Founder Stories

In this episode, I am joined by Laura Ward, founder of the luxury British tennis brand Exeat.

Exeat is the UK’s most exported luxury tennis apparel brand, and Laura herself is the winner of many awards, including Global Startup of the Year. She’s also one of the government’s UK export champions, and the brand has been feature in Vogue, Forbes, The Financial Times, and Vanity Fair.

In this episode, she’s going to give you tips on how to export your brand globally and how she’s managed to get such amazing press in such a short space of time.

Welcome to Episode 263 of the Make it British Podcast! Today I’m chatting to Clare Winton from Grow Wild Outdoorwear, a new brand for women in pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood. Clare had the idea to develop her …

263 – The Joy of Partnering with UK Manufacturers – Clare Winton, Grow Wild Outdoorwear Read More »

Join me on a factory tour of print-on-demand UK manufacturer Contrado and learn about the businesses backstory from co-founder Chris Childs.

Meet Siwan Oldham, the founder of ByBiology, a business that is giving to scientific research by creating the most beautiful luxury silk scarves. Siwan talks about how her business idea came about, the reason she decided to manufacturer in the …

249 – Luxury Silk Scarves Celebrating the Art of Science – Siwan Oldham, By Biology Read More »

Sarah Turner is the founder of Little Beau Sheep, a brand that celebrates the best of British wool through a unique range of hand-made laundry and body care products. Flying the flag for British wool, the Yorkshire-based entrepreneur came up …

248 – For the Love of Wool with Sarah Turner, Little Beau Sheep Read More »

In this episode, I chat with Oscar Boatfield, who is one of the co-founders of bags and accessory brand BearMade who make all of their bags in the UK. If ever there was a great example of a business doing …

244 – Sharing Wellness Through Well-Made Bags – Oscar Boatfield, Bearmade Read More »

In this episode, I chat with childrenswear designer Dawn Clarke, who is a member of Make It British and a part of our British Brand Accelerator programme. Dawn tells us all about her journey going from making everything in-house and …

242 – From Bespoke to Ready-to-Wear – Dawn Clarke Read More »

Joining me this week is Veronica Galbraith from fun, colourful homewares brand Republic of Happy. Originally from Colombia and now living permanently in Cornwall, Veronica is a graphic designer turned surface pattern designer. She tells me all about how she …

237 – How to Launch a Printed Textile Business – Veronica Galbraith Read More »

Find out about an exciting recycled cashmere collaboration between three UK businesses. Dr. John Parkinson from iinouiio, Graham Holbrook from Turtle Doves, and Emma Mathews from Socko, share how the project came about, the importance of making in the UK …

235 – Spinning a Good Yarn Read More »

Linda De Ruiter is the founder of sustainable womenswear brand, The Slow Wardrobe.  In this episode, we talk about Linda’s business, The Slow Wardrobe, how she dresses women to feel more confident, and why she’s chosen YouTube as the main …

228 – How to Promote Your Business on YouTube – Linda De Ruiter Read More »

In this episode, I chat with Paul Brown, founder of Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, a UK-made brand based in Suffolk. Paul founded his clothing business back in 2012, knowing nothing about clothing manufacturing, but went on to set up his …

224 – Making it Your Own; The Advantages of Running a Micro-Factory – Paul Brown Read More »

Rosie Macpherson is the founder of Where’s Winnie, a luxury dog travel brand. Rosie came to me when she had an idea to develop an innovative new type of dog car seat. One where a small dog can travel in …

223 – Launching an Innovative New Dog Product – Rosie Macpherson Read More »

Julie Deane CBE is the founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, which manufactures all its bags in the UK. In this episode, recorded as an Instagram Live on Made in UK Day, I chat to Julie about why the Cambridge …

222 – Why it’s Important to Keep UK Manufacturing Alive, Julie Deane CBE Read More »

In this episode, I’m chatting with Graham Holbrook from Turtle Doves, a company that recycles cashmere jumpers into brand new products, including their signature fingerless gloves, which sell over 200,000 pairs a year. Graham talks about how Turtle Doves manage …

218 – Recycling Old Clothing into Brand New Luxury Products, Graham Holbrook Read More »

Kitty Bruce-Gardyne is the founder of Scottish Textiles Showcase. Originally set up to give people special guided tours around the textile mills in Scotland, Scottish Textile Showcase is now a retail destination in Edinburgh. The shop represents some of Scotland’s …

215 – Showcasing Scotland’s Textile Industry, Kitty Bruce-Gardyne Read More »

In this episode, I chat with Chris Kyriacou, founder of activewear brand Soma Sportswear. Chris contacted me in 2019, looking for help to find manufacturers to make his very unique athleisurewear. In this episode, Chris talks through the process of …

213 – How to Launch an Athleisure Brand Made in the UK Read More »

One of the biggest problems that many fashion firms face is how they can dispose of their deadstock fabric. At the same time, designers often have issues with sourcing materials in small quantities. In this episode, we meet Deborah Lyons …

212 – Where to Source Deadstock Fabric – Deborah Lyons & Piarvé Wetshi Read More »

Shanna Bent is the founder of the conscious fashion brand Maison Bent. Having previously worked with Alexander McQueen, Roland Mouret, Agent Provocateur, in 2019 Shanna set up her own luxury label, with a determination to bust the myth that black …

209 – Running a Brand Championing Diversity, Shanna Bent Read More »

Charlotte Raffo is the founder of The Monkey Puzzle Tree, a homeware business that creates award-winning, artist designed fabrics and wallpapers with a twist and a conscience. Working with artists and designers to produce the most beautiful collection of products, …

207 – Celebrating the North of England’s Creativity, Charlotte Raffo Read More »

Lucy Jones was the founder of a prestigious, luxury lingerie brand back in the 1980s. Her distinctive silk lingerie was stocked in retailers such as Harvey Nichols and Rigby & Peller. After two decades working in education, Lucy decided to …

204 – Making luxury lingerie in the UK – Lucy Jones, Lucy Jones Lingerie Read More »

Join me on a trip to Leicester to meet Said Saleh and Keith Cummings from Mars Knitwear. Based in Wigston, Leicestershire, the chaps at Mars have been making knitwear for over 30 years. Having been manufacturing thousands of pieces of …

203 – 30 years of knitwear manufacturing in Leicester with Mars Knitwear Read More »

Monika Young is the founder and creative director of Monika the Label – a sustainable fashion brand inspired by 70s California and made in the UK. In this episode, Monika tells the story of how she set up and her …

202 – How I Dealt With the Copycats and Came Out on Top, Monika Young Read More »

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 …

197 – The Importance of Quality – Maria Grachvogel Read More »