Posts by Kate Hills
Made in Britain :Britishness in the news this week Jul31
London Underground | House of Hackney (New York Times Blog) “…Resolutely British, all of House of Hackney’s products, with the exception of the Italian bed linens, are made in Britain and are sold in Liberty’s…” Behind the scenes at the workshop – Cherchbi Herdwyck AW11 production (Cherchbi Blog) “…The pace, consideration and skill with which this work is conducted…
Read MoreHolland Cooper: A quintessentially British brand
Here at Make it British we like to celebrate British brands, and Holland Cooper, by their own admission, are quintessentially British. Founded by Jade Holland Cooper in 2007, the brand describes itself as ‘a glamorous mix of city influences and British eccentricity’, which translates as fine Scottish tweed tailored into sharp jackets, cute mini skirts…
Read MoreMade in Britain :Britishness in the news this week Jul24
From Britain with Love (DHL News) “Nicky Sherwood, editor of FromBritainWithLove.com, argues that there’s never been a better time to export British…” Mulberry’s billion pound bags (Telegraph Fashion) “In addition to producing lust-worthy bags, Mulberry is now the world’s best-performing fashion house…Keen to maximise on demand for its leather goods, the brand is adding 50…
Read MoreBritish knitwear designers: Makepiece
A recent post about British Wool has led me to discover some fantastic British knitwear designers doing amazing things with home grown wool. One of these is the very talented company Makepiece. Here is an interview with the founder, Beate Kubitz: Hi Beate, Can you tell me a bit more about yourself and why you…
Read MoreMade in Britain :Britishness in the news this week Jul17
Honda Made in Britain competition (From Britain with Love) “To celebrate 20 years of manufacturing cars in their Swindon factory, the company recently launched a series of national competitions to find Britain’s best makers…after the tricky job of whittling down a shortlist, the winners have now been announced.” Introducing…Cherchbi (Style Salvage) “… the debut collection from Cherchbi, a British…
Read MoreStoves launch Made in Britain logo following student competition
A few weeks ago I wrote about the campaign that cooker manufacturer Stoves had launched to find a standardised Made In Britain logo to be used on British-made products. A nationwide student design competition was run and the winner, chosen by a panel of industry experts in advertising, design and UK manufacturing, was announced this…
Read MoreBritish Wool: it’s not just all about carpets and tweed
Last week I had the chance to chat at length to Irfan Khan from the British Wool Marketing Board about all of the wonderful things he is doing to shake off the traditional image of this amazing home grown fibre. I also learnt a thing or two about the British Wool industry, such as… The…
Read MoreMade by Britain
Made by Britain is a project run by the Associated Parliamentary Manufacturing Group intending to prove that great products are still made in Britain. 650 MP’s have been asked to find a product that is manufactured in their constituency today in order to draw up a comprehensive picture of a contemporary British manufacturing industry.…
Read MoreMade in Britain :Britishness in the news this week Jul10
Pop Sop has a post about the new value of being made in Britain. Nigel Cabourn reveals his new collection using Harris Tweed, including an exciting development which adds wax to the fabric to make it waterproof. Philip Treacy talks about curating for Tate Liverpool, chatting with the Queen and, of course Princess Beatrice’s Royal…
Read MoreBarbour jackets in a post all of their own
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about British outerwear brands and a reader quite rightly pointed out that I had missed off Barbour. So, because of that, and also because it is raining AGAIN, I am going to write about Barbour and their waterproof jackets today… Started as a drapers shop at…
Read MoreAn interview with Faith Tilleray of Damselfly
I recently had a chance to have a chat with Faith Tilleray, who makes beautiful girlswear under the label Damselfly. Here is her story: Hi Faith, can you tell me a bit more about yourself and why you set up your company? Damselfly is a mother and daughter team (my daughter just completed a fashion…
Read MoreMade in Britain: British-ness in the news this week
