The Art of Design Issue 31 2018 | Page 54

54 At a time when many international firms are hesitant to enter the UK markets, II BY IV DESIGN is expanding their global influence and targeting visionary clients in prime luxury markets. London’s future has been cast into doubt following the wake of Brexit; newswires and agencies around the globe from the BBC, to the Guardian, from the Harvard Business Review to the Financial Times and even the New York Times express a largely negative sentiment with attention grabbing headlines like “Figuring Out Which Companies and Industries Will Be Most Damaged by Brexit” and “Will London Fall?” There are more questions than answers at the moment and no solid exit strategy that explicitly addresses the pressing issues of trade, financial costs to separate from the European Union or the ability and rights of the international community to travel and work within a post Brexit Brittan. Faced with this uncertainty, some international businesses are leaving the UK, others are hedging their bets, while many are simply holding to “wait and see”.