Honest conversations with the people building British-made brands. Hear how they started, the challenges they’ve faced, and what it really takes to grow a product-based business in the UK.
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 […]
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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
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.
