Loqbox at Manchester Fashion Week: The real cost of creativity

_{From left to right, panellists speaking about "The Cost of Creativity" at Manchester Fashion Week with Loqbox, Kemi Gbadebo (GBADEBO), Ben Taylor (Bepo) and Luke-Matthew Iveson (sewlukeivo).}

When you work for yourself, how much money you earn and when you get paid can be unpredictable. But irregular income isn't unreliable income, and that's something the financial system doesn't always recognise.

That’s why, this September, Loqbox is joining Manchester Fashion Week to talk about The Cost of Creativity: what it really takes to build a career, and a financial history, when your income doesn't arrive neatly on the same day every month.

Our new research found that almost every creative freelancer we surveyed (99.6%) has seriously considered leaving the industry. For more than a third (36%), financial pressure was the biggest reason.

A system that wasn’t designed for how you earn

Freelancers are very good at making unpredictable money work. Our research found that 72% of creative freelancers say they've become better at paying their bills, cards and loans on time since going freelance, but 71% say their credit score has got worse.

More than a third (37%) of the creative freelancers we surveyed have been declined a rental property. Another 36% have been declined a credit card and 33% couldn’t access a business loan.

Earning more doesn't necessarily solve the problem: one in four (25%) freelancers earning £55,000 or more told us they'd still been declined a rental property.

Our research found that the vast majority of freelancers are doing the right things with their money, but still struggle to prove it to lenders because the financial system is built around more predictable income.

Same income. Different experience.

Imagine two people earning the same amount each year. One gets a salary. The other is freelance.

For the freelancer, every day can look different. Sometimes the diary is packed. Other times, work is quieter. They're pitching, invoicing, chasing payments, budgeting for tax and planning for whatever comes next.

That doesn't mean they're unreliable. But when it comes to borrowing, lenders need to understand what someone reliably earns and spends, and how they'd cope if their circumstances changed. Even after providing all that evidence, approval isn't guaranteed.

That's why we need to talk about how to make creative careers more sustainable. Starting with how we rethink freelance income and creditworthiness. A fairer financial system would better recognise the value freelancers contribute, the income and tax receipts they generate, and the role flexible credit options can play in helping them build their careers. 

Taking “The Cost of Creativity” to Manchester

At Manchester Fashion Week, we're excited to be chairing a panel discussing The Cost of Creativity and hearing directly from talented designers who've built businesses and careers in the industry.

We'll discover the real financial decisions behind creative success: from self-funding and saving to pricing your work properly, finding funding and knowing when to say no to opportunities that don't pay.

Our panellists' experiences show just how much financial ingenuity can sit behind a creative career.

Designer Kemi Gbadebo built her brand through limited runs and upfront payments to help fund manufacturing, alongside paid brand collaborations to cover material costs. Luke-Matthew Iveson self-funded their studio using savings and commission-based work when making the move into full-time freelance life.

There's another challenge, too: 74% of creative freelancers we surveyed told us nobody had ever formally taught them how credit works.

They're learning how to price their work, manage irregular income, understand tax, run a business and navigate credit at the same time.

Build a strong track record, however you earn

The financial system isn't going to change overnight. But there are things you can do now to make your financial track record easier to see if you have an irregular income.

With Loqbox, you can build a strong track record of how you reliably manage your money.

Loqbox membership gives you access to credit-building features that can help you build your credit history with the UK's three main credit reference agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

It's about helping you look better to a system that wasn't designed for you, while giving you more confidence to make your next money move.

Until the system catches up, we're here to help you build your credit and feel more positive about money again.

To see all the “Cost of Creativity” action from Manchester Fashion Week, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.

Research conducted by Censuswide among 500 UK creative freelancers (designers, photographers, stylists, illustrators, set designers and makeup artists), aged 18+, between 31 July and 10 August 2026.

Improvements to your credit score are not guaranteed. Missing payments to Loqbox or other accounts may harm your score.