Once Was England talks about Lewis Leathers on their blog. Albam are offering 15% off this weekend on all of their online orders. Made in Britain by Evan Davis has got the nation talking about UK manufacturing, particularly in this article by Gavin James Blower. Lady M Presents has a post about a new British…
Read MoreHelen Ruth Scarves
Surely there is nothing more British than a silk square tied in a jaunty fashion about one’s person? After all, our very own Queen Elizabeth II is extremely partial to sporting one tied under her chin. However, these days not any old scarf will do; what one really needs is a Helen Ruth scarf. Printed…
Read MoreFrom Britain with Love – Making it British
The following is a guest post that I wrote for From Britain with Love, a site that showcases not only British made products, but also all the best that Britain has to offer, including travel features and course reviews. There are 80 billion new garments produced annually worldwide, most of which will end up in…
Read MoreMade in Britain: British-ness in the news this week
Katherine Hooker , the British designer, is to launch an exclusive cashmere line with Johnstons of Elgin, the Scottish luxury cashmere mill. S.E.H. Kelly have a great piece on their blog about a mill in the Heavy Woollen District in the north of England. J Price – Britain’s last remaining tennis ball manufacturer says “my…
Read MoreSteven Harkin leather bags
Steven Harkin really knows how to make a leather bag, having worked in the design and production of them for over 25 years. Prior to launching his own collection he also taught at the prestigious Cordwainers College (part of the London College of Fashion), one of the only places in Britain where you can study the…
Read MoreThe British clothing market: 10 shocking statistics
I have been reading Lucy Siegle’s book ‘To Die For’ recently, and it contains some shocking statistics that define how much we have become accustomed to buying cheap, mass-produced clothing and accessories in the UK. Britain has become a nation of shoppers buying worthless ‘fast fashion’ without a thought to where it was produced or…
Read MoreMade in Britain: British-ness in the news this week
Mulberry sees profits soar, as it announces a 69% increase in sales. The company, known for it’s British made handbags, is expanding production capacity at its Somerset factory, creating 50 new manufacturing jobs and adding 30% to UK production capacity. Anya Hindmarch, the British handbag designer, talks about her business, including the choice of factories…
Read MoreScottish knitwear for kids from Pride & Joy
Given the thunderstorms that we are having in June (thank you British Weather), it seemed appropriate to write about Scottish knitwear for kids in this post, rather than summer frocks. And as I’ve just been introduced to Pride & Joy, who make children’s jumpers, that is what I am going to do. Hand knitted by…
Read MoreVintage inspired dresses by Suzannah
I’ve always been a lover of a vintage frock, but finding them in good condition at a reasonable price is getting more and more difficult these days. And then I discovered Suzannah. The Suzannah brand, designed by Suzannah Crabb, specialises in modern dresses made in the finest quality fabrics that have the look of vintage…
Read MoreBritish socks: One of life’s little luxuries
Why, on one of the hottest days of the year so far do I find myself wanting to write about socks? Snuggly, patterned, knee-high, knitted British socks? Socks have been on my mind a lot recently. Firstly because my under floor heating is off at this time of year, and there is nothing better than…
Read MoreSurvey: Do you care where your clothes are made?
We are conducting a survey to find out how much shoppers really care about where their clothes are made. Please take the survey now, it will only take 2 minutes to complete.
Read MoreBurberry – not as truly British as it once was?
There was a great post recently by Liz Jones at the Daily Mail about how Burberry is ‘trumpeting it’s British-ness’ with it’s drive to open super-flagship stores in prime London locations. These new stores will presumably act as a mecca for tourists from Asia, keen to snap up some British goods at local prices. Liz’s…
Read MoreModern British Bag Makers: A Few Fine Things
One thing that has amazed me since we started on our journey to develop a handbag brand made in the UK is how many offers of help and support in finding manufacturers I have received from other British bag makers. This is unlike when I worked for High street retailers, when everyone kept the details…
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