Kate Hills

Make it British Podcast

Arts EN ↓ 300 episodes

Kate Hills is on a one-woman mission to save UK manufacturing. In this podcast she shines the light on British brands and manufacturers, and goes behind the scenes of their businesses. With tips, hints and tricks to help you manufacture in the UK and buy British. Never has there been a more critical time to get behind 'made in Britain'.

Author

Kate Hills

Category

Arts

Podcast website

makeitbritish.co.uk

Latest episode

Jul 4, 2026

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Episodes

Kate's Sunday Journal 5 June 2026: Save the Date 04.07.2026

Subscribe to the mailing list to get Make it British Live! event updates. Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Kate’s Sunday Journal 28 June 26: Update on my goal to visit 100 manufacturers in 2026 27.06.2026

Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Kate's Sunday Journal 21 June 26: Scottish Textiles Tour 20.06.2026

Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Manufacturers Mentioned: woolkind.com caledoniahosiery.com johnstonsofelgin.com halleystevensons.co.uk kcmanufacturing.co.uk aeroleather...

Kate’s Sunday Journal 14th June 26 – Marketing with zero budget 13.06.2026

Apply to come to the next free Q&A Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

From Burberry to British Wool with Frankie Davies, Charl Knitwear 11.06.2026

Hello and welcome to episode 323 of the Make it British Podcast. I'm back with another episode in my Women in Wool series, this time chatting to knitwear designer Frankie Davies from Charl Knitwear. Frankie spent years designing knitwear for Burberry and Benetton and has spent much of her career inside knitwear factories, so it was only ever a matter of time before she founded her own brand. In th...

Kate’s Sunday Journal 7 June 26: How Many Products is Too Many? 05.06.2026

Apply to come to the next free Q&A Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Kate’s Sunday Journal 31 May 26: Britwashing 30.05.2026

Read this email Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Kate’s Sunday Journal 24 May 26: A Visit to Manufacturers in Ayrshire 24.05.2026

Read this email Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Kate’s Sunday Journal 17 May 26: UK-made T-shirts 17.05.2026

Read this email Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Weaving Wool in Yorkshire with Laura Watts at Marton Mills 14.05.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Laura Watts, managing director of Marton Mills, 3rd generation family weaving business based in Otley, Yorkshire. Marton Mills was founded in 1931 and has built its reputation on uniform fabric - supplying school wear, military contracts for the Navy and the RAF, and fabric for the King's Coronation. Now, alongside its core uniform work, M...

A Visit to Laxtons Spinning Mill with Carly Smith & Rochelle Tracey 30.04.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I visited Laxtons Yarns in Baildon, Yorkshire, a fourth generation family spinning mill that is now employee-owned. I was given a full tour of the mill floor by commercial director Carly Smith and national accounts manager Rochelle Tracey, before sitting down with them to talk about British wool, the future of the business and the exciting relaunch of t...

For the Love of Knitting with Genevieve Sweeney 23.04.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I take a trip to the beautiful Essex countryside to visit knitwear designer Genevieve Sweeney in her micro factory, where she designs, programmes, knits, and finishes her collection in house. We talk about the realities of owning your own industrial knitting machine - from learning to keep the yarn and machine happy, to breaking needles in tears and com...

5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer 13.04.2026

🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply In this episode I'm sharing the recording of a recent webinar I ran - 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer. Learn my signature 5 Step Factory Readiness Method™ which has help...

The Great British Wool Revival with Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys, Fashion Roundtable 02.04.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys from Fashion Roundtable. Harriet is the project lead for The Great British Wool Revival and is also working with the King's Foundation on an event in May 2026 to promote the use of British wool. If you're a designer, maker or brand wanting to work with British wool but not sure where to start, the Great British Woo...

Building a British Tweed Tailoring Label in Yorkshire with Isabelle Randall 19.03.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Isabelle Randall, a fashion designer and tailor based in Scarborough, Yorkshire, who has been running her own label for over 21 years. Isabelle works in British tweeds and wool fabrics, making everything bespoke in her atelier. We talk about the Yorkshire mills she loves working with, her tailoring process, and why her bespoke approach kee...

