Make it British Podcast

In this episode I interview Steff McGrath, managing partner at lingerie brand Something Wicked. The collection is entirely made in the UK by Steff's team in Leeds, giving the brand the flexibility to make everything to order. She is now helping other brands to make luxury lingerie in Britain too. More about Something Wicked Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out how you can...

Vanners is one of the oldest textile businesses in the UK. They've been weaving silk since 1740, and moved their weaving business from London to Suffolk in the late 18th Century. In this interview I speak to Laura Gore, Vanners managing director, about what makes their business such a special UK manufacturer. Shownotes at www.makeitbritish.co.uk/107 More Vanners Stay in Touch British Brand Ac...

Nick Morley is the MD of Faering, an innovative, UK manufacturer that prints digitally onto wool and other natural fibres. Using the latest technology and renewable energy they can print direct to garments on-demand and with low minimum order quantities. In this interview Nick talks about how Faering uses the T-shirt printing model to minimise stock by printing multiple designs onto knitwear. Show...

Pantherella was founded in 1937 and has been making high quality, lightweight socks in Leicester ever since. I took a trip to the Pantherella factory to meet the current MD, Justin Hall and to find out about how the socks are made. Shownotes with videos and images from my factory tour can be found at www.makeitbritish.co.uk/105 More Pantherella Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - ...

Tamara Cincik has over 20 years experience in the fashion industry and is the founder of Fashion Roundtable, the secretariat for The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Textiles and Fashion. Fashion Roundtable supports the diverse voices of the fashion industry, and provides a much needed link between fashion, business, consumers and policy leaders. In this episode Tamara discusses the challe...

What does a manufacturer include - and NOT include - in a cost price? In this episode I breakdown what you can expect a manufacturer to take into account when they quote you a price. And how to make sure that there a no nasty surprises when you get your final bill. Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand Make it Britis...

David Collinge runs the the Burnley-based weaving business John Spencer Textiles. He is the sixth generation owner of the mill which, was originally founded by his great great great grandfather 150 years ago. I love David’s story because it is one of survival. It epitomises why some UK manufacturers have remained and flourished whilst many others fell by the wayside. John Spencer textiles was once...

What will 2020 hold for UK manufacturing? In the first episode of the year, and the new series, I look at some of the trends that I think will impact manufacturing in the coming 12 months. What's changed since this time last year? And what is the single biggest thing that will impact UK manufacturers and brands that make in the UK? Listen to this episode to hear my predictions - and let me know if...

We're back! Series 2 of the Make it British Podcast begins on Tuesday 7th January. You can expect to hear loads more tips and tricks for making in the UK, along with interview with UK manufacturers - and a few factory tours thrown in for good measure. In the meantime, if you're looking to launch a brand made in the UK in 2020 join our Get Set for Manufacturing Challenge - and be factory-ready in j...

Have you bought your Christmas gifts yet? Well, if you haven't, stop right there. Before you get bombarded by all the Black Friday deals, listen to this episode of the Make it British podcast and find out why buying a British made Christmas gift is more sustainable. This is a bonus Christmas episode. Series 2 of the Make it British Podcast starts in January. Subscribe to the podcast to make sure y...

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 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 Wildm...

There is a lot of confusion about the labelling of products. Can we truly call something 'made in the UK' if the raw materials are from overseas? As the traceability of a product's supply chain is becoming increasingly important more and more people are questioning just how authentic a 'made in Britain' product can be if its raw materials are imported. Find out how the origin of raw materials affe...

Corinne Lewis-Ward is an artist and designer who is the founder of Powder Butterfly; a design studio that creates a range of British contemporary homeware gifts. Corinne was trained as a photography and has used her love of British landmarks to create a unique, and very British range of products. Living in Newcastle she started with a range that celebrated the Angel of the North, which she pr...

It's so important to get out there and meet manufacturers if you are developing a product. In this episode I explain the reasons why you should be visiting factories, especially if you are making in the UK because they are on your doorstep. Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand Make it British website Join Make it Br...

Take a tour round a traditional East End umbrella factory with me as we visit James Ince & Sons. Richard Ince is the sixth generation of a family business which was founded 215 years ago. East London was once the centre for umbrella making in the UK due to its proximity to the City of London where many of them were sold. Find out about the history of umbrella making in the UK and how...

Lots of people try to launch a business or collection with a huge range of products. They then find they don't have enough funds to manufacture everything they set out to. They make expensive mistakes and their initial vision may never come to fruition. Or they try to find cheaper manufacturers in order to squeeze everything into their budget to buy a huge amount of stock You don't need a perfect...

How can you grow a clothing brand sustainably and ethically? In this interview I speak to the inspiring Sophie Slater from Birdsong who work with women's organisations and charities to make thoughtful clothes in inclusive sizes. 50% of Birdsong profits go back to the organisations that they work with, including a women's charity in East London that make their clothes. Find out how Birdsong have us...

From 18th October 2019 many UK-made clothing items exported to the US will face tariffs of 25% In this episode I discuss what items are affected and what this means for British brands that manufacture in the UK. Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand Make it British website Join Make it British  - become a m...

England used to be one of the biggest manufacturers of shotguns in the world, but sadly, like many manufacturing industries in the UK, it has seen numbers decline. Longthorne are the only shotgun maker in the UK that manufacturer everything in house - creating bespoke guns for customers all over the world. In this episode I visit the Longthorne Gun factory to meet husband and wife team Elaine and...

You've probably heard of greenwashing? But how about Britwashing? This episode tells you everything you need to know about what Britwashing is, and how to spot it. Sadly becoming all too common amongst brands and retailers trying to sell products for their own commercial gain under false pretences, I also call this 'fake it British'. There are several ways to spot it, and in this episode I uncover...

Reaching out to manufacturers and struggling to get a response? Don't be like Mr Vague, Mr Long, Mr Price and Mr Clueless - make sure that your email goes to the top of the inbox by avoiding these 4 common errors. Find out exactly what they are in this episode. Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand Make it British we...

Join me on a tour round Crown Northampton's footwear factory In this episode I chat to Chris Woodford, owner of Chancery Footwear, the factory which makes the Crown Northampton collection, and Mark Higgs, brand manager for Crown Northampton. Launched only a couple of years ago, Crown Northampton is quite different to the other shoemakers in the famous footwear town. Instead of making the tradition...

If you've got an idea for a product but you're tearing your hair out because you don't know what the next steps are, this episode is for you. You may have tried approaching manufacturers to help you and had no response, and wondered what it was that you said! Launching a new product is a bit like building your dream home; you wouldn't approach a builder before you had a design for your house and t...

When Pippa Dziubinski started a business making printed bamboo baby muslins 2 years ago one of the most important things was being able to make the product in the UK. But she faced many of the same struggles that other new businesses face when trying to find a manufacturer - they just weren't that readily available. Through perseverance and hard work Pippa eventually discovered the ideal manufactu...

Are you making this one big mistake when developing a made in the UK product? On today's episode I tell you how to make sure you avoid this costly error if you're launching a brand made in the UK. It will also be helpful to those who have product-based businesses who are finding it difficult to juggle all of their suppliers. This mistake can cause: High sampling costs Complex supply chains Long de...