Make it British Podcast

One of our epidode's from the very first series that is well worth a revisit is this one with Andy Ogden at English Fine Cottons. Greater Manchester was once known as cottonopolis because it was the home to the world’s cotton yarn and fabric production during the industrial revolution. At the turn of the Twentieth Century, there were 9,000 people employed in the cotton industry in Ashton-under-Lyn...

Unfortunately, mistakes can and do, happen in manufacturing, but there are ways to avoid them. In this episode, we look at the main reasons that manufacturing a product usually goes wrong, how to resolve the situation if it does and how to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. Discover: What are the common problems that can happen when you're manufacturing a product 01:50 The things you can do t...

In this episode, I chat to Ian Maclean, managing director of John Smedley – the oldest operating factory in the world. John Smedley is one of the finest knitwear manufacturers in the world. The company was established 235 years ago, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, and they still operate out of the same factory in Matlock in Derbyshire. In the interview, Ian talks about the cha...

I think visiting a factory is essential for anyone that is developing a new product. One of the benefits of making in the UK is that factory visiting is far easier than if you are making your products overseas. In this episode, I run through my 7 reasons why you should be visiting a factory – and hopefully, if you’re not doing so already, I will have convinced you by the end! Discover: Why face-to...

Julie Deane CBE, set up the Cambridge Satchel Company in 2008 with £600 and went on to make it a global, multi-million-pound business. But behind the success story, there was a lot of hard work, including having to set up her own factory in Leicestershire almost overnight. In this interview, she tells the story behind the brand and talks about how the business has evolved over the last 12 years. &...

Some people think manufacturers should do any initial work for no charge in order to pitch for your business. But that’s often not the case. In this episode, I explain why many UK manufacturers charge for sampling – and how that can be a good thing. Discover: The incorrect assumptions people may have about why UK manufacturers don't sample for free 01:02 Why being charged for samples upfront means...

Labour Behind the Label is a workers rights organisation that fights for living wages for garment workers. They have produced a  report about the unethical working practices of factories in Leicester making for Boohoo . The industry has often called into question how Boohoo can sell dresses for £4 and still make them ethically in the UK, and this report by Labour Behind the Label makes for di...

In this episode, I look back over the first 100 episodes of this show to find out what makes British-made businesses great. There are many common themes running through the last 100 episodes and that I’ve heard again and again from those I’ve interviewed. Here are the 10 things that make British-made businesses great: UK manufacturers are partners to the businesses they make for Katya Wildman (Ep...

Today I’m chatting to Lindsey James, who is the founder of womenswear brand Violet Flamingo. Lindsey was making and selling bespoke clothing for her clients from her studio before covid hit. Finding herself with no way to reach customers during lockdown, she started to do regular Facebook live calls from her studio, talking to her customers just as she would do if they were visiting her in person....

Just a quick one today, to say that I'm taking a break from recording new episodes after next week. In the meantime, I have selected 10 of the best episodes from the archive for your enjoyment, which will be episodes no.s 188 - 197 I'll be back on 20th August (not 13th as I said on the audio!) with a brand new solo episode no.198   Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out...

Rita Britton is somewhat of a fashion legend.  For 50 years she ran an independent fashion store in Barnsley, Yorkshire called Polyanna, which was an International hub for luxury fashion stocked with Rita's unique style. When Polyanna closed in 2014, Rita focused on developing her own brand, Nomad, made in the UK with fabrics sourced from Yorkshire mills such as Abraham Moon and Joshua Ellis....

If you want to develop a range of products but have little manufacturing experience you might be thinking of employing the services of a production consultant. In this episode, we’re going to look out what services a production consultant might offer, and why you might not want to use one if you want to manufacture in the UK.I’ve also got advice on how to choose a production consultant if you deci...

Brant Richards is one of the founders of HebTroCo. 5 years ago, he and his business partner Ed had an idea in the pub - to start making trousers in Hebden Bridge, a town in Yorkshire that was once renowned for its trouser making. They launched the business on Kickstarter, knowing nothing about making trousers, and within five hours of switching on their crowd-funding campaign they had sold their f...

Do you want a manufacturer in the UK? On today's episode I discuss the reasons why searching in Google for a manufacturer to make your products could be a very costly mistake to make. Discover: What can happen if you select a manufacturer using a Google search 1:29 Examples of what you really find on page one of Google when you type in 'UK clothing manufacturer' 5:22 The misleading phrases that co...

Johnstons of Elgin is the largest textile manufacturer in the UK. The 223-year-old company employs over 1,000 people and was the first to bring cashmere weaving to Scotland. Simon Cotton, the chief executive of Johnstons, describes himself as working for the most exciting company in the UK. Listen to find out how he plans to make the company last long into their next 200 years. Discover: How Johns...

This episode is a lesson to anyone that wants to make in the UK but is struggling to make their pricing work. YES, it is possible to have a thriving and sustainable brand that is made in the UK and be profitable. You just need to change the way you look at things. Discover:  Why trying to find a cheaper manufacturer is not the solution 02:05 Why pricing for small product-based businesses is d...

Rebecca Mills has a background in buying and retail for some big-name brands, yet when it came to running her own business she found it very different. In this episode, she talks about how different it is running her own brand and some of the common mistakes that it is easy to make when you love designing products! Discover: The challenges of developing a product for your own brand versus doing it...

I get contacted all the time by people looking for ‘more affordable’ UK manufacturers. They’re not making any money in their business and they believe it’s all the manufacturer’s fault because their prices are too high.   But when I dig a little deeper, often I find that there are other parts of the business that need to be addressed first in order for them to make any money. So before you de...

Debbie McKeegan has over 30 years experience in textile printing - specifically digital printing. She is the founder of TexIntel, a platform that provides fantastic knowledge and advice to the digital print industry and also the host of the Texintel podcast. In this episode Debbie answers all your burning questions about digital printing. So if you find fabric printing, particularly digital fabric...

There are really four different scenarios in which it's probably better to manufacture overseas than in the UK.In this episode, I run through what those four different cases are. Discover:  How the amount of time that it takes to make something can play a big part in deciding whether it should be made here 01:41 Which skills we have very little of in the UK when it comes to making fashion and...

James Stewart is an experienced lean practitioner who has worked with Burberry and Fashion Enter to help streamline their manufacturing process. ‘Lean’ is a method for producing products in smaller batches, closer to the customer, rather than making zillions of products overseas that no one wants to buy. Anyone that manufactures sustainably and locally in the UK, is in fact using some lean princip...

If your products aren’t selling - don’t get disheartened! There can be many reasons why products don’t sell, but there are also lots of things you can do to make sure they have the best chance of success. So before you think about slashing your prices, take a listen to this episode. Discover: The things you can do before you start to develop a product to make sure it has the best chance of selling...

In an industry that is dominated by big brands, how can you stand out from the crowd and launch something new? In this episode, I chat to Hannah Lovegrove, co-founder of Lovegrove essentials, about what it takes to launch an organics skincare brand that is made in the UK. Hannah started her award-winning business in 2015 with her daughter Hayley. She has some great advice for how she has achieved...

What are some of the pros and cons of selling your products on an online marketplace? And how do you know which ones you should be on? Along with the well-established online marketplaces such as Etsy and Not on the High Street, there are lots of new ones springing up. Many of these specialise in certain niches, including a few newcomers who sell only UK-made goods. Discover:  What is an onlin...

Rich and Linda make stunning, digitally printed swimwear under the label Usual Objections. They manufacture all of their products from a micro-factory in their family home in Hackney, which they also share with 2 children and a blind pug! In this episode, they tell me about what made them decide to manufacture everything themselves, having tried doing so with several UK manufacturers first, and wh...