Make it British Podcast

Government figures say that manufacturing is only worth 9% to the UK economy - is this correct?  A report by Cambridge University says that the Government has got it wrong when it comes to calculating the value of manufacturing to the UK economy. What is causing the error? And how  should  they be working it out? Shownotes: www.makeitbritish.co.uk/073   Cambridge University Rep...

Tom Glover is from a family manufacturing business originally founded in Wigston in Leicester in 1796. He graduated with a degree in product design, and used his design skills to create the Peregrine clothing brand. He knew that the way forward for the family knitwear manufacturing business was to not have to rely on orders from other brands, but instead create their own. Within 10 years of c...

This week I was at the Houses of Parliament for a meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Group for textiles and fashion to discuss the issue of the lack of skilled garment machinists in the UK. The meeting was organised by Tamara Cincik of Fashion Roundtable, who is the secretariat for the group.  There were several UK garment manufacturers in the room, along with representatives from the B...

There are around 3,800 women in UK prisons at any one time and only one in ten are able to get a job when they leave. It costs £46,000 a year to put women in prison in the UK - why not put this money to good use by training them essential skills while they are there? Barbara Burton is a woman on a mission to do something about this. Her business, Behind Bras, which she wrote the business plan for...

What's the best way of successfully manufacturing small quantities in the UK? In this episode, recorded at Make it British Live!, UK garment and textile manufacturers discuss how designers can work with UK manufacturers. Panellists are: David Williams ( Stoll GB & Knit Design Centre ) Diana Kakkar ( MAES London ) Adam Robertson ( Kalopsia Collective ) This episode was recorded at Make it Briti...

Brant Richards and Ed Oxley tell the story of how they launched British menswear brand HebTroCo. In this audio recording of the talk they did at Make it British Live! 2019, Brant and Ed recount the tale of how an idea in the pub turned into a million pound business in just 3 years. Hear how they: Launched with a Kickstarter campaign that sold 176 pairs of trousers in just 6 hours Used Facebook adv...

How can technology help UK textile manufacturing become more viable? Our panellists discuss what innovations and technology are helping make UK textile manufacturing relevant for the 21st Century. Panellists are: Nick Keyte ( Gieves & Hawkes ) Professor Steven Russell ( Future Fashion Factory ) Mark Randle ( Galaxius Systems ) Andy Ogden ( English Fine Cottons ) This episode was recorded at Ma...

Want to understand more about protecting your designs? Potter Clarkson are Intellectual Property (IP) specialists, and in this talk, which was presented at Make it British Live!, Dave Holt and Sarah Talland present loads of really helpful information about protecting your design rights. If you develop any sort of brand or product and want to ensure that your designs are protected, this episode is...

Join me as I walk you round the trade show floor at Make it British Live! Following on from the Review of Make it British Live! 2019 on Episode 061, this episode gives you the chance to meet some of the wonderful UK-made brands and manufacturers that were at our yearly event. Hear from fabric weavers, machinery suppliers, umbrella makers and carpet manufacturers. Many of our exhibitors are family...

Kate Dawson is the founder of the All in One Company which celebrates its 10th year in 2019. In this inspiring and moving talk Kate tells of the highs and lows of founding the UK's original onesie company.  Made entirely in the UK, in Kate's own factory in Northumberland, the customisable all-in-ones can be created by the customer using an online 3D builder, making each one unique. &nbsp...

Fast or Slow fashion...can we have both when it comes to making in the UK? Find out what our panellists had to say, when they were questioned by environmental journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle at Make it British live! Panellists are: Caroline Ash (Fashion Enter), Julia Redman (M&Co), Genevieve Sweeney (Genevieve Sweeney Knitwear) and Henrietta Adams (Henri London). This episode was record...

Tori Murphy trained in textiles at the Royal College of Art and established her home textiles brands in 2012. Starting with just 12 metres of fabrics to produce a few cushions, she now manufactures 8,000m of fabric a year, with a growing reputation for quality, modern fabrics and homeware, manufactured in a traditional way and all 100% woven and made in England. Her brand is stocked worldwide...

