Make it British Podcast

Do you find Made in the UK labelling confusing? Do you have a product and want to find out whether you can label it as 'Made in the UK?' In this recording of a live masterclass I set the record straight on what can and can't be labelled as made in the UK. You’ll find out… What the law is surrounding made in the UK labelling What percentage of a product has to be manufactured here Whether the raw m...

In this episode, I introduce you to Jack Scott, the co-founder of Dash Water, a British brand with great provenance. Dash water uses only misshapen fruit and veg to flavour its water - produce that would otherwise go to waste because it's not 'perfect' enough for the supermarkets. Jack talks about how he set up a successful British brand in an over-crowded market, and how they managed to get Dash...

What is the true cost of that cheap coat that you buy on the high street? Whilst the price of clothing has gone down over the last sixty years, so has the quality.  If you calculate the cost per wear of a cheap coat versus a quality, UK-made one you may be very surprised at what great value the more expensive one is. Purchase our Cost Per Wear Calculator here. Stay in Touch British Brand Acce...

Wouldn’t it be great if the UK textile industry could create less waste, increase sales and become more profitable?  Local manufacturing is an increasing focus for brands and designers looking for a fast turnaround on products that don’t leave a large carbon footprint. Textile manufacturers now have the opportunity to capitalise on this by creating ‘just in time’ products that meet the needs...

Samantha Brooke is a knitwear designer who has worked in Italy for Alberta Ferretti, and in China for a mass-produced knitwear brand. She created her own micro knitting factory in rural Nottinghamshire three years ago producing personalised accessories and knitted dog products. Samantha is a great example of a small brand that is rapidly growing her business by giving the customer exactly what the...

The Trunki needs little introduction; since its invention in 2006 over 4 million of the animal-shaped ride-on suitcases have been sold and it has become a design classic. What many people don't know is that the majority of the Trunkis have been made in the UK since 2012. Rob Law MBE is the founder of Trunki. He was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease which killed his twin sister at t...

Amy Fettis is the founder of fashion-led sportswear brand AIM Athleisure. When she first launched the brand she made all of the mistakes that many new businesses make - including developing a collection that was far too big, which killed her cashflow. She now uses the lessons she learnt from her own business to help others. Amy supports other brands on a private label basis to go from concept to s...

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 is the chief executive of Johnstons, and in this interview these are some of the points we cover: The history of Scottish cashmere How the business is making its products more sustainable The need to focus on high...

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 distress...

Whether to wholesale is one of the biggest decisions that brands have to make, and it is often much more of a difficult decision for businesses that make in the UK as their cost price is often higher. Wholesale was the route that traditionally most brands went down if they wanted to build their profile quickly. But as retailer mark-ups have been increasing over the years, and more direct-to-c...

It’s back to business this week for many retailers - but how will shopping change post-lockdown? And what effect will this have on businesses that manufacture locally? Whilst some people are rushing out hoping to secure a bargain on the seasonal stock that retailers are trying to shift before the summer ends, many others will be slightly more reticent about heading out to busy high streets and sho...

London-based designer Maria Grachvogel is renowned for her clever use of cutting to flatter the female figure. In this interview Maria talks about why she has chosen to use more UK manufacturers for her collection, and how changing her business model has helped her to build closer relationships with her clients. She also discusses the importance of quality, and how buying less, of better qual...

We've had two pieces of good news this week so I thought I'd share them with you in this episode. The first is that the government has now officially placed orders with UK manufacturers for millions of pieces of PPE. And the second is that the Fashion Roundtable's campaign to get garment and textile roles onto the Shortage Occupation List has progressed to the next stage. Further listening Ep 114...

Emma Willis founded her shirt making business in 1989. She has had a shop on London's famous Jermyn Street for over twenty years and all of her bespoke and ready to wear shirts are made in England. The Emma Willis Factory in Gloucestershire has a team of dedicated seamstresses and cutters and she runs a successful apprenticeship programme which is helping to develop the next generation of shi...

Buying habits are changing and there is definitely a renewed interest in buying made in the UK products. At Make it British we've seen a 200% increase in enquiries from people looking for things that are made in Britain. In this episode I look at the reasons why demand has increased, how made in the UK brands can capitalise on that, and what we're doing at Make it British to help make it easier fo...

David Williams has been supplying the UK knitwear industry his entire career. He is the UK agent for Stoll knitting machines and the founder of the Knit Design Centre - a studio in Leicester where designers can develop their ideas and samples with experienced knitwear technicians. During the Covid 19 pandemic he has worked with a local knitwear manufacturer to produce face coverings for businesses...

During the Covid_19 crisis many UK manufacturers have adapted their businesses to manufacture PPE. Specialised Canvas, based in Chesterfield, are one of the companies that very quickly pivoted their business to help alleviate the shortage of available protective equipment. In this episode, Paul Noble, MD of Specialised Canvas, explains how the firm has risen to the challenge of making PPE.  S...

In episode 114 I asked ' PPE - can we make it in the UK? ' and on today's episode I thought it would be good to update you. It has been 5 weeks since the Government put a call out for businesses to help manufacturer PPE. Since then hundreds of UK manufacturers have filled in the form on the government website and stepped up to offer their help and support. Make it British has created the British T...

In this week's episode I talk to Lucy Blackley who founded technology company BombyxPLM to help fashion business owners manage their product development. A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system helps your business have total visibility over the development of your brand from design through to production. Traditionally these software systems are expensive, but Lucy wanted to make something that...

Until a few weeks ago most people probably had no idea what PPE stood for. But during the Covid_19 outbreak PPE has regularly been in the news because Personal Protective Equipment can mean the difference between staying fit and well or catching the deadly coronavirus. In this episode I look at why there is such a terrible shortage of PPE in the UK and whether we can make the Personal Protect...

Harris Tweed cloth is renowned the world over. Woven entirely in the Outer Hebrides, using wool from the local sheep, you could say it was the ultimate sustainable fabric. In this episode Ruth Masson, Marketing Manager at Harris Tweed Hebrides, tells us all about the history of the cloth and what makes it so special. More about Harris Tweed Hebrides Stay in Touch British Brand Accelerator  -&...

The number one concern for all manufacturers right now is how they are going to pay their staff. They need help to support the jobs of their workers and retain their skills otherwise they may be gone for ever. We have so few manufacturers that we really can’t afford to lose any more. What is left of our manufacturing base in the UK needs to be protected at all costs. We cannot afford to lose these...

This episode was published on the day our Make it British Live! trade show was due to fling its doors open to 1,000s of visitors. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 outbreak we have had to postpone the live show until further notice. But never has there been a more important time to manufacture locally and support brands that make in the UK. As much of the world is in lockdown and the UK looks to...

The coronavirus (Covid-19) is having a devastating impact on businesses all over the world. One of the industries likely to be hardest hit is manufacturing, because so many raw materials cross borders. In this episode I look at we can learn from how the coronavirus is impacting supply chains. Could it cause drastic changes in the way people work, manufacture and shop? Stay in Touch British Br...

On today's episode we're covering a topic that I know bothers a lot of you - how can you protect your designs from being copied. Dids MacDonald OBE has dedicated the last 20 years of her career in helping designers to protect their design ideas. Discover in this episode: What the myths are around protecting your design ideas. How you can make sure that your design ideas are covered. The difference...