How British Wool Helps Brands Source Local Fibre with Louisa Knapp, British Wool 12.03.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I’m joined by Louisa Knapp, Marketing Executive at British Wool. Based in Bradford, British Wool operates as a farmers' cooperative that collects, grades, and auctions fleece for around 35,000 sheep farmers across the UK. Whether you’re a designer wondering how to source British wool or you’re just curious about what happens to a fleece after it’s shear...

The Reality of Running a Knitwear Micro Factory with Kate Stalker from OUBAS Knitwear 05.03.2026

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I’m joined by Kate Stalker, founder of OUBAS Knitwear . Kate runs a knitwear micro factory in the Lake District, where she designs and manufactures fully fashioned knitwear using natural fibres, including British wool. After studying knitwear at Winchester School of Art, she returned to Cumbria and started the business with a single hand flat knitting m...

Launching a Brand with Traceable British Wool with Dee McGilvray, CLÒ FOLD 26.02.2026

In this first episode of the Women in Wool series, I’m joined by Dee McGilvray, founder of CLÒ FOLD . Dee has launched a womenswear brand built entirely around 100 percent British traceable wool. In just five months, alongside a full time job, she has taken an idea rooted in farming and the British countryside and turned it into a finished product made entirely in the UK. Her first piece is a wool...

Series 8 Trailer: Women in Wool 19.02.2026

Series 8 of the Make it British podcast is here! After many of you asked, “Where’s the podcast gone?”, it's coming back with a brand-new themed series: Women in Wool . Over the past few months, I've been recording interviews behind the scenes. As the conversations unfolded, a clear thread emerged. Every guest was a woman. And every one of them was working with the same fibre - Wool. This new serie...

BONUS: The 3 Part Framework for Developing Profitable UK-Made Products 25.11.2025

🚀 Want to join British Brand Accelerator? Apply here: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Got a question before applying? DM me on Instagram: @makeitbritish

SOS: Stop Wasting Time Contacting the Wrong Factories 🏭 16.10.2025

Not all factories are created equal! And if you’re contacting 20 different manufacturers hoping one will say yes — you're doing it the hard way. In this episode of MANUFACTURING SOS, I’m talking about one of the most common mistakes I see when people start looking for a UK manufacturer: assuming every factory can make every kind of product. You’ll learn why factory specialisms matter, how MOQs and...

SOS: Why Ordering Too Much Stock is a Costly Mistake 09.10.2025

In this episode in the MANUFACTURING SOS series , I’m breaking down why placing a big order with your manufacturer, especially on your first production run with them, can be a costly mistake. You’ll learn why it’s always smarter to treat your first production run as a test, how to avoid tying up all your money in stock, and how to respond when a manufacturer insists on high MOQs. If you’re at the...

SOS: What’s the REAL Cost of Skipping Tech Packs? 📐 02.10.2025

Think tech packs are optional? Or that your manufacturer can just "sort it for you"? Think again. In this episode of Manufacturing SOS , I’m breaking down exactly what happens when you don’t have a proper tech pack, and why skipping this step is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. You’ll learn why a tech pack is your blueprint, not just a boring admin task, and how trying to wing it w...

SOS: Never ask a factory for the price until you do THIS 💷 25.09.2025

What UK Manufacturers Really Think When You Ask About Price If the first thing you ask a factory is “How much?” — you’re not alone. But it might explain why you’re not getting the response you hoped for. In this episode of Manufacturing SOS , I’m unpacking what actually happens when you lead with price, and why it’s one of the fastest ways to put off the best manufacturers. You’ll learn how to wor...

SOS: Why UK Manufacturers are Ghosting You 👻 18.09.2025

If your inbox is full of unanswered emails to factories, it's not personal. It's a sign you're making critical mistakes that scream 'newbie'. In this first episode in this special series MANUFACTURING SOS I’m diving into one of the most common frustrations I hear from founders - that they've contacted manufacturers and no one got back to them. Sound familiar? Before you assume UK manufacturers are...

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