Inspiring talks about UK manufacturing took place over the two days of Make it British Live! 2019 at The Business Design Centre, London. In this episode hear a round-up of what the important topics were, and what was discussed by the speakers, who included: Hareesh Kallambella, senior product manager, Burberry Kate Dawson, owner and director, The All in One Company Knitwear designer Genevieve Swee...

Diana Kakkar runs a high end, small batch manufacturing unit in East London. She works with some well-known fashion designers as well as start-ups, helping them to produce their collections. Diana has some great tips for anyone wanting to understand about fashion manufacturing in small quantities. In this episode discover: How Diana transitioned into fashion from a completely different career The...

How do you follow up with a manufacturer (and have a better chance of a response)? I get contacted by people all the time who say that manufacturers have not got back to them. When I dig a little deeper it is usually because the email that they've sent is unclear or tells their life history. My tips for that follow-up email are: - Follow up promptly - Let the know how you discovered them - Keep yo...

Peter Grey is new business manager for Just Elegant - a garment manufacturer in Leicester. In this episode he gives an interesting insight from a manufacturer's perspective into how the garment industry in Leicester has changed over the last few decades, and how it is closely linked to the UK high street. In this episode discover: Why his company doesn't have a website The truth about the relation...

Natalie Riachi has a real passion for slow fashion, and good quality luxury clothing that is well made. She grew up in Scotland and studied knitwear in Galashiels, where the knitwear industry was once a large part of the local area. Having worked in luxury fashion ateliers in Paris for the last few years, Natalie was concerned about how the knitting industry had left Galashiels, so she set up her...

As we celebrate 6 months of the Make it British podcast what have been your favourite episodes so far? This episode recaps what you may have missed, and gives you the low-down on the most popular topics and interviews. If you want to listen back to some of the best episodes of the first six months, these at the ones to go for: 1. Episode 02 - James Ede, Private White V.C. 2. Episode 01 - The Makin...

Lance Mitchell from weavers Mitchell Interflex discusses the promising future of the UK woven textile industry. Lance’s family business was established in 1907, and now has a fifth general family member working for them. From a picturesque mill dating back to 1786 in the Lancashire/Yorkshire borders, Mitchell Interflex were once weavers of striped deckchair fabric. They now weave a multitude...

In this episode I interview Peter Philips of Abbey England about his family business based in Walsall - the heart of the saddlery industry. Peter gives some great insights, not just into the leather and saddlery industry, but into the UK manufacturing and supply industry in general. There's no other company quite like Abbey England. Originally set-up to supply the equestrian industry they hav...

Starting a British-made brand is a big undertaking. Isabella Ugochukwu has done just that, and in this episode shares her advice on launching, and growing, a premium British-made leather goods brand. I've known Isabelle for several years now and I've watched her business grow and blossom. She always has fantastic advice to offer those that are also making in the UK, or wishing to start out so...

Simple tips for how UK manufacturers can attract the right clients by just a few changes to their websites. In the latest episode of the podcast I give some simple tips for how UK manufacturers can attract the right clients by just a few changes to their websites. Sorry manufacturers, but you don't always have the clearest websites, so is it any wonder that you're getting loads of calls from the W...

Kalopsia Collective is a social enterprise run by Adam Robertson and his wife Nina Falk. They do small batch manufacturing for designers and printmakers and in a simple and transparent way. Their aim is to create a sustainable alternative to traditional production systems using their assemble manufacturing method, thereby minimising waste and environmental impact with the added benefits of small m...

With the rise in demand for ethical goods how do you find an ethical factory to produce them? The 50th episode of The Make it British Podcast is published during Fashion Revolution week. Fashion Revolution is a campaign that was set up as a reaction to the Rana Plaza disaster, which saw the collapse of a building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which housed five garment factories causing significant loss of...

Bianca Elgar is a print designer, and founder and creative director of the Bianca Elgar brand. I first met Bianca not long after I founded Make it British, when she came to me looking with help to develop her first fashion collection using her prints. Her business has now evolved from a capsule collection of clothing to a lifestyle brand, using her designs to create statement pieces for interiors...