leadership in promoting social mobility alongside business success.

Andrew Rough, CEO of ACS, said: “Receiving our second King’s Award for Enterprise is a tremendous honour and a proud moment for everyone at ACS. This award recognises the hard work, innovation, and deep values that drive our business every day. We believe in the power of business to create positive change — empowering communities, advancing sustainability, and building a better future for our industry and the planet.”

This achievement places ACS among a very rare group of UK businesses to have won two separate King’s Awards for Enterprise — first for Sustainable Development (2023) and now for Promoting Opportunity (2025) — reflecting the company’s leadership across both environmental and social impact fields.

In 2025, 197 businesses representing a diverse range of sectors, have been recognised by His Majesty The King as among the best in the country, highlighting the ambition, ingenuity, and success of our diverse business community.

A total of 199 awards have been issued, with 116 businesses recognised for International Trade, 46 for Innovation, 27 for Sustainable Development and 10 for Promoting Opportunity Through Social Mobility.

Founded in 1997, ACS has evolved to help brands and retailers transition from traditional linear models to circular fashion models through scalable resale, rental, and repair services. Guided by the principles of People, Planet, and Prosperity, ACS champions innovation that supports inclusive growth, environmental stewardship, and global collaboration.

Advanced Clothing Solutions (ACS), founded in 1997, is the UK’s largest circular and sustainable fashion operation, achieving B Corporation status in 2022. Its list of customers covers high street menswear brands such as Moss Bros and Slaters Menswear, womenswear brands such as Monsoon and LK Bennett, through to technology partners such as:

• Zoa: a fashion rental platform that has collaborations with some of the UK’s largest retailers, such as Marks & Spencer and Oasis.
• Hardly Ever Worn it (Hewi): a luxury re-commerce platform offering fashion, accessories, and jewellery, it also provides a VIP service to sellers, advising them on what to buy and providing a service to manage their wardrobes and decide what to sell on.
• Reflaunt: a resale technology provider for some of the world’s biggest fashion brands, specialising in the luxury resale market, Reflaunt works with brands such as Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, and Versace to create spaces where their customers can sell second-hand clothing, shoes, and accessories.
• The North Face Renewed: a circular apparel initiative that takes previously worn, returned, or damaged The North Face products and refurbishes them for resale. Through professional cleaning, repair, and quality inspection by ACS ensures each item is restored to meet the brand’s performance standards—offering customers high-quality gear with a lower environmental footprint. This program is part of The North Face’s broader commitment to sustainability and reducing textile waste.

VISIT THE ACS WEBSITE

Related news:

• UKFT member Sudbury Silk Mills has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise for sustainable development – read more.

• UKFT member Roberts Recycling has won the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade for the third time – read more.

• UKFT member JG Glover & Co (Peregrine) has won a King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade – read more.

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