Reform of trades looked hard (6)
I believe the answer is:
stared
'looked hard' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'reform of trades' is the wordplay.
'reform of' is an anagram indicator (I've seen this in other clues).
'trades' is an anagram of 'STARED'.
(Other definitions for stared that I've seen before include "Gazed intently at" , "Looked hard and fixedly" , "Subjected to prolonged gaze" , "Looked fixedly (at something)" , "Treads (anag)